God Has Plans For Us
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle C
The name Robert Stroud is not one commonly heard in ordinary conversation, but this man's contribution to humanity will live on in the minds of many under a different title, "The Birdman of Alcatraz." By nature Robert Stroud was not a congenial man. As a youth he was always getting into fights, disagreements, and various altercations. When he was only nineteen he killed a man in a barroom brawl, was convicted of second-degree murder, and sentenced to the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, since the crime was committed on federal land.
One might think that incarceration in a federal prison would lead Robert Stroud to reform and get his life in order, but he continued his former ways, being even more disruptive and troublesome. One day a fight broke out in the prison among the inmates which brought guards from throughout the compound to the site in an attempt to restore order. In the melee Stroud killed one of the guards using a little wooden knife he had crafted in his cell. The warden at Leavenworth thought the attack so onerous that he recommended Stroud be executed for his offense; the jury at his trial agreed. Robert Stroud was scheduled to die in the electric chair.
Although it seemed Robert Stroud's fate was sealed, God had a plan for this man which necessitated that he be alive and, thus, an intercessor arose in the form of Stroud's mother. Like any loving parent, Mrs. Stroud did not want to see her son die, especially such an ignoble death as execution in the electric chair. Since the only person who could commute Stroud's sentence was the President of the United States, Mrs. Stroud journeyed to Washington, D.C., to see President Woodrow Wilson. She was not able to see the President, but she did have an interview with the First Lady who, in turn, spoke to her husband on Stroud's behalf. Woodrow Wilson commuted Stroud's sentence to life in prison in solitary confinement. Robert Stroud was, thus, sentenced to spend the rest of this life without seeing any human beings, except the guard once per week when he was allowed the privilege of a shower. Even his meals were slipped through a special opening in his cell door.
God had a plan for Robert Stroud; God had not given up on him. The manifestation of God's plan began quite innocently one day when a small bird came and perched on the windowsill of Stroud's cell which looked out onto the Kansas countryside. Over time the bird came back, and with more time still one bird turned into many birds. Stroud received permission to house these birds in his small cell. He read voraciously all the material he could obtain on birds and their care, especially diseases to which these animals were susceptible, and he conducted numerous experiments over several years. His study, research, and findings were collected into a book published in 1939, Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds. At the time it was the most comprehensive and authoritative study ever done on bird diseases and their cures.
Robert Stroud was a troublemaker who was twice convicted of murder and he was slated to be executed, but God rescued him from the jaws of death and provided him with the opportunity to make something special out of his life. He made the most of his opportunity through a significant contribution to the study of birds. God took care of Robert Stroud, and like this convicted murderer, God will take care of us.
The life and work of Robert Stroud provide some interesting parallels to what we hear about Elijah in today's First Lesson from First Kings. We have encountered this prophet the past three weeks and will hear about him again next week as well. Today's passage is situated after Elijah's triumph over the false prophets of Baal. The heavens have just opened and the drought which the prophet predicted has ended. Ahab and his wife Jezebel are incensed with Elijah's actions with the prophets of Baal and, thus, in response make plans to end his life. Like Robert Stroud, Elijah was slated for death and waited for his fate under the broom tree, but God had other plans for him. God sent an angel not once but twice to provide Elijah with food and drink. God had more for Elijah to do and, thus, the means to escape death was provided.
God's plan for Elijah, to walk forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, was a monumental task, but he was given what he needed to complete the task. Then God revealed himself, not in the power of the wind or earthquake, nor the strength of the fire, but rather in the gentleness of a soft breeze, what some biblical translations call a "sheer silence." God wanted Elijah to know that he would be present not only in the obvious and magnificent happenings of life, but also in the everyday and routine. God is ever present and will reveal the plan he has for our life, if we will only be open and receptive to the opportunities provided.
God had a plan for Robert Stroud and God had one for Elijah. God also has a plan for us, and when it is revealed it will come with what we need to discover the plan and the strength and courage to carry it out. How many times have any of us wondered why things have worked out the way they did? Why did we meet a certain person? Why did events follow one course and not another? Why did sickness, tragedy, or death cross our path at a particular time in life? Some may answer that with the gift of free will we can determine many of the paths we trod by the decisions we make. This is certainly true. Yet, through the wisdom and guiding hand of God, the great conductor of life, we are given special opportunities, usually in a situation unique to us, that determine how our life will proceed. God has a plan for our life of discipleship and provides the path and the tools to get us where he wants us to be. Robert Stroud and Elijah had no hope; both were slated for death. But God interceded in each case, for the Lord had a plan that was not to be frustrated.
