The Tortoise & The Hippo

You’ve probably heard the story of the tortoise and the hare - one of Aesop’s fables I believe. This is the story of the tortoise and the hippo. No, they weren’t in a race but that would make for an interesting story too! I mentioned this one Sunday morning to the folks during this year’s ‘Vision Talk’ and I thought some of you might be interested in some more of the story.

Apparently, this baby hippopotamus (like the one you wanted for Christmas maybe) was separated from its mother and swept down the Sabaki River that flows into the Indian ocean. He was forced back to shore when the tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coastline in December of 2006.

Even though he was less than a year old, this baby (his name is Owen) weighed in at about 650 lbs. And he has adopted a 100 year old male tortoise as his new mother! According to Paula Kahumbu, an ecologist with the Park system in Nairobi, the two swim, eat and sleep together and the baby hippo follows the tortoise around, just like baby hippos follow their mothers around.

You’ve also likely heard the story (another of Aesop’s fables I believe) of the ugly duckling. It is the story about babies getting switched at birth and how a little guy who believes he is an ugly ducking is actually a beautiful swan.

The big moral of the story of the tortoise and the hare is don’t get cocky. The moral of the story of the ugly duckling is even if you think you’re ugly there is someone out there who thinks you’re fantastic. You only need to find them. Or it could also be that knowing who and what you really are makes all the difference in the world. Both of these are stories of mistaken identity.

And what of the tortoise and the hippo? Well, it is also a story of mistaken identity of sorts. And as for a moral, there might be a few but here’s one - thinking something doesn’t make it so. The little guy might think he’s a turtle but …

My point on Sunday was about how the word ‘church’ gets used in our society in ways that bare no resemblance to the meaning of the word according to every usage occurring in the Bible. Just as calling yourself a Christian doesn’t make you one, so calling ourselves a church doesn’t make it so. The church is not a building. The church is a people called by Jesus to follow Him. The church is not a program. We are His body in the world, His hands and feet to do His will. The church isn’t a gathering either. Whether we gather for strength and support or whether we are scattered like seeds flung into the world, we are His church as we collectively trust in and live for Him. The church consists of those who know Him and are indwelt by His Spirit, compelled by His love and propelled by His power; moved by Him to be a force in this world that according to Jesus will prevail even against the gates of hell itself. The most important thing about being the church is understanding what Jesus had in mind when He said, “I will build my church”.