Sledding in the Dark

There is a prime sledding hill within walking distance from my house.  It is, in my opinion, one of the best sledding hills in the Salt Lake Valley, and no, it isn’t located at Sugarhouse Park.  The reason I feel it is one of the best hills is because it offers something for everyone.  At the eastern end of the hill, it is steep and bumpy – perfect for the thrill-seeking older sledding enthusiast.  As you move west, the hill gets progressively easier – less steep and definitely less bumpy – so it’s great for little kids who might get scared at the eastern end.  I remember sledding there as a kid, and I would always grumble when Mom or Dad said it was time to go home because it was getting dark.  But, as is usually the case, Mom and Dad knew best.

If you drive by this hill after a decent snowfall, you will see cars lined up all along the hill and kids (and adults) of all ages on the slope.  In the past two years or so, there has even been a diehard group that goes to the sledding hill after dark.  I noticed them back again just last week.

Just think of the motivation and enthusiasm these people must have to go sledding in the dark.  They also have to have a significant amount confidence and trust that nothing will go seriously wrong.  Yes, they could use the headlights of their cars to light the way, but they are essentially sledding blind.

Try now to put this in the context of the apostles.  We heard of the calling of Andrew, Simon Peter, James, and John in last Sunday’s Gospel reading.  Think what their relatives and friends must have thought when they went off to follow Jesus.  How did they know where he would lead them?  Why abandon a perfectly good (if not entirely stable) job as a fisherman to go off with this man?  Why, why, why?  It must have seemed the height of nonsense, just as sledding in the dark seems to me.

Perhaps they did it for the thrill of something out of the ordinary, at least at first, but I doubt they felt quite as excited once they realized Jesus faced opposition.  Nevertheless, they stayed with him, to the end in John’s case, and most of the Apostles died as martyrs, having come back to Jesus after the resurrection.

Jesus kept them coming back, just as the lure of the sledding hill keeps bringing the thrill-seekers back, even in the dark.  Do we have the courage to listen to Jesus’ call as much as we listen to the temporal urges and longings of our hearts?