Taking Flight Part 1: Born to Fly

“Taking Flight Part 1:  Born to Fly”

By: Pastor Andy Whaley

This past week Sam and I were out on the playground in our neighborhood, and as is the case almost every time we are there, Sam ran over to the swing set and cried out with great joy and excitement, “Daddy, Swing me.”  As I walked over to the swing set I reached down and picked up this barely 3 foot tall bundle of life and set him alight upon his aircraft of choice – a light blue swing with slightly rusted chains – second from the right.  I gently took up my fatherly duty to swing him, and immediately the cries of, “higher, higher, higher daddy! – to infinity and beyond” rang out across the playground. I began to bubble up with fatherly pride and joy as other parents looked over to see who this suburban daredevil was. 

As he was swinging I engaged the fatherly task of instructing my boy on the proper way to take flight and keep flying – kick your feet up, drop ‘em down, straighten your legs, bend your knees – real simple instructions with practical and meaningful effect – someday!

But this day, as I am pushing him and calling out the instructions, Sam turns his head mid-flight and cries out to me, “Daddy do you see the plane.” “Yes!”, I replied,  “he is really flying high through the clouds, and going very fast isn’t he.”  And with child-like simplicity, alarming honesty, and deep sincerity written across his face he said, “Daddy, I think I forgot how to fly.“  I was taken aback for just a second by this statement so I did the only dad thing I knew to do and asked, “Did you know how to fly before.”  And Sam simply and very matter-of-factly replied, “Of Course, didn’t you?”

Then he said to me, “Daddy if you keep pushing me – I will remember!”

You see we were all born to fly – we just struggle throughout our lives with remembering how at times.  Sometimes it takes a 3 ½ year old boy to remind me of how simple it really is.  That’s exactly what today’s gospel reading is all about – Jesus coming to the river Jordan to be dunked under the rushing waters – bending his knees low as he goes under, and then suddenly flying up out of the water again, legs shot straight! It is in that moment that Jesus taught us all how to fly. He took all the dead weight that world had to offer, the stuff we all have inside us that would prevent us from ever being able to get off the ground and he took it all down with him deep into the waters – drowning it and leaving it there, and then he gave us all the freedom to soar higher than we could ever have imagined, when he shot back up out of the waters and into the air.  He did this to fulfill all righteousness – he said.  Freeing us from our sin and empowering us to fly to the highest of heights with him.  And as he did this for you and for me His Father looked down at Him and said, “This is my son in whom I find great delight – I love watching Him fly.”

In our baptism – we were all born to fly, just like Jesus!  And even though we may forget how, at times, our Father is always right there with us – pushing us once again, calling out simple instructions – bend your knees, kick your legs straight; go down deep into the waters, and shoot high into the air once again!

As Sam kept swinging and another glorious Texas twilight began to set in with the glorious colors she paints on the clouds - the oranges, the pinks, the reds, and the purples against a blue/graying sky, I noticed that Sam had become very quite.  And as he leaned his head back ever so slightly to feel the wind in his hair as he soared back and forth, higher and higher, I noticed that his eyes were closed and an amazing childish grin had spread wide across his face, and I asked him, “Sam, what are you doing – and he answered, “remembering how to fly daddy!”

And All God’s people said – Amen!

- Andy