Sixth Sunday After The Epiphany
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle B
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: 2 Kings 5:1-14 (C); 2 Kings 5:1-15 (E)
When you read this passage, read through to verse 27. Quite a story. As for the portion of the story we have here, there are a number of possible sermon themes. For one thing, had it not been for the servant girl, Naaman would never have known of the possibility of a healing for his leprosy. How important it is to listen to the wisdom of those who may not, at first, impress us. Or we might focus on the imperious attitude of this man Naaman, who was so full of himself that despite the possibility of healing, he couldnÍt lower himself to be guided by someone elseÍs wisdom. Elisha, an Israelite, was beneath Naaman, as the general saw things. How easily we allow our prejudices and our self-importance to blind us to so many things in life.
There is the healing itself, of course. Now weÍre back to the issue of literal healing, as over against the role of our own attitudes in regard to our health. Every time I have decided that faith and prayer can heal an injury or an illness, I see people of gallant faith die in misery. On the other hand, every time I decide I had it wrong, there is no such healing, I learn of a marvelous recovery from, say, cancer, when the victim was surely expected soon to die, apparently because of the power of faith and prayer. What is one to think? I recently debated this with a group of ministers and found differing opinions. How can we expect our parishioners to know what to think if we donÍt? Good basis for a sermon.
Lesson 1: Levicitus 13:1-2, 44-46 (RC)
How heartless this all seems in retrospect. Here we are told that a manÍs leprosy is ñon his own head,'' or in other words, his own darn fault. Now we have long since learned to cure leprosy. But what about, say, AIDS? It seems to me that many people have about the same attitude toward that today as the people of the time of Moses and Aaron did about leprosy. I guess humanity will always be capable of heartless, cruel attitudes towards those people of whom we disapprove.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (C, E)
This passage speaks to many people today in light of the current emphasis on physical fitness and athletics. Any of us who work at this are aware that there is no shortcut to fitness. I was asked by a friend to join him and two other men on a bicycle tour of Ireland a number of years ago. We would ride fifty or so miles per day through the hills, stopping at inns for meals and staying in bed and breakfasts at night. We did this for two weeks. But although I was a bike rider, I knew that fifty miles „ more some days „ in wind and rain and steep hills, loaded down with all my possessions for two weeks of life, would require a high level of fitness. So for months prior to our departure, I began training, riding hard, doing thousands of step-ups on a chair, training for a rigorous and, as it turned out, marvelous adventure. We all made it, but we all worked very hard getting ready.
IsnÍt this true of everything? To graduate with honors, you have to study late at night. To play good golf (which I cannot), you must spend hours on the driving range and the putting green. Whatever it is you wish to excel in doing, you must work hard and faithfully. There are no shortcuts to a successful life.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:31„11:1 (RC)
Paul is concerned here with food laws of his era, mostly laws which have little counterpart in our culture. But his larger point is to require that we honor the other personÍs culture and religion. We are to refrain from talking and acting in a way which offends, or which fails to honor what we believe as well. In short, we are to do everything we do in such a way as to honor God and to do credit to ourselves.
Gospel: Mark 1:40-45 (C, RC, E)
Here we have another healing story, a man cleansed of leprosy. If the reader wishes to read an extensive explanation of leprosy, I refer you to William BarclayÍs commentary on this passage. For our purposes it is enough to understand that the people of JesusÍ time were as fearful of leprosy as is true of AIDS today. Fortunately, we are a little better educated now than we were a few years ago, but I remember when Ryan White lived in a town near where I live. Though he got his AIDS from a blood transfusion, no one would go near him. They threw him out of school. He suffered terribly. But he stood forth with unparalleled courage and, until his death, taught the rest of us to care, not to reject.
