And Jesus Will Be Our Friend
Stories
Contents
What's Up This Week
"And Jesus Will Be Our Friend" by Frank R. Fisher
"We Must Obey God" by John S. Smylie
"Heartfelt Prayers and a Doubting Doctor" by Constance Berg
What's Up This Week
What is the value of a friend? For most of us, good friends are an important part of our lives -- we share good times with them, and they help us through the tough times. In this week's featured story, Frank Fisher paints a moving picture of the best Friend of all -- one who walks every step of the path with us and never leaves our side... one who is always there for us throughout every fear and terror of our lives... one whose arms comfort and protect us no matter what the trial or tribulation. We also have a powerful story about obeying God's call and living out His vision for our lives, as well as a stirring account of the miraculous power of prayer.
* * * * * * * * *
And Jesus Will Be Our Friend
Frank R. Fisher
Revelation 1:4-8
You're two months old, and you're being held securely in your mother's arms. She has to hold on to you with a pretty good grip today, because you're not all that happy about this starchy white outfit she's crammed you into. But no matter how much you squirm or protest you're not getting out of it, because today is the day of your Baptism.
You start to squirm even harder when your mother and father carry you down a long aisle to a strange place where you're surrounded by strange people. You've almost settled down when they hand you over to a total stranger. That doesn't suit you at all, and you open your mouth wide to tell the world about it. But your screech of fear is cut short when the stranger begins to pour water over your head.
Still sputtering, you're handed back into the relative security of your mother's familiar arms. She cradles you snugly and calms all your fears. And although no one can see them, you're now also held by another set of arms. You're wrapped in the arms of a Friend who will securely hold you -- the arms of a Friend who will be with you throughout every fear and terror of your life... the arms of a Friend who will one day carry you to where no fear or terror can ever follow.
You're ten years old, and you've had a pretty happy and normal life. That is, you had a pretty happy and normal life. All that's changed because things have been tense in your house lately. Your mother and father started arguing about a year ago. About six months ago the arguments got a lot worse. It seems like they can't even talk to each other without screaming. Last night they told you they're getting a divorce.
You pleaded with them and cried your heart out, but you couldn't change their minds. Somehow you sensed they weren't really even listening to anything you said. Sure, they told you they'd always love you. But that doesn't take away the pain, and it doesn't change the absolute terror you feel deep inside.
You cried all night and most of the day. Finally you couldn't take it anymore. You had to talk to someone. So you go to find the one person you thought would listen -- your Sunday School teacher. She's taught your class for three years now... and you know she really cares about you. You know she'll really hear what you have to say.
As your teacher listens to the whole story, you look into her eyes -- and you can tell that she understands and that she hurts with you. But you also know there's nothing she can do to change your parents' minds. As you realize that, you start to cry again. Your teacher starts to cry too, and she puts her arm around you and hugs you.
It was her hug that does it -- just from her arm around you, you can tell you'll survive. Sure, you still hurt. But you now have what it takes to make it through the bad times, for the feel of that gentle pressure tells you that you have a friend... a friend who will be there when things get bad. And in the relief of this discovery you somehow know that both you and your teacher might have another Friend -- a Friend who will always be with you and who'll hurt when you hurt... a Friend who will never divorce or leave you... a Friend that binds you and your teacher together into one family -- the family of God.
You're 22 years old, and you've just started what looks like it'll be a great career in sales. You're enjoying all the parts of your work. But perhaps there are some parts of it you're starting to enjoy a little too much, for you've found you need to entertain your clients. That means you spend a lot of time drinking with them. And now you've started to drink even when you aren't with them. Your work starts to slip, and so does the rest of your life. Finally there comes a time when your spouse lays it on the line. You can choose between your drinking or your marriage.
One of your friends takes you to an AA meeting. And afterwards he tells you his story -- the story about his journey out of addiction. And he tells you how his story is all a part of another, and greater, story. He reminds you of all you already knew about the story of the person named Jesus of Nazareth.
And as he reminds you, something seems to move inside your heart. It feels like a dam bursting inside and opening a path, a path showing you the way to go on. And you remember something you've forgotten for the past few years. You remember you have a Friend -- a Friend who will be by your side through your journey out of addiction... a Friend who will be with you as you work to save your marriage... a Friend who's reaching out to hold your hand to lead you through the rest of your life.
You're 35 years old, and you're happily married with a loving spouse and three wonderful children. You have a great job, a nice house, and respect in your community. Your life seems like it's working out just fine. Well, it was working out fine, before that call last night. You knew something had to be wrong when the phone rang at 3 a.m.
It was your sister. She didn't even let you finish saying hello before she blurted out the news. She said your mother and father had been in an accident. A drunken driver had swerved over the center line and stuck their car head-on... no one survived. The phone fell to the floor. You fell, too. With your spouse's arms tight around you, you knelt there and cried for what seemed like hours.
