Taking Flight Part 3: Flying in Formation

“Taking Flight Part 3:  Flying in Formation”

By: Pastor Andy Whaley

“No man is an island, complete in himself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.  Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”            – John Donne (Christian Theologian & Writer)

Last week focused on heeding Jesus’ call of the wild; breaking free from the weight of the world’s ever-present seduction of, and our own sinful nature’s constant desire for - comfort, security, and self-serving religiosity; risking instead to take flight with Jesus on His untamed migration.              

Make no mistake, however, joining Him on this amazing adventure does not entitle us to simply go off in different directions, chasing our own desires, and living as though we have no responsibility to a greater community.  Yet, this is one of the greatest battles we currently face, the constant barrage of a deadly one-two punch:  

The first, reducing Jesus message solely to the realm of personal salvation (it’s all about me and Jesus, I made my decision, said my prayer, now I’m good to go) leaving us and the “gospel of the kingdom” that He actually brought with Him, woefully incomplete.

- Bam! The Right Cross of Ignorance!   

The second, highlighting our society’s alarming worship of individuality, over and above any sense of or bond to community.  Espousing a dangerously inhumane propaganda that you are more important than everybody else.  Instilling in us the insidious and highly addictive task of daily comparing ourselves to one another.

- KaPow! The Uppercut of Dissonance!

The painful truth is that this is neither a practical nor sustainable way of life!  Everybody gets tired.  Everybody falls down.  Everybody needs someone to lean on.  In the book of the Bible titled Ecclesiastes, we hear from the great poet king Solomon, (who tried individualism to its max), that when you live for yourself and you happen to slip and fall down - there is nobody there to pick you up!

What fool!  What a pity!  What a knockout blow!

(Eccl. 4:10b)

This however, is not the Way of life that Jesus calls us to!  In our Gospel reading for the week (Matt. 4:17-24), Jesus announces that the true call of the wild:

“Come, Follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people.”

flows from “the gospel of the kingdom!”  Proclaiming we are part of a greater community.  Calling us to renewed civic responsibility.  Promising us greater blessings and benefits as citizens living out this deeper reality.

Isn’t it a little embarrassing that even wild geese know better than to go it alone.  They provide us with a great example of what happens when we fly as a community.  1.) Flying in formation conserves their energy, and reduces wind resistance, adding at least 71% greater flying range to the flock than if each bird were to fly alone.  2.) Although the V formation benefits all of the birds, the bird in the lead position works the hardest. When it tires, he drops out of the lead position and falls further back in the formation. Another bird will rapidly move forward to take the lead and keep the community together. The two birds in the furthest trailing positions also tire more rapidly than those in the middle, so these positions are also rotated frequently. This cyclical rearrangement gives all birds the responsibility of leading as well as the maximum benefits of being in the middle.

3.) Flying in formation provides the geese with increased visual contact allowing for better communication and coordination within the group, keeping the flock together and minimizing the possibility of losing anyone as they cross vast distances. 

4.) Finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of the group, two geese fall out of formation and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly or until he dies, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation until they catch up with their original group.

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-13)

The kingdom reality that Jesus brought with Him promises us that we were created (Gen. 2:18), and redeemed (John 15:12-13) for love, compassion, and companionship as we live in the midst of an eternal community (Rev. 21:2-3) today and for all eternity!



- Andy