God has plans for us that are revealed in many ways. How often have we been saved from serious problems in our lives and we wondered why? When we were spared the pain, difficulty, or tragedy what have we done in response to God? Do we realize that events transpired in a certain way because God desires something from us, that the Lord had some purpose in directing events as they happened? We periodically read or hear about near-death experiences that provide the catalyst for the transformation of a person's life. Does God have to go this far with any of us so that we will get the message? We may not have a near-death experience, but we have all been given various warnings. In some cases we have had brushes with death through a car accident, serious injury of another sort, or disease, or have been a victim of violence. Why were we saved? We often hear people ask after some natural disaster -- why did I survive and my neighbor did not? The answers can only be given by God, but succinctly it is because God is not finished with us. God is still honing and refining us, for the Lord still has work for us to do. When God saves us in any way, we are also provided the tools and opportunity needed to do something positive with the life we have. God does not force us; we are never placed in handcuffs and enslaved to do God's work.
There are times in life when certain people are chosen and others are not, and again we generally ask, "Why?" We might be chosen to do something that appeals to us, but there are times as well when we are asked to do what is distasteful or even repugnant. We can attempt to shy away or we can go forward in faith, confident that all we need for the task at hand will be provided, and more besides. There are times as well when we wish we could just fade away, not be present, even die. Life for some becomes so painful and is filled with such drudgery and frustration that we want to opt out. Adversity gets the best of us and we choose not to continue. Such an attitude is inconsistent with the call of the Lord. Yes, when problems mount and we are proverbially knocked to our knees by life, we can sit in the dirt, if we wish, throw in the towel, and say, "I quit. I am defeated." On the other hand, Christians are called to rise from adversity, shake off the dust created by the problems of life, and move forward to claim the new day that can and must be theirs. God will provide what is necessary, but we must respond.
Numerous stories exist of people who have been slated for death or have overcome great obstacles and in the process have taught others magnificent lessons. The recent popular book, Tuesdays with Morrie, touched our hearts in showing how a man with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) could, through his courage and strength, teach a former student and young reporter all about living and dying.
Another remarkable story is one I heard several years ago. On the morning of June 19, 1971, Bill Mitchell was on top of the world. Riding his brand new motorcycle to a job he loved, gripman on a San Francisco cable car, Bill seemed on cloud nine. Earlier that day he had soloed in an airplane for the first time, the fulfillment of one his fondest dreams. Twenty-eight -- handsome, healthy, and popular -- Bill was in his element.
In the flash of an eye Bill's whole world changed. Rounding a corner as he neared the cable car barn, Bill collided with a laundry truck. Gas from the motorcycle poured out and ignited through the heat of the engine. Bill emerged from the accident with a broken pelvis and elbow and burns over 65 percent of his body.
The next six months were a period of great trial for Bill. After several blood transfusions, numerous operations, and many skin grafts, Bill was released from the hospital. Walking down the street, he passed a school playground where the children stared at his face. "Look at the monster!" they exclaimed. Although he was deeply hurt by the thoughtlessness of the children, he still had the love and compassion of friends and family, and the grace of a good personal philosophy on life. Bill realized that he did not have to be handsome to make a contribution to society. Success was in his hands if he chose to begin again.
Within a year of the accident Bill was moving again toward the success he had enjoyed earlier. He began to fly planes. He moved to Colorado and founded a company that built wood stoves. Within a short time, Bill was a millionaire with a Victorian home, his own plane, and significant real estate holdings.
In November 1975, however, the bottom again fell out of Bill Mitchell's world. Piloting a turbocharged Cessna with four passengers on board, Bill was forced to abort a take-off, causing the plane to drop like a rock about 75 feet back to the runway. Smoke filled the plane and, fearing that he would again be burned, Bill attempted to escape. Pain in his back and the inability to move his legs thwarted his efforts.
In the hospital again, Bill was informed that his thoracic vertebrae were crushed and the spinal cord was beyond repair. He would spend the rest of his life as a paraplegic. Although doubt began to invade his generally optimistic mind, Bill began to focus on the cans and not the cannots of his life. He decided to follow the advice of the German philosopher Goethe: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." Before his accidents there were many things Bill could do. Now he could spend his time dwelling on what was lost or focus on what was left.
Since that 1975 plane accident Bill Mitchell has twice been elected mayor of his town, earned recognition as an environmental activist, and run for Congress. He has hosted his own television show and travels the nation speaking to groups about his message of proper attitude, service, and transformation. Bill's message is to show people that it isn't what happens to you that is important, but what you do about it that makes all the difference.
Bill Mitchell's experience is not typical, but it does present an example of one who triumphed over the greatest of adversities. It was his attitude of perseverance and positive outlook that kept him going, even in the darkest nights of his life.
Robert Stroud was slated to die for the murder of a guard in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, but God rescued him and because of the Lord's action, science and the study of bird diseases was significantly advanced. Similarly, Elijah was saved by God to continue his ministry with the Hebrew people. In various ways and at different times in our lives, God rescues us and provides the opportunity and tools to use our new lease on life to build the Kingdom of God. Let us, therefore, learn from today's scripture lesson and be open to God who might be found in the powerful and majestic, but will always be found in the silent and the routine happenings of our daily lives.
