Christ Episcopal Church
	Riverton, New Jersey
	What’s your line? September 2007 In the mid-nineteenth century, an increasing number of British merchant ships were being lost at sea because they were overloaded. A commission was set up as a result of the efforts of an English Member of Parliament named Samuel Plimsoll and in 1876, rules were promulgated that required a load line on all ships. If the ship was loaded and went below that point, it was not allowed to sail. This was later extended to foreign vessels in British ports, and eventually became an international requirement. As a result of Mr. Plimsoll’s actions, this mark was referred to as the Plimsoll line. Human beings have our own versions of Plimsoll lines. We know that there are, for example, things that are physically too heavy to pick up. A more subtle Plimsoll line is emotional and psychological, and when we are overloaded, we enter into a condition called stress. According to The Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling, stress is identified as, “a specific syndrome of physical symptoms that resulted from the prolonged activation of the body's defensive "fight or flight" mechanism. These symptoms are the enlargement and hyperactivity of the adrenal cortex, [and] shrinkage (atrophy) of the thymus gland and lymph nodes”. Physiological effects can include, “tension and migraine headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, essential hypertension, increased heart rate (tachycardia), cold extremities, and muscle spasms and pain…bronchial asthma, respiratory allergies, heart arrhythmias, and dermatological disorders…a general suppression of the body's immunological system…[and] an increased susceptibility to infection and degenerative diseases and [a possible] link to cancer.” While a temporary moment of stress can be literally life-saving, as adrenaline can get us through a serious crisis, a state of stress can be life threatening. If we live for prolonged period on the wrong side of the emotional Plimsoll line, we can sink, emotionally and physically. All too often, when people are close to being swamped (the state of being inundated or burdened; overwhelmed), one of the first casualties is prayer and worship. When time seems short and there is so much to do, taking the opportunity to connect with the One who is above all time goes overboard. It is as if care of our spiritual selves is a luxury we can do without. However, it is this very opportunity to spend time with our creator (whose image of taking a day off after creating the world leads off our scriptures) that gives us the time and perspective to carry out what we need to do. In our worship, we can unburden ourselves of so much of the weight of our days, in order that we can float higher in the water and not go down with the ship. This is really quite a practical practice. I remember I had some small project or another to do, and asked my grandfather, Pop-Pop, for help. I must have been desperate, since he was so skilled in so many ways that I found him a bit intimidating. He said we should think about what we would be needing, but in my desire to get started and get done, I started running around the apartment gathering things. Breathless, I returned to the kitchen again and again where Pop-Pop still sat. Looking at the pile I accumulated he picked out the things we needed, and put the other stuff aside. Then he looked at me (I was still panting), and said, “Dick, if you had thought this through, we’d be done already.” At the time, I decided I would never ask him for help again. It was only years later that I realized that going to an expert, listening to advice, and developing a plan, while requiring some time upfront, actually was a more efficient means of accomplishing my goals. Jesus took times to pray by himself (Mt. 14:13) and was regular in his worship in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Lk. 4:16). Martin Luther, the great leader of the Reformation was quoted as saying, “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Archbishop Tutu, when first elected General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches and confronted with the possibility of violent racial conflict over the apartheid policies of the white minority government of his nation, was asked about his priorities. He replied, "First I wanted to ensure that the spiritual was absolutely central to our life, so I put emphasis on the daily worship, regular Eucharists and occasional retreats." No one could accuse either of them of being chronic underachievers. And their accomplishments were not spite of, but as a result of their lives of worship and prayer. September is a time in which many folks feel swamped, teetering on the edge of being loaded past the safety of their personal Plimsoll lines. This then makes this time of year a perfect opportunity for us all to get serious again about returning to regular worship. Fifteen minutes a day, and an hour and change on Sunday will redeem, inform, enable and empower all 168 hours of our week, and of our lives. Why don‘t you set your sails for Homecoming Sunday, September 16^th, even if, indeed, especially if the storms of life seem ready to overtake you. You’ll be buoyed up by the one who stilled the storms and calmed the sea. See you in church?! Richard+