Jesus, Remember Me
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
57 Stories For Cycle C
Sheila Stone had had the respect of everyone in her community. She was one of the pillars of her congregation. She had served on the city council longer than anyone in the history of her small town. She was a caring, decent person. Everyone knew that. What everyone didn't know was that her personal life was a different story. Sheila's husband was the main culprit here. He was a businessman who just wasn't very good at business. People in town knew that he went from one business to another. That was obvious. What was not so obvious was that his businesses were financial disasters. Ed and Sheila Stone were in debt up to their eyeballs. And it wasn't just Ed's debts that had them buried in bills. Both of their girls had attended expensive private church colleges. Sheila thought her daughters just must get this kind of education in order to have a shot at a good future.
But how to pay the bills? Sheila Stone found a way. She had worked at Citizen's National Bank for years. She had been the chief financial officer of the bank for the past ten. And Sheila did the unthinkable. She was sure she could doctor the books of the bank in such a way that her embezzling enterprise would never be discovered. She was wrong. It was discovered. Sheila Stone went to prison for ten years for her crime.
Sheila wept when she talked to her friends after the trial. "What have I done?" she cried out to them. "How could I have ever thought that I could get away with this? I knew it was wrong. I've disgraced myself, my friends, my church and my God. Whatever will become of me?"
Buck Schwartz was Mr. Athletics in his home town of Maplewood. He had been a great athlete in high school in many sports. He went to college not so far away from home and his hometown folks followed his career there with interest and pride. The hometown boy had, indeed, made good. After Buck's graduation from college no one was surprised when it was announced that he would come back home as a coach.
Buck started his coaching career as the assistant football coach and the head track coach. Football was what Buck was primarily known for and it wasn't many years before he became head coach in that sport. He coached his teams to title after title. Everyone loved Buck Schwartz. He was an institution in his own hometown.
And then the accusations started to fly. One woman claimed that she was pregnant with his child. Another claimed the same thing had happened to her years before though she never made the news public. The people of Maplewood were shocked. They couldn't believe their ears. No one had any idea that "Coach Buck" was that kind of man. He did seem to be happily married, after all. He was active in his church. How could this be? "Coach Buck" asked the same question. He didn't understand himself. "How can this be?" he confided to his pastor. "What's wrong with me? Where will I end up anyway?"
"Whatever will become of me?" said Sheila Stone. "Where will I end up anyway?" said Buck Schwartz. Here are two people who had lost their way in life. Two people who had forgotten who they were. Two people who had forgotten their Lord. Would the Lord also forget them? Or, would the Lord remember?
But how to pay the bills? Sheila Stone found a way. She had worked at Citizen's National Bank for years. She had been the chief financial officer of the bank for the past ten. And Sheila did the unthinkable. She was sure she could doctor the books of the bank in such a way that her embezzling enterprise would never be discovered. She was wrong. It was discovered. Sheila Stone went to prison for ten years for her crime.
Sheila wept when she talked to her friends after the trial. "What have I done?" she cried out to them. "How could I have ever thought that I could get away with this? I knew it was wrong. I've disgraced myself, my friends, my church and my God. Whatever will become of me?"
Buck Schwartz was Mr. Athletics in his home town of Maplewood. He had been a great athlete in high school in many sports. He went to college not so far away from home and his hometown folks followed his career there with interest and pride. The hometown boy had, indeed, made good. After Buck's graduation from college no one was surprised when it was announced that he would come back home as a coach.
Buck started his coaching career as the assistant football coach and the head track coach. Football was what Buck was primarily known for and it wasn't many years before he became head coach in that sport. He coached his teams to title after title. Everyone loved Buck Schwartz. He was an institution in his own hometown.
And then the accusations started to fly. One woman claimed that she was pregnant with his child. Another claimed the same thing had happened to her years before though she never made the news public. The people of Maplewood were shocked. They couldn't believe their ears. No one had any idea that "Coach Buck" was that kind of man. He did seem to be happily married, after all. He was active in his church. How could this be? "Coach Buck" asked the same question. He didn't understand himself. "How can this be?" he confided to his pastor. "What's wrong with me? Where will I end up anyway?"
"Whatever will become of me?" said Sheila Stone. "Where will I end up anyway?" said Buck Schwartz. Here are two people who had lost their way in life. Two people who had forgotten who they were. Two people who had forgotten their Lord. Would the Lord also forget them? Or, would the Lord remember?