One might think that incarceration in a federal prison would lead Robert Stroud to reform and get his life in order, but he continued his former ways, being even more disruptive and troublesome. One day a fight broke out in the prison among the inmates which brought guards from throughout the compound to the site in an attempt to restore order. In the melee Stroud killed one of the guards using a little wooden knife he had crafted in his cell. The warden at Leavenworth thought the attack so onerous that he recommended Stroud be executed for his offense; the jury at his trial agreed. Robert Stroud was scheduled to die in the electric chair.
Although it seemed Robert Stroud's fate was sealed, God had a plan for this man which necessitated that he be alive and, thus, an intercessor arose in the form of Stroud's mother. Like any loving parent, Mrs. Stroud did not want to see her son die, especially such an ignoble death as execution in the electric chair. Since the only person who could commute Stroud's sentence was the President of the United States, Mrs. Stroud journeyed to Washington, D.C., to see President Woodrow Wilson. She was not able to see the President, but she did have an interview with the First Lady who, in turn, spoke to her husband on Stroud's behalf. Woodrow Wilson commuted Stroud's sentence to life in prison in solitary confinement. Robert Stroud was, thus, sentenced to spend the rest of this life without seeing any human beings, except the guard once per week when he was allowed the privilege of a shower. Even his meals were slipped through a special opening in his cell door.
God had a plan for Robert Stroud; God had not given up on him. The manifestation of God's plan began quite innocently one day when a small bird came and perched on the windowsill of Stroud's cell which looked out onto the Kansas countryside. Over time the bird came back, and with more time still one bird turned into many birds. Stroud received permission to house these birds in his small cell. He read voraciously all the material he could obtain on birds and their care, especially diseases to which these animals were susceptible, and he conducted numerous experiments over several years. His study, research, and findings were collected into a book published in 1939, Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds. At the time it was the most comprehensive and authoritative study ever done on bird diseases and their cures.
Robert Stroud was a troublemaker who was twice convicted of murder and he was slated to be executed, but God rescued him from the jaws of death and provided him with the opportunity to make something special out of his life. He made the most of his opportunity through a significant contribution to the study of birds. God took care of Robert Stroud, and like this convicted murderer, God will take care of us.
The life and work of Robert Stroud provide some interesting parallels to what we hear about Elijah in today's First Lesson from First Kings. We have encountered this prophet the past three weeks and will hear about him again next week as well. Today's passage is situated after Elijah's triumph over the false prophets of Baal. The heavens have just opened and the drought which the prophet predicted has ended. Ahab and his wife Jezebel are incensed with Elijah's actions with the prophets of Baal and, thus, in response make plans to end his life. Like Robert Stroud, Elijah was slated for death and waited for his fate under the broom tree, but God had other plans for him. God sent an angel not once but twice to provide Elijah with food and drink. God had more for Elijah to do and, thus, the means to escape death was provided.
God's plan for Elijah, to walk forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, was a monumental task, but he was given what he needed to complete the task. Then God revealed himself, not in the power of the wind or earthquake, nor the strength of the fire, but rather in the gentleness of a soft breeze, what some biblical translations call a "sheer silence." God wanted Elijah to know that he would be present not only in the obvious and magnificent happenings of life, but also in the everyday and routine. God is ever present and will reveal the plan he has for our life, if we will only be open and receptive to the opportunities provided.
God had a plan for Robert Stroud and God had one for Elijah. God also has a plan for us, and when it is revealed it will come with what we need to discover the plan and the strength and courage to carry it out. How many times have any of us wondered why things have worked out the way they did? Why did we meet a certain person? Why did events follow one course and not another? Why did sickness, tragedy, or death cross our path at a particular time in life? Some may answer that with the gift of free will we can determine many of the paths we trod by the decisions we make. This is certainly true. Yet, through the wisdom and guiding hand of God, the great conductor of life, we are given special opportunities, usually in a situation unique to us, that determine how our life will proceed. God has a plan for our life of discipleship and provides the path and the tools to get us where he wants us to be. Robert Stroud and Elijah had no hope; both were slated for death. But God interceded in each case, for the Lord had a plan that was not to be frustrated.