You're still on that floor now, kneeling where you fell last night. There's a gentle touch, and you look up to see your pastor sitting beside you. She doesn't say a word. All she does is look into your eyes and let her hand rest on your shoulder. But that touch suddenly means the whole world to you. It reminds you that you're among friends. And who she is reminds you that you also have an even greater Friend -- a Friend who will mourn with you... a Friend who will help you find a way to live with this pain... a Friend who now holds your parents securely and lovingly in the palm of a mighty hand.
You're 46 years old, and you're lying on a cart in an emergency room. An ambulance brought you here about four hours ago after you fell on the ice. They've given you a shot to ease the pain. The shot helped a little, but you still feel like there's a knife sticking in your right knee.
Your doctor appears at the side of the cart. He doesn't look real happy -- and when you hear his news you're not real happy either. You're going in for emergency surgery in about an hour. After the surgery you're going to be in rehabilitation for at least six months. When the rehab's done you'll be able to walk again, but you'll always use a cane and you'll always need help wherever you go.
Just as the unfairness of this loss begins to seep into your mind, there are other people standing by the side of your cart... your spouse and your children. They look down and smile at you. Your children tell you that you helped them to learn to walk and they'll be happy to do the same for you. And while your children are talking you hear your spouse quietly breathing a word of prayer.
That prayer reminds you of the Friend who's always with you. And the presence of your spouse and children remind you of that Friend's marvelous gifts. The pain in your knee is still there, but it doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. You look at your family and look at your knee, and then you look upwards and say, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord."
You're 57 years old and living a life that finally seems to have settled down. All of your kids are in college and you and your spouse are beginning to really enjoy decorating your new house. You smile as you walk into your office building and wave at your boss who's standing by her desk. Surprisingly, she doesn't wave back but beckons you into her office instead. There's a security guard standing by her desk.
Your boss tells you the company has re-evaluated its work force. And in the re-evaluation it's been decided your job is now unnecessary. She tells the security guard to escort you to your office and to watch you while you clean out your desk.
After five months you finally find another job. You know you couldn't have made it through those months without your faith, for even while you watched your life savings shrink there was a feeling of an arm around your shoulders... a feeling that no matter how bad things got somehow it was going to be OK... a feeling that although this seemed like the worst of times, there was a Friend with you -- a Friend who held you tightly when you didn't know if you could go on... a Friend who never strayed from your side and who walked every step of this path with you.
You're 68 years old, and last week you had another of those visits with your doctors... a visit where you did your best to convince them that heart surgery is not your idea of a fun way to spend your time. You didn't convince them, and they were pretty convincing themselves. They told you straight-out that if you wanted to have many more years in this life you had to have this operation.
They've come to take you to the operating room now. And you're scared... more scared than you've ever been. You turn to your pastor, who's been waiting in your room with you, and you ask for a word of prayer. She touches your head gently and you hear words lifting up your need for protection and health... and you hear words asking for guidance for your surgeon's hands.
As the prayer gently finishes, your pastor traces a cross in oil on your forehead and reminds you that the blessing of the Triune God is with you. And as she makes that cross you sense there's another hand on top of hers -- a hand offering a blessing human hands could never bestow. As you're wheeled away toward surgery that blessing hovers over you, reminding you that no matter what happens there's a Friend with you... a Friend who's taking care of you and who's not going to leave your side today.
You're 95 years old, and a person full of life, full of love for your grandchildren, and brimming with love for your God. You've been in good health, but that's slipping now. Today it's slipped a little too far, and you know your life on the face of this earth is over.
Your sight begins to fade, making your grandchildren's faces disappear. Your hearing starts to fade too, and their voices dim and slip away. Then suddenly you seem to feel an arm around you -- an arm whose touch you seem to know very well indeed... a strong arm that lifts you up until you see the face of your best Friend... the one who's always been a real and tangible presence with you through every fear-filled moment of your life... the One who never left your side... the One who walked with you... the One who cried with you, and wiped away every tear from your eyes... the One who died and was raised for you.
And you see a new heaven and a new earth. Every tear is wiped away from our eyes. Death is no more; mourning and crying and pain are banished from our lives. All things are made new. And forevermore Jesus will be our Friend.
Frank R. Fisher is a second-career interim/transitional pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He currently serves as the interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Bushnell, Illinois. A former paramedic and administrator for the Chicago Fire Department, Fisher is an Oblate of the ecumenical Abbey of John the Baptist and Saint Benedict in Bartonville, Illinois.
We Must Obey God
by John S. Smylie
"We must obey God rather than any human authority."
Acts 5:29b
He was only 19 years old, more than a little idealistic, and was about to engage in a spiritual journey that would last for a lifetime. After partying deep into the late hours of the night he resented the loud alarm clock demanding his attention, screaming out to him that it was time to get up, time to get out of bed and go to his sociology class. He had no idea that this day would be a day that would influence the rest of his life. After throwing water on his face and brushing his teeth, hoping to camouflage the scent of the previous night, he descended on the elevator from the top floor of his high-rise dorm room and faced the chilly air -- and the steps that seem to be designed for dogs rather than human beings... annoying steps, one step up than another step to reach the next step up, thereby always having to use the same leg for the up step.
