Be The Anchor!
Our church community takes its name from an obscure verse in the letter to the Hebrews (6v19) - We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It's a great verse with great implications!
On a basic level, an anchor keeps you firm and secure in harbor - whether you're home or at your point of destination, an anchor will keep you where you need to be. An anchor also keeps you from drifting - whether you're resisting the wind and water currents or getting some rest before resuming travel - an anchor can keep you from getting off course when you're taking a break. Lastly, an anchor provides counterbalance for when you're working on the ship. So whether at home, at rest, or at work, an anchor provides a level of stability necessary to finish the journey.
Drawing on those ideas of an anchor, the author of the letter to Hebrews makes a simple analogy: not only is hope like an anchor for the soul...Jesus is the hope of our soul. Jesus is to be our anchor.
But Jesus also sends us out to be anchors to others. He seeks to inspire us and challenge us to be the anchor. In Luke 9v1-6 Jesus ends out twelve of his disciples to do the work he had been doing: healing, teaching, forgiving, restoring, welcoming, inspiring, challenging. In Luke 10 Jesus sends out seventy-two of his disciples to do the same work. And in Luke 24 Jesus sends all of his disciples out. The disciple/students become apostle/sent-ones. Jesus becomes there anchor, only to help them become an anchor - in his name.
We - as followers of Jesus, are expected to be sent-ones. If Jesus is our anchor, he is expecting us to be the anchor to someone else. We might feel like we are under-qualified (we are), we are not perfect enough (we aren't), that we don't have enough time (poor excuse) or that we don't know what to do (not good enough...). Jesus is the one that makes it possible to be an anchor to others. Only when we have experiences to draw on - of Jesus being our anchor - can we be prepared to be an anchor to others.
Here's the thing: God works by his Spirit through people. For the people in your life who need Jesus, odds are you are the one who needs to be Jesus to them. They need you to be the anchor. You might feel like you want to pass on that task - but this is the only task. To be a Christian is to be accused of being a "little Christ" - would anyone accuse you of that? Who can accuse you of helping others find healing and restoration, of being led to forgiveness and peace, of finding hope and faith and love?
God has called you to follow Jesus so that he can make you an anchor. This week - wherever you go, whomever you are with - ask God to help you be the anchor.
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