We wonÍt deal again with the issue of divine healing. What we do see in this passage is that Jesus did not turn this poor man away. There were strict laws which ordained that he should not even speak to Jesus. But Jesus ignored such a sad rule and did something no one else would have considered doing. He touched the man. He cared. He showed us that God loves us at our very worst, that love embraces us when we are utterly unlovable, that healing of the soul is available to any who will turn to Jesus Christ.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñThe Quiet Word''
Text: 2 Kings 5:1-15
Theme: Interesting, isnÍt it, that God seems to work through the simple things, the unimpressive? Jesus was a baby, later a carpenter of lowly birth. Back in the Old Testament, a good example is Joseph, the youngest brother, who would eventually bring a sort of redemption to his older brothers who at one time thought themselves superior to Joseph. Or there are the apostles, all men of lowly station in the community. On it goes, and in the person of the slave girl in this text we have the solution to the problem facing a famous general.
As we examine our own lives, how frequently we discover this same pattern. I recall something a highly successful professional man once shared with me. He was well-known, wealthy, had a fine family and a beautiful home. He was also unhappy and simply didnÍt know why. A friend talked him into getting a bicycle, and one day he took a long ride into the country. Tired, he leaned the bike against a fence and sat down on a log. He said as he sat there, he began to discover a world he had long forgotten. He saw tiny animals at play. He actually examined wild flowers. He noted how blue the sky was that day, saw birds arcing gracefully across his view. For a while, all the stress washed away. A burden seemed lifted for a time from his heart. He remembered Sunday school in the small town where his grandparents had lived, for they had always taken him there. The man went home determined to take more time for himself, to be with his family, to read something besides the stock reports. He went to church. All because he sat on a log one day.
1. God approaches us through the simple things „ even such things as failures and losses.
2. People who are constantly straining for some distant goal and in the process are too busy for the little facets of life generally succumb at last to stress and happiness eludes them.
3. Striving for success is fine if done in the right way. If our values lead us to want other people to succeed as well, we tend to be aware of people and their needs. God usually comes to us through other people, so if we seek only success for ourselves, weÍll never know the presence of God.
4. How wise we are when we rearrange our lives to make room for periods of reflection and contemplation. One wise man spoke of the curse of the unexamined life. When old Elijah realized that the voice of God was not to be heard in the wind, or the fire, or the whirlwind, but in a still, small voice, he struck a note for all humanity to hear.
Title: ñThe Discipline Of Faith''
Text: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Theme: Just as an athlete must, to be successful, train hard and lead a disciplined life, so in any worthwhile endeavor the same is true. This is certainly true of our religious faith.
1. Success demands discipline. One famous pro golfer was driving balls on a range when a Sunday golfer watched for a bit, then said, ñI wish I could hit a ball like that.'' ñNo, you donÍt,'' the pro replied. ñBut I do,'' insisted the other man. ñThen IÍll tell you what you do,'' replied the pro. ñYou get out here at 6 oÍclock every morning and hit balls for three hours. When your hands develop blisters and the blisters break, and your hands bleed, you go into the clubhouse. You put medicine on your hands, then bandages. Then you come back out in the afternoon and you hit balls for two more hours. You do this every day for a few years, and some day youÍll be able to hit drives like mine.''
2. ThereÍs a price to pay. I know a minister who started as a student in a small church. The man he followed had been a good preacher. The new man soon discovered that he was not nearly as good as the former pastor. People were polite about it, but it was clear that his church would never grow under preaching like his. But this young man began going to his sanctuary at night with a tape recorder. Over and over he preached his sermons, then listened until he began to perceive his many weaknesses. He did this for years. Often he came home in the early hours of Sunday morning, often discouraged, but always determined. For every sermon his parishioners heard he preached three or four. But after a year, he had improved. Then more. This man eventually became one of his denominationÍs premier preachers. People would comment how easily he seemed to preach GodÍs word. But behind that ñease'' were hundreds of discouraging, determined hours of learning and growing. So too for the young person in school, or the secretary who wants a better job, or the salesperson who isnÍt succeeding. Work. Discipline. Pay the price.
