I dream…I am having a tour of a ship. A colourful character of a captain is taking me through, describing it’s best attributes.  I hit my hand against the outer wall of the ship and my hand smacks against cold hard concrete. It is as if the camera pans out on my dream and I see that the ship appears to be a sand sculpture on the shore!

I pat the wall again and say, “Land ahoy!”, to which he laughs. “It is not a ship it only looks like one?’  To this he responds that this is the beauty of it. Complete safety! The illusion of adventure! I feel the comfort of it at first, and think what a good idea!

But it’s not a real ship! it never goes anywhere!

And the safety begins to feel suffocating, like a coffin.

END

Well this one hardly needs interpretation. The ship represents the church. The church that wants to be safe. The church that prioritizes appearances over taking risks.  It doesn’t matter what we actually DO, whether we set out to sea or not, but just what it looks like we are doing. There is no life.

This saddens me and it gives me direction as to how to pray. Now is not the time for the pointing of the finger and praying for “those fake people”. It is time to identify with a church that is more afraid than alive to God. It is time for God to show me how to pray for His church to be awakened to His love and power. To be heartened to put out to sea until I “see” many ships heading out of the harbour.