Mutiny on the Disciple Ship

Getting on board the disciple ship
was not what I expected.
I imagined clear sailing,
Jesus at the helm,
the congregation a happy crew
learning the ropes together. 

Back then, I didn’t know how close quarters
can sometimes drive us
to gnawing on the ties that bind.
Conflicts rolling over us like sea billows.
Doctrines, finances, personalities,
all these loomed large
until they were dwarfed by
a tsunami of debate on inclusion and exclusion.
The wind came from every direction,
and we either cut or lost the anchor somewhere.
It was a dark and stormy night,
and though the call was for
“All hands on deck”,
we were tossed over like Jonah.
Adrift on the sea, we tread water,
looking for a whale of a solution. 

Imagine our surprise when Jesus appears
walking on this wind-swept sea.
Looking at both the overthrown
and the throwers-over,
he throws out the one-word life-line:
“Come.”