3. And how important this is to our faith. Most of us will devote hours to a physical fitness routine, and only brief seconds to our prayer life. Little wonder that many of us live lives which are pale by comparison with the possibilities open to us. This doesnÍt mean we need to overdo the religious practice. But it does mean that if we are willing to read and study scriptures, and devote a little time to fervent prayer, and present ourselves for regular worship, remarkable events will occur and life will become richer.
Title: ñJust As I Am''
Text: Mark 1:40-45
Theme: I know a man who often has a heavy heart. He did something which hurt someone he loved. Then she died. There is no way he can erase the memory of his failure. He understands that maybe God will forgive him. He believes she would forgive him. The one who cannot forgive this man is himself. He sometimes wonders if God can really have any use for him. He has hurt people whom he loved, who loved him. He hates some things about himself. He feels unworthy of GodÍs attention, wonders if he even deserves to live.
Is there just a touch of this manÍs sadness in many of us? What a joyous word for those who hear it: God loves you no matter what you have done. Of course God hates hurtful actions and betrayed love. But God loves the betrayer. When there is genuine repentance, there is forgiveness and hope.
1. God makes no exceptions. ñJust as I am....''
2. Through Jesus, God can heal us of our unloveliest sins.
3. Jesus is not turned away by our ugliness of spirit. Weatherhead once said that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who say to God, ñThy will be done,'' and those to whom God must finally say, ñThen thy will be done.'' In other words, God wills to forgive and redeem us „ all of us „ only we can miss out by turning from God.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
I used to have a book with the title FishinÍ Fer Fish Not In The Pond. I havenÍt seen it for years, but I vividly recall the opening story. It was about a famous man „ his name would be familiar to most of us „ an industrialist and multimillionaire back when a million dollars was a lot of money, who lived in a manor house in Scotland. He was aged now. Each day his caretaker would lead the old man out to a chair alongside a pond, where the old fellow would cast a fishing line into the water. People who lived around there knew there were no fish in that pond. It didnÍt matter since the old fellow had lost the ability to understand his world. He had devoted himself to becoming rich, now this was what his money had bought for him.
____________
A few years ago, a middle-aged man came to me in my office. He shared this story. ñTwo years ago, my son who is 27 and now lives in Chicago came to me to tell me he is gay. I was devastated. I went through all the stages of self-blame, of rejection, of total disillusionment about my son. And then he told me the worst: he has AIDS and is dying. At first, he was admitted to a hospital. But when his illness was diagnosed, he was dismissed from the hospital and left on his own. Now he lives in a small apartment and has recently become too weak to care for himself. His good friend sees that he has food and that other necessities are taken care of. But recently, I decided to help. I drove to Chicago, went to my sonÍs apartment. I bathed him, cleaned up the place, sat and talked with him. He cried and I cried. Now I go to Chicago at least one day a week to be with my son as he grows weaker. Soon, I will go to stay there until the end.'' Then, with tears in his eyes, this man who had always hated gays and AIDS said this: ñIt has been the most wonderful experience of my life. Taking care of my son has changed me. I love him with all my heart. I try not to judge people any more.''
____________
Two good illustrations from literature of the little things which can change a life occur to me. One is Silas Marner, the story of a mean-spirited, lonely old man, a miser, who lost his gold and was miserable until he spied the golden hair of a tiny little girl. Then love burst forth in his heart. The other is Les Miserables, the story of a violent criminal who tears his way off a prison ship, robs a kindly bishop, sets out to escape the law, only to encounter a lonely and unhappy little child, Cosette, in a forest. His life was also changed as he there and then became a kind and loving protector.
