Taking Flight Part 2: Untamed Migration

“Taking Flight Part 2:  Untamed Migration”

By: Pastor Andy Whaley

“Those that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”  

 - Benjamin Franklin
 

Today I want to share with you a parable by Soren Kerkegaard: a Danish theologian, and philosopher who lived during the early 19^th century.  He was a man who had a passion for pointing out the practical, and relevant way of life that Jesus gave His followers to live in concrete and substantial ways; over and above the simply abstract and ideological thinking of his day.

 “Soren grew up in the countryside surrounded by farms that raised domesticated geese.  Each spring he would watch as a new gaggle of goslings hatched and grew.  Over the course of their short lives, these geese would gorge themselves at constantly refilled troughs of grain until they were so fat they could hardly walk. He imagined that they believed their lives to be perfect, as every need they had was catered to in abundance.

However, when autumn came, a gruesome truth was revealed.

At this time, the wild geese that had spent the warm summer months in Denmark would gather in preparation for their southerly journey – an untamed migration.  They would circle in the skies high above the farms, echoing their call of the wild - to any stragglers on the ground - to join them in their heavenly flight.  At this point, the domesticated geese would lift their heads from the feeding troughs and look into the skies.  Desiring to heed the wild call of their untamed cousins, they would become animated, running as best they could around their enclosures, emulating flight.  Of course, their gluttonous diet and life of luxury had ensured that they were far too fat and lazy, to ever get airborne, and to be honest, at this point in their lives they probably didn’t really want to join their untamed cousins on that perilous journey risking the self-serving lifestyle that they had become accustomed to anyhow. 

But their instincts were strong, driving them mad for an instant, desperately trying to recall the beauty and nature in which they were created.  Sadly, they were left only to day-dream for a brief moment of what it must be like to fly.  The wild untamed geese would then fly off soaring through the skies together continuing on their untamed migration – while the fattened, domesticated geese would simply return to their barnyard existence satisfied with the enclosure and the walls around them, completely ignorant of the farmer’s grim ultimate purpose – they were destined for the chopping block, and the dinner table.

There is quite a difference between the wild geese soaring through the skies on their untamed migration, and the domesticated fattened geese destined for a gruesome end isn’t there.  What of us, reading these words today?  What kind of followers of Jesus have we become?  What kind of followers is He calling us to be? 

A storied interpretation of John 1:35-42a:

“The next day the wild-eyed prophet named John, you remember, the guy who refused to give in to the fads and fashions of his day choosing instead to cause quite a stir living out in the desert and wearing camel’s hair and eating honey for breakfast and locusts for dinner.  Yeah, that guy, he was there again down by the Jordan, with two of his followers describing how the wild, untamed life of a follower of Yahweh, is very different from the comfortable, domesticated, religious existence that the people around them had so easily settled for - when suddenly, he saw Jesus flying by. The wild-eyed prophet cried out – Look! there He goes that wild Messiah – the one we have been waiting for all these years – He’s on His untamed migration.  As He flies, He will break us free from the lies of our comfort, our luxury, and our religiosity - all that stuff that has been keeping us down for so long. He will set us free to be wild, to fly with Him on His untamed migration, and to echo His call of the wild to others.”

When the two followers of the wild-eyed prophet heard him say this, they immediately began to run after Jesus.  Turning His head mid-flight, Jesus saw them running alongside the river’s edge chasing after Him and He asked, “what do you want?” they said Rabbi – which meant teacher (of the wild and untamed life), “where are you flying off to?”  And Jesus replied with the call of the wild, still heard today -      

“Come, and you will see!”

After the two disciples had spent the day with Him, flying free and learning His way of untamed life –Andrew (one of the two) who was already remembering his instincts and his wild untamed nature took to flight in order to find his brother Simon.  As he set foot on the ground in front of him, Andrew echoed the call of the wild he had answered to his brother,  “Simon, we have found the wild, untamed messiah, His name is Jesus, – get up of the ground and fly with us!”

In a society so hell bent on chasing after comfort, security, and self-serving religiosity it is very difficult - indeed a true challenge on a daily basis to remember that we have been called to live a life in Jesus Christ that intentionally and consistently engages challenges, risk, and self-sacrifice.  Are we ready to follow the wild messiah on His untamed migration filled with adventure and yes, even risk?  Are we ready to leave the comfort, the security, the luxury, and self-serving religiosity of the farm in order to take flight and “Come and See”? 

As you fly this week, may you be blessed to know and to grow in the adventure of His Way of Life that you too echo out the call of the wild to those you meet.

And all God’s people said, Amen!

- Andy