Jan 14, 2018 Sermon

Welcoming + Story Time

Good Morning Church,I hope you all have had a wonderful New Year and that it has not been too chilly for you as well as that your new years resolutions have not been broken just yet. Though I imagine that if your someone like me, you are already looking forward to the next holiday and the spring time weather and the adventures that comes with the changing of the seasons. Where it is warm enough to sit out side in lawn chair with a cool glass of refreshing lemonade or head down to beach. Now growing up when it came to the beach and all things water I was spoiled compared to now, as some of you know I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago where there is crystal clear waters and white sand beach. For my family when we lived there any vacation or adventure that we went on with out fail involved the Caribbean Sea and as a young lad this was the coolest thing I was able to do. I remember the cool waters and just the pure unadulterated fun of diving in with my family. I remember the smell of the ocean and crisp early morning air as the wind blew across the surface of the deep; and I am sure that many of you as well have fond memories just like this. While it may not be the first thing we recollect from these memories, as with most things are parents give a few ground rules or provide us with words of caution before our adventure begins. Something simple like don’t forget sunscreen or make sure to keep an eye on the shore and always know where you are relative to everyone else. But often times the one that goes untold or receives very little explanation is a caution towards a riptide. Whether you are talking about a riptide, rip current, or undertow, one is referring to the underwater tidal currents found along coastal beach and canals that have the potential to drag unsuspecting swimmers far from shore without every alerting the swimmer except in the most extreme cases. If you have ever been in a riptide or similarly named currents, the most frightening parts about them is not there ability to 300 plus feet off shore in a matter of minutes, no rather it is the unsuspecting manner in which the appear.

I hope that you all have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year

I hope you all have had a wonderful New Year and that it has not been too chilly for you as well as that your new years resolutions have not been broken just yet. Though I imagine that if your someone like me, you are already looking forward to the next holiday and the spring time weather and the adventures that comes with the changing of the seasons. Where it is warm enough to sit out side in lawn chair with a cool glass of refreshing lemonade or head down to beach. Now growing up when it came to the beach and all things water I was spoiled compared to now, as some of you know I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago where there is crystal clear waters and white sand beach. For my family when we lived there any vacation or adventure that we went on with out fail involved the Caribbean Sea

Setting The Stage

Unless you have yourself in the most extreme case of a riptide, chances are you will not go from swimming causally to to suddenly be being pulled in another direction, riptides are extremely subtile in how they appear and pull you along and away from shore. You could be enjoying your time with friends and family or just enjoying a morning swim by yourself and during this time you could actually have been caught up in a riptide but never have noticed it, and on their own they are really nothing to worry about. When one realizes what there in or even just a strong swimmer, by themselves they provide a mild nuisance when trying to return to shore or some added water resistance and nothing more. However for child, weak swimmer, or anyone mentally or physically unprepared for an encounter with a riptide they can become a drowning hazard. Even the Olympian swimmer caught unprepared for the riptide can be swept away before they can find their pacing again not because of some lack of ability in their case but because of frustration, fear, lack of focus, or confusion. Any of these for any person, a strong swimmer or weak swimmer a child or adult, can cause a mild nuisance to become a life threatening situation in a matter of seconds. Something so little as a current that goes unseen underneath the waves can cause so much trouble and chaos for us swimming on the surface. In our daily life the same effect is ever present and apparent if one only takes the time to look and realize just what is going on.

The Message