____________
J. W. Hamilton told of a man who quit attending church when he moved from his small town to a large eastern city. He became sophisticated, cynical. Years passed. The man was successful, but never very happy. His life was a mess. One day after many years he returned for a visit to his small town. A week later, he returned to his home in the city and the next Sunday went to church. A friend kidded him about this, questioned why he, of all people, was going to church. The man reflected for a moment. Then he explained. He said something like this: ñMy mother insisted that I go to church with the family while I was home. Rather than hurt her feelings, I went. As I sat there, I noticed a family several pews in front of me. It was a man I remembered from my childhood. He sat there now with a wife and several small children. He prayed, and sang the hymns, and they all seemed a happy family. But I remember that man. He was the town drunk. He fought all the time, caused trouble wherever he went. People avoided him whenever they could. And now, that man is said to be a fine father and family man. I have decided that if the church and the faith can change a man like that, I want to know more about it.''
____________
Golfer Vijay Singh had been playing in tournaments for many years, nearly always without success. Then, in the 1998 PGA championships, his years of hard work paid off. He won. A couple weeks later he won another tournament. Sportswriter Doug Ferguson, writing for the Associated Press, described Singh as ñthe hardest worker in golf.'' Stories are many about this manÍs fiery dedication to his practice and training. ñHeÍd follow a four-hour round with four hours of practice, often on the far end of the driving range so he wouldnÍt be bothered. HeÍd rearrange the furniture in his hotel room, clearing the way, just so he could practice even more,'' Ferguson reported. Mr. Singh affords a splendid illustration of the qualities which make for success, and for greatness. Those ends do not come easily for anyone.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 30 (C) „ ñO Lord, my God, I cried to you for help....''
Psalm 31 (RC) „ ñIn you, O Lord, I seek refuge.''
Psalm 42 (E) „ ñAs a deer longs for flowing streams.''
Prayer Of The Day
Banish doubt and fear from our hearts, O Lord, as we contemplate the wrongs we have done. We fall short; the love to which we know we are called has failed within us. Renew in us the commitment which once we felt, cleanse our hearts and consciences, restore in us the will to be what Jesus showed us to be possible. In his precious name we pray. Amen.
Lesson 1: 2 Kings 5:1-14 (C); 2 Kings 5:1-15 (E)
When you read this passage, read through to verse 27. Quite a story. As for the portion of the story we have here, there are a number of possible sermon themes. For one thing, had it not been for the servant girl, Naaman would never have known of the possibility of a healing for his leprosy. How important it is to listen to the wisdom of those who may not, at first, impress us. Or we might focus on the imperious attitude of this man Naaman, who was so full of himself that despite the possibility of healing, he couldnÍt lower himself to be guided by someone elseÍs wisdom. Elisha, an Israelite, was beneath Naaman, as the general saw things. How easily we allow our prejudices and our self-importance to blind us to so many things in life.
There is the healing itself, of course. Now weÍre back to the issue of literal healing, as over against the role of our own attitudes in regard to our health. Every time I have decided that faith and prayer can heal an injury or an illness, I see people of gallant faith die in misery. On the other hand, every time I decide I had it wrong, there is no such healing, I learn of a marvelous recovery from, say, cancer, when the victim was surely expected soon to die, apparently because of the power of faith and prayer. What is one to think? I recently debated this with a group of ministers and found differing opinions. How can we expect our parishioners to know what to think if we donÍt? Good basis for a sermon.
Lesson 1: Levicitus 13:1-2, 44-46 (RC)
How heartless this all seems in retrospect. Here we are told that a manÍs leprosy is ñon his own head,'' or in other words, his own darn fault. Now we have long since learned to cure leprosy. But what about, say, AIDS? It seems to me that many people have about the same attitude toward that today as the people of the time of Moses and Aaron did about leprosy. I guess humanity will always be capable of heartless, cruel attitudes towards those people of whom we disapprove.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (C, E)
This passage speaks to many people today in light of the current emphasis on physical fitness and athletics. Any of us who work at this are aware that there is no shortcut to fitness. I was asked by a friend to join him and two other men on a bicycle tour of Ireland a number of years ago. We would ride fifty or so miles per day through the hills, stopping at inns for meals and staying in bed and breakfasts at night. We did this for two weeks. But although I was a bike rider, I knew that fifty miles „ more some days „ in wind and rain and steep hills, loaded down with all my possessions for two weeks of life, would require a high level of fitness. So for months prior to our departure, I began training, riding hard, doing thousands of step-ups on a chair, training for a rigorous and, as it turned out, marvelous adventure. We all made it, but we all worked very hard getting ready.
