School Leavers' Communion

Leavers Communion Service Address

10 November 2010 - Rev. Rosemary Poland

One day a man found a cocoon. He watched for several hours as the butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole at the end. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it could go no farther.
The man decided to help the butterfly, and took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand and be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

The assumption this story makes is that struggles and challenges are always good for us and make us stronger. But is that true?
In Gideon’s situation it clearly wasn’t the case. When he faced the challenge of an invading army (the Midianites were attacking the Israelites, stealing their livestock and destroying their crops). he gave up and became depressed and discouraged.

Joshua Chapter 6                                                         
One day the angel of GOD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, whose son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, out of sight of the Midianites. The angel of GOD appeared to him and said, "GOD is with you, O mighty warrior!" Gideon replied, "With me, my master? If GOD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracle-wonders our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us, 'Didn't GOD deliver us from Egypt?' The fact is, GOD has nothing to do with us—he has turned us over to Midian."  But GOD faced him directly: "Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven't I just sent you?" Gideon said to him, "Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter." GOD said to him, "I'll be with you. Believe me, you'll defeat Midian as one man."                                                                                                     
So why is it that sometimes facing difficulty makes us stronger, while at other times, like Gideon, we just want to give up.
Gideon had become so focused on the problem, that he forgot that he was in fact a Mighty warrior and he lost confidence the Lord . …So, “When the angel of the Lord shows up , and says: the Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior” Gideon disagrees:… the Lord is not with us- in fact God has abandoned us and I am not a Mighty Warrior – I am the least member of the smallest family of the weakest clan in all Israel! Gideon’s perspective  was: I’m a nobody and God has deserted me. No wonder he was discouraged.

If only Gideon had the advantage of a Marsden education and the positive psychology classes you have taken this year – Instead of feeling depressed he would have known his top 5 character strengths and been able to use them to deal with the problem of  the Midianites. He would have known how to focus on positive emotions and used his strengths which would have made him much happier.
But the Lord helps Gideon put the situation in perspective…. "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."  And then he says …Go in the strength you have and I will be with you The Lord simply reminds Gideon that as a Mighty Warrior he can take on the Midianites, and that he is not alone.

Something similar happens in the gospel reading, from Matthew Chapter 3
Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, "I'm the one who needs to be baptized, not you!" But Jesus insisted. "Do it. God's work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism." So John did it.

The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life."
The Spirit of God reminds Jesus, … You are my Son, you have been  chosen and marked by my love, you are the delight of my life." Because Jesus knew who he was as God’s Son,  was he was able to overcome all kinds of challenges and to achieve everything he came to do – to teach about the kingdom of heaven, heal the sick, and ultimately, to give his life for the forgiveness of sins.

You are ready to break free from the safe cocoon of Marsden, to stretch your wings and to fly. Along with all the new opportunities, there will be heaps of challenges – beginning with your level 3 exams, leaving home, making new friends, coping with flatmates, landlords and eventually job interviews.
The butterflies are to remind you that challenges can make you stronger and help you reach your potential. Attached to each butterfly are the character strengths you have learnt about this year to remind you to use your strengths wherever you go and whatever you do.

So may you go in the strength you have and know that the Lord is with you.
And may you spend the rest of your lives having the time of your lives.