Word from Wiese

Jaws & COS, Both 50

Jaws & COS, Both 50

13 August 2025

In the summer of 1975, two very different forces were unleashed. Jaws and COS, Both 50, Word from Wiese

One was a movie. The other was a church.

Both center around water. The blockbuster movie Jaws featured a New England beach community’s offer to enjoy the s-u-n-shine by the ocean. Christ Our Shepherd called folks to gather around their baptismal waters and form a new congregation that celebrated the S-o-n’s love.

A force lurks below for both communities. For the sea-side town, their peaceful holiday is disrupted by a creature lurking beneath the waves, but rarely seen. For the folks of COS, as with all humans, worries about unseen forces also cause strife.  Throughout our 50 years, each generation can articulate threats: a diagnosis, a job down-sizing, a drifting relationship, changing cultural priorities, pandemic implications, and all kinds of “what ifs” of the unknown swirling beneath life’s surface.

The fear must be faced.

In Jaws, as I shared in the kick-off sermon of our “What’s Next?” series, the mayor’s care for the economy trumped his care of neighbor. He ordered that the beaches remain open. But his reaction was also fear motivated. Ignoring data or even our feelings isn’t healthy. Burying our heads in the beach-sand isn’t a strategy. Jesus acknowledges our fears. So, in our gospel last week he clearly commands us, “Fear not little flock!” (Luke 12). So many times Jesus, the angels, and other biblical figures encourage us not to let our fear overcome our faith.  How does Jesus coach us to deal with our fear? In Sunday’s gospel, it was “get dressed, get ready to let your lights shine.”

Perhaps, in other words, it’s get a team together, get out on the water, and deal with the shark! In Jaws, a team is assembled. Police Chief Brody who is actually afraid of the water but brave enough to face it, young shark scientist Hooper, and Quint, the gritty old sea-dog with experience and scars to match. Likewise, over 50 years, COS has launched so many fear-facing and faith-building teams! Whether social justice challenges, worship, equipping our youth—you name it—COS launches teams to set sail on our baptismal waters. For staying on shore doesn’t make the shark go away.

One passenger makes all the difference.

There’s an image so critical to faith that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell the story: Jesus in the boat with his friends. Still today, we claim that Jesus rides with us. And just Jesus calmed the storm in Galilee, Jesus promises he’ll see us through. That’s why we can teach our kids the multi-motioned song, “With Jesus in my boat I can smile at the storm!”

Fifty years ago, a mechanical shark made people afraid of going into the water. But 50 years ago, a church was born that made people less afraid to walk by faith.

So, as we’re asking in our sermon series “What’s Next for COS?” We don’t know what’s under the surface. We don’t know what the next 50 years will bring. But we do know this: Jesus is still calling us off the safety of the shore into deeper waters. The Holy Spirit is still moving. And COS is still a place where fear gets swallowed by grace.

Heed not the life-guard’s siren, COS, but the call of the Spirit. Let’s not stay on shore. Let’s not settle for safety. Let’s not be afraid.

Instead, let us get dressed, as Jesus says. Let’s light our lanterns. Let’s hop aboard our boats with Jesus and set sail into the future.

And when the music swells — it won’t be da-dum, da-dum…
It’ll be: Alleluia. Thanks be to God!

In Christ’s hope,

Pastor Fritz

Let us pray:

Lord God, you know the fears that swim beneath the surface of our hearts—sometimes quiet, sometimes thrashing loudly. Like the people in Jaws, we’d often rather stay on the shore and pretend there’s no danger. But you call us into deeper waters, with Jesus telling us to fear not, trusting that he’ll always be in the boat with us. Help us claim that no threat—seen or unseen—can prevail against your power and love. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflection questions:

  1. What’s a fear—real or imagined—that lurks for you?
  2. Can you pray for Jesus’ strength and guidance about this issue?
  3. Why do you think that right after Jesus tells us not to be afraid, he uses the metaphor of servants getting dressed, lighting their lamps, and preparing for service? How is there healthy power in being in motion for Jesus? How does “C-Caring for others in service” (the first letter of our CONNECT acronym) help faith conquer fear?