IsnÍt this true of everything? To graduate with honors, you have to study late at night. To play good golf (which I cannot), you must spend hours on the driving range and the putting green. Whatever it is you wish to excel in doing, you must work hard and faithfully. There are no shortcuts to a successful life.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:31„11:1 (RC)
Paul is concerned here with food laws of his era, mostly laws which have little counterpart in our culture. But his larger point is to require that we honor the other personÍs culture and religion. We are to refrain from talking and acting in a way which offends, or which fails to honor what we believe as well. In short, we are to do everything we do in such a way as to honor God and to do credit to ourselves.
Gospel: Mark 1:40-45 (C, RC, E)
Here we have another healing story, a man cleansed of leprosy. If the reader wishes to read an extensive explanation of leprosy, I refer you to William BarclayÍs commentary on this passage. For our purposes it is enough to understand that the people of JesusÍ time were as fearful of leprosy as is true of AIDS today. Fortunately, we are a little better educated now than we were a few years ago, but I remember when Ryan White lived in a town near where I live. Though he got his AIDS from a blood transfusion, no one would go near him. They threw him out of school. He suffered terribly. But he stood forth with unparalleled courage and, until his death, taught the rest of us to care, not to reject.
We wonÍt deal again with the issue of divine healing. What we do see in this passage is that Jesus did not turn this poor man away. There were strict laws which ordained that he should not even speak to Jesus. But Jesus ignored such a sad rule and did something no one else would have considered doing. He touched the man. He cared. He showed us that God loves us at our very worst, that love embraces us when we are utterly unlovable, that healing of the soul is available to any who will turn to Jesus Christ.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñThe Quiet Word''
Text: 2 Kings 5:1-15
Theme: Interesting, isnÍt it, that God seems to work through the simple things, the unimpressive? Jesus was a baby, later a carpenter of lowly birth. Back in the Old Testament, a good example is Joseph, the youngest brother, who would eventually bring a sort of redemption to his older brothers who at one time thought themselves superior to Joseph. Or there are the apostles, all men of lowly station in the community. On it goes, and in the person of the slave girl in this text we have the solution to the problem facing a famous general.
As we examine our own lives, how frequently we discover this same pattern. I recall something a highly successful professional man once shared with me. He was well-known, wealthy, had a fine family and a beautiful home. He was also unhappy and simply didnÍt know why. A friend talked him into getting a bicycle, and one day he took a long ride into the country. Tired, he leaned the bike against a fence and sat down on a log. He said as he sat there, he began to discover a world he had long forgotten. He saw tiny animals at play. He actually examined wild flowers. He noted how blue the sky was that day, saw birds arcing gracefully across his view. For a while, all the stress washed away. A burden seemed lifted for a time from his heart. He remembered Sunday school in the small town where his grandparents had lived, for they had always taken him there. The man went home determined to take more time for himself, to be with his family, to read something besides the stock reports. He went to church. All because he sat on a log one day.
1. God approaches us through the simple things „ even such things as failures and losses.
2. People who are constantly straining for some distant goal and in the process are too busy for the little facets of life generally succumb at last to stress and happiness eludes them.
3. Striving for success is fine if done in the right way. If our values lead us to want other people to succeed as well, we tend to be aware of people and their needs. God usually comes to us through other people, so if we seek only success for ourselves, weÍll never know the presence of God.
