storming the beach

For years now I’ve viewed Holy Seed Community Church through the eyes of a military officer. In fact, we very boldly proclaimed September 1, 2007 as our spiritual D-Day. We saw it that way then and still do today. Well, in the past few weeks the Lord has been bombarding me with reminders of the opening images of Saving Private Ryan. I re-watched those gruesome moments this week. This bloody scene occurs on D-Day. Considering the amount of time Hitler had occupied that part of France and how heavily it was defended, the fact that the boats were even there was quite a miracle. To even set foot on that beach was amazing. But then the firing began.

Tom Hanks leaps into the water and almost dies instantly. Some soldiers are weighed down by too much gear and never even take one step toward the mission. Those that do, including Tom Hanks’ character, Captain John Miller, are shell shocked. There are several moments where he’s completely numb, ears ringing, unable to move. His men are screaming at him, his eyes are witnessing the most horrifying sights possible, but he simply stands there (actually, he kneels there) not knowing what to do or how to move forward. Finally, after what seems like an eternity during a firefight, he snaps out of it and begins to press on toward their goal.

If September 1st was our spiritual D-Day—simply setting foot on the enemy’s long-held ground of Seattle—then our first year was like that slow, arduous, shell-shocked trudge toward the beach. It took us months just to get our bearings and understand where we were and what was happening all around us. People would ask us how it was going and we didn’t even know how to respond. We looked around us and witnessed horrifying things, but were numb to it all. Finally, after a year of feeling dizzy and wounded, we snapped out of it.

The next thing Captain Miller has to do is rally his men to a safe place and decide what to do now. They can’t simply sit where they are and discuss their options. To remain in one spot is to face certain death. So, they bravely make their way up the beach and regroup. As best they can, they dodge machine gun fire, explosions and corpses in order to dive to the safest place possible. Based on their location, supplies and who’s survived the first fifty yards, they quickly realize that creativity and improvisation is required. Though a master plan was in place beforehand, in the heat of battle it serves only as a guide. These men are facing nearly impossible odds. They do the best they can with what the have where they are. That is the position of Holy Seed Community Church in March of 2009.

We are slowly and painfully making our way up the beach. The enemy is firing at us fast and hard because he desperately does not want to lose this strategic position. He has held it for a long time and will only be forced out. We have experienced much suffering and seen casualties, but, by the grace of God, we continue to move in incremental and important steps. Every person and every action has proven to be extremely difficult and extremely crucial to the completion of the mission.

Eventually Captain Miller and his courageous men clear a very narrow path to the enemy bunkers. Their bravery and sacrifice clears the way for many more soldiers to land and, eventually, for the allied forces to control this vital piece of territory in the larger war. Most historians agree that D-Day, despite the horrific cost in terms of human and material resources, was the turning point in the war. When the firing, explosions and screams finally cease, Captain Miller and his men are left shaken, weeping, wounded and terrified. They are given a few brief moments to rest and attempt to deal with the unbelievable trauma of war before the next grueling push.

God is still destroying lies and overthrowing fear within Holy Seed Community Church, but we now recognize a narrow path that needs to be cleared. We have almost reached the first objective. We’ve long passed the point of no return and, thanks be to God, have achieved a turning point in the war. The very core of our faith has been shaken and assaulted, but it withstood. A short rest and debrief is coming. The building and planting is just around the corner. Hoorah!