God has plans for us that are revealed in many ways. How often have we been saved from serious problems in our lives and we wondered why? When we were spared the pain, difficulty, or tragedy what have we done in response to God? Do we realize that events transpired in a certain way because God desires something from us, that the Lord had some purpose in directing events as they happened? We periodically read or hear about near-death experiences that provide the catalyst for the transformation of a person's life. Does God have to go this far with any of us so that we will get the message? We may not have a near-death experience, but we have all been given various warnings. In some cases we have had brushes with death through a car accident, serious injury of another sort, or disease, or have been a victim of violence. Why were we saved? We often hear people ask after some natural disaster -- why did I survive and my neighbor did not? The answers can only be given by God, but succinctly it is because God is not finished with us. God is still honing and refining us, for the Lord still has work for us to do. When God saves us in any way, we are also provided the tools and opportunity needed to do something positive with the life we have. God does not force us; we are never placed in handcuffs and enslaved to do God's work.
There are times in life when certain people are chosen and others are not, and again we generally ask, "Why?" We might be chosen to do something that appeals to us, but there are times as well when we are asked to do what is distasteful or even repugnant. We can attempt to shy away or we can go forward in faith, confident that all we need for the task at hand will be provided, and more besides. There are times as well when we wish we could just fade away, not be present, even die. Life for some becomes so painful and is filled with such drudgery and frustration that we want to opt out. Adversity gets the best of us and we choose not to continue. Such an attitude is inconsistent with the call of the Lord. Yes, when problems mount and we are proverbially knocked to our knees by life, we can sit in the dirt, if we wish, throw in the towel, and say, "I quit. I am defeated." On the other hand, Christians are called to rise from adversity, shake off the dust created by the problems of life, and move forward to claim the new day that can and must be theirs. God will provide what is necessary, but we must respond.
Numerous stories exist of people who have been slated for death or have overcome great obstacles and in the process have taught others magnificent lessons. The recent popular book, Tuesdays with Morrie, touched our hearts in showing how a man with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) could, through his courage and strength, teach a former student and young reporter all about living and dying.
Another remarkable story is one I heard several years ago. On the morning of June 19, 1971, Bill Mitchell was on top of the world. Riding his brand new motorcycle to a job he loved, gripman on a San Francisco cable car, Bill seemed on cloud nine. Earlier that day he had soloed in an airplane for the first time, the fulfillment of one his fondest dreams. Twenty-eight -- handsome, healthy, and popular -- Bill was in his element.
In the flash of an eye Bill's whole world changed. Rounding a corner as he neared the cable car barn, Bill collided with a laundry truck. Gas from the motorcycle poured out and ignited through the heat of the engine. Bill emerged from the accident with a broken pelvis and elbow and burns over 65 percent of his body.
The next six months were a period of great trial for Bill. After several blood transfusions, numerous operations, and many skin grafts, Bill was released from the hospital. Walking down the street, he passed a school playground where the children stared at his face. "Look at the monster!" they exclaimed. Although he was deeply hurt by the thoughtlessness of the children, he still had the love and compassion of friends and family, and the grace of a good personal philosophy on life. Bill realized that he did not have to be handsome to make a contribution to society. Success was in his hands if he chose to begin again.
Within a year of the accident Bill was moving again toward the success he had enjoyed earlier. He began to fly planes. He moved to Colorado and founded a company that built wood stoves. Within a short time, Bill was a millionaire with a Victorian home, his own plane, and significant real estate holdings.
In November 1975, however, the bottom again fell out of Bill Mitchell's world. Piloting a turbocharged Cessna with four passengers on board, Bill was forced to abort a take-off, causing the plane to drop like a rock about 75 feet back to the runway. Smoke filled the plane and, fearing that he would again be burned, Bill attempted to escape. Pain in his back and the inability to move his legs thwarted his efforts.
In the hospital again, Bill was informed that his thoracic vertebrae were crushed and the spinal cord was beyond repair. He would spend the rest of his life as a paraplegic. Although doubt began to invade his generally optimistic mind, Bill began to focus on the cans and not the cannots of his life. He decided to follow the advice of the German philosopher Goethe: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." Before his accidents there were many things Bill could do. Now he could spend his time dwelling on what was lost or focus on what was left.
Since that 1975 plane accident Bill Mitchell has twice been elected mayor of his town, earned recognition as an environmental activist, and run for Congress. He has hosted his own television show and travels the nation speaking to groups about his message of proper attitude, service, and transformation. Bill's message is to show people that it isn't what happens to you that is important, but what you do about it that makes all the difference.
Bill Mitchell's experience is not typical, but it does present an example of one who triumphed over the greatest of adversities. It was his attitude of perseverance and positive outlook that kept him going, even in the darkest nights of his life.
Robert Stroud was slated to die for the murder of a guard in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, but God rescued him and because of the Lord's action, science and the study of bird diseases was significantly advanced. Similarly, Elijah was saved by God to continue his ministry with the Hebrew people. In various ways and at different times in our lives, God rescues us and provides the opportunity and tools to use our new lease on life to build the Kingdom of God. Let us, therefore, learn from today's scripture lesson and be open to God who might be found in the powerful and majestic, but will always be found in the silent and the routine happenings of our daily lives.