4. How wise we are when we rearrange our lives to make room for periods of reflection and contemplation. One wise man spoke of the curse of the unexamined life. When old Elijah realized that the voice of God was not to be heard in the wind, or the fire, or the whirlwind, but in a still, small voice, he struck a note for all humanity to hear.
Title: ñThe Discipline Of Faith''
Text: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Theme: Just as an athlete must, to be successful, train hard and lead a disciplined life, so in any worthwhile endeavor the same is true. This is certainly true of our religious faith.
1. Success demands discipline. One famous pro golfer was driving balls on a range when a Sunday golfer watched for a bit, then said, ñI wish I could hit a ball like that.'' ñNo, you donÍt,'' the pro replied. ñBut I do,'' insisted the other man. ñThen IÍll tell you what you do,'' replied the pro. ñYou get out here at 6 oÍclock every morning and hit balls for three hours. When your hands develop blisters and the blisters break, and your hands bleed, you go into the clubhouse. You put medicine on your hands, then bandages. Then you come back out in the afternoon and you hit balls for two more hours. You do this every day for a few years, and some day youÍll be able to hit drives like mine.''
2. ThereÍs a price to pay. I know a minister who started as a student in a small church. The man he followed had been a good preacher. The new man soon discovered that he was not nearly as good as the former pastor. People were polite about it, but it was clear that his church would never grow under preaching like his. But this young man began going to his sanctuary at night with a tape recorder. Over and over he preached his sermons, then listened until he began to perceive his many weaknesses. He did this for years. Often he came home in the early hours of Sunday morning, often discouraged, but always determined. For every sermon his parishioners heard he preached three or four. But after a year, he had improved. Then more. This man eventually became one of his denominationÍs premier preachers. People would comment how easily he seemed to preach GodÍs word. But behind that ñease'' were hundreds of discouraging, determined hours of learning and growing. So too for the young person in school, or the secretary who wants a better job, or the salesperson who isnÍt succeeding. Work. Discipline. Pay the price.
3. And how important this is to our faith. Most of us will devote hours to a physical fitness routine, and only brief seconds to our prayer life. Little wonder that many of us live lives which are pale by comparison with the possibilities open to us. This doesnÍt mean we need to overdo the religious practice. But it does mean that if we are willing to read and study scriptures, and devote a little time to fervent prayer, and present ourselves for regular worship, remarkable events will occur and life will become richer.
Title: ñJust As I Am''
Text: Mark 1:40-45
Theme: I know a man who often has a heavy heart. He did something which hurt someone he loved. Then she died. There is no way he can erase the memory of his failure. He understands that maybe God will forgive him. He believes she would forgive him. The one who cannot forgive this man is himself. He sometimes wonders if God can really have any use for him. He has hurt people whom he loved, who loved him. He hates some things about himself. He feels unworthy of GodÍs attention, wonders if he even deserves to live.
Is there just a touch of this manÍs sadness in many of us? What a joyous word for those who hear it: God loves you no matter what you have done. Of course God hates hurtful actions and betrayed love. But God loves the betrayer. When there is genuine repentance, there is forgiveness and hope.
1. God makes no exceptions. ñJust as I am....''
2. Through Jesus, God can heal us of our unloveliest sins.
3. Jesus is not turned away by our ugliness of spirit. Weatherhead once said that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who say to God, ñThy will be done,'' and those to whom God must finally say, ñThen thy will be done.'' In other words, God wills to forgive and redeem us „ all of us „ only we can miss out by turning from God.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
I used to have a book with the title FishinÍ Fer Fish Not In The Pond. I havenÍt seen it for years, but I vividly recall the opening story. It was about a famous man „ his name would be familiar to most of us „ an industrialist and multimillionaire back when a million dollars was a lot of money, who lived in a manor house in Scotland. He was aged now. Each day his caretaker would lead the old man out to a chair alongside a pond, where the old fellow would cast a fishing line into the water. People who lived around there knew there were no fish in that pond. It didnÍt matter since the old fellow had lost the ability to understand his world. He had devoted himself to becoming rich, now this was what his money had bought for him.
____________
A few years ago, a middle-aged man came to me in my office. He shared this story. ñTwo years ago, my son who is 27 and now lives in Chicago came to me to tell me he is gay. I was devastated. I went through all the stages of self-blame, of rejection, of total disillusionment about my son. And then he told me the worst: he has AIDS and is dying. At first, he was admitted to a hospital. But when his illness was diagnosed, he was dismissed from the hospital and left on his own. Now he lives in a small apartment and has recently become too weak to care for himself. His good friend sees that he has food and that other necessities are taken care of. But recently, I decided to help. I drove to Chicago, went to my sonÍs apartment. I bathed him, cleaned up the place, sat and talked with him. He cried and I cried. Now I go to Chicago at least one day a week to be with my son as he grows weaker. Soon, I will go to stay there until the end.'' Then, with tears in his eyes, this man who had always hated gays and AIDS said this: ñIt has been the most wonderful experience of my life. Taking care of my son has changed me. I love him with all my heart. I try not to judge people any more.''
____________
Two good illustrations from literature of the little things which can change a life occur to me. One is Silas Marner, the story of a mean-spirited, lonely old man, a miser, who lost his gold and was miserable until he spied the golden hair of a tiny little girl. Then love burst forth in his heart. The other is Les Miserables, the story of a violent criminal who tears his way off a prison ship, robs a kindly bishop, sets out to escape the law, only to encounter a lonely and unhappy little child, Cosette, in a forest. His life was also changed as he there and then became a kind and loving protector.
____________
J. W. Hamilton told of a man who quit attending church when he moved from his small town to a large eastern city. He became sophisticated, cynical. Years passed. The man was successful, but never very happy. His life was a mess. One day after many years he returned for a visit to his small town. A week later, he returned to his home in the city and the next Sunday went to church. A friend kidded him about this, questioned why he, of all people, was going to church. The man reflected for a moment. Then he explained. He said something like this: ñMy mother insisted that I go to church with the family while I was home. Rather than hurt her feelings, I went. As I sat there, I noticed a family several pews in front of me. It was a man I remembered from my childhood. He sat there now with a wife and several small children. He prayed, and sang the hymns, and they all seemed a happy family. But I remember that man. He was the town drunk. He fought all the time, caused trouble wherever he went. People avoided him whenever they could. And now, that man is said to be a fine father and family man. I have decided that if the church and the faith can change a man like that, I want to know more about it.''
____________
Golfer Vijay Singh had been playing in tournaments for many years, nearly always without success. Then, in the 1998 PGA championships, his years of hard work paid off. He won. A couple weeks later he won another tournament. Sportswriter Doug Ferguson, writing for the Associated Press, described Singh as ñthe hardest worker in golf.'' Stories are many about this manÍs fiery dedication to his practice and training. ñHeÍd follow a four-hour round with four hours of practice, often on the far end of the driving range so he wouldnÍt be bothered. HeÍd rearrange the furniture in his hotel room, clearing the way, just so he could practice even more,'' Ferguson reported. Mr. Singh affords a splendid illustration of the qualities which make for success, and for greatness. Those ends do not come easily for anyone.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 30 (C) „ ñO Lord, my God, I cried to you for help....''
Psalm 31 (RC) „ ñIn you, O Lord, I seek refuge.''
Psalm 42 (E) „ ñAs a deer longs for flowing streams.''
Prayer Of The Day
Banish doubt and fear from our hearts, O Lord, as we contemplate the wrongs we have done. We fall short; the love to which we know we are called has failed within us. Renew in us the commitment which once we felt, cleanse our hearts and consciences, restore in us the will to be what Jesus showed us to be possible. In his precious name we pray. Amen.