He reached his sociology class that met at the University Chapel, a space that could accommodate the over 800 students that gathered twice a week. This was a lousy learning environment, made even worse by a lack of sleep and a professor whose lecture might as well have been read from the assigned textbook. After class he walked down the dog steps and into the foyer of the dormitory, pushed the up button for the elevator, stepped inside, pushed 20, and ascended to the top floor. Throwing his books on his desk, he pulled the curtains shut and climbed back into bed. He fell asleep within a few minutes and had a dream that changed his life.
The dream was simple... he was given an image of himself as God saw him -- an image that was very different than the one he had formed of himself. The dream offered him a vision of his life first as a young man, then as an old man. He was dressed in light, able to give and receive love, and he knew that he was glimpsing his truest self. Upon awakening he discovered that his mind had been branded by the powerful image that he knew was impressed upon him by God Almighty. From that moment on he began to seek God's light.
When our lives are touched by the reality of the Holy, we continue to have choices -- yet our choices become narrower and at times more obvious. It seems that our choices are really quite simple: we either choose to obey God or we are miserable. The young man in this story would soon discover that he had to make a choice whether to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit or to follow the wishes of his parents. He announced to his parents that he was leaving college to pursue a spiritual journey. His parents thought he was crazy and expressed their concerns on no uncertain terms; they didn't understand or support his decision to leave college. He needed to discover more about the power of God, while his parents understood that he needed an education to be successful in the world. But the Spirit was calling him to a different knowledge: "We must obey God rather than any human authority." He left his college, returning later to complete his education after experiencing a journey that taught him about faith and holiness. That journey is another story too long to tell here.
Years later he found himself at a divinity school, preparing to serve as a minister, when the Spirit again called him to leave the seminary environment, and also to sell everything that he had and give it to the poor. This time his mother nearly had a heart attack at the thought of him giving away the inheritance that he had received from her father, his grandfather. "We must obey God rather than any human authority." He did leave the seminary, and he did sell everything he had and gave it to the poor -- and to his surprise he was invited to live in a monastic community where he experienced daily worship, contemplative prayer, and the deep healing power of our Lord Jesus Christ. His journey continues to this day. As he listens for the wind of the Spirit and the call of Jesus, he continues to find himself in unexpected adventures with the choice of obedience to God always before him.
As we look at our lives, we may ask: What risk is the Spirit calling us to take? As we think of what God is doing in our faith communities, in our families, and in our personal lives, it may be good for us to ask ourselves if our faith communities, our families, and our personal lives show obedience to God rather than to human authorities, or even worse, to self-centered and sinful desires. A true journey of faith will likely take us to places that we never dreamed we would go, and yet we can be sure that we will be blessed and God will be honored if we choose to obey our Lord's will and live out His vision for each of us.
We can imagine those first apostles filled with the Spirit of God, filled with confidence and courage, filled with the desire to share the good news of the life-giving power over sin and death that they found in connecting their lives with the living God through the person of Jesus Christ. May our choices reflect the same obedience to God, and may our lives show forth His presence in our communities, in our families, and in ourselves. Let us obey God rather than any other human authority!
John S. Smylie is the rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Casper, Wyoming. Previously he served as the dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, Washington. He is a published author and storyteller as well as a singer-songwriter. Smylie recently completed Grace for Today, a collection of 25 stories that explores how grace, loss, and restoration are part of the same fabric.
Heartfelt Prayers and a Doubting Doctor
Constance Berg
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
John 20:25b
Timmy's heart had a small hole in it. They could see it on the machine at the doctor's office: surgery would be scheduled. The parents were very nervous for their little son. His birth had been smooth, his infancy unremarkable, his crawling stage turned to walking very quickly. There was no indication of anything until Timmy's kindergarten screening when the nurse detected a faint murmur. "We'll just have that checked out," she said and referred the family to a pediatric cardiologist. There was no fear or alarm in her eyes or voice: the parents were not worried.
But Dr. Murphy was a little more forthright with them. "We'll have to go in there and close it up. It'll be a routine procedure, although there are always risks associated with this surgery." He explained complicated medical terms to them and drew a heart the size of a little fist on a sheet of paper. Carefully, he explained where the blood, aorta, and veins were and how they functioned. Surgery was scheduled in a week.
The parents were now beside themselves with worry. Their six-year-old was looking forward to going to kindergarten, not surgery. Now that his training wheels were no longer needed, Timmy was eager to jump on his bicycle, not be in a hospital.
The pastor came to pray with them, and the prayer chain was started. Friends called and started prayer chains in their churches. Soon the family was getting calls from all kinds of people offering their prayers and support.
Time for the pre-surgery came. Friends waited outside while Timmy and his parents went into the examining room. Wires were attached to Timmy's chest with cold, sticky round dots. He giggled when they took them off. One of the nurses gave him a beanbag in the shape of a dolphin. It was blue.
Dr. Murphy came into the room and reviewed the test results. He muttered, quietly called for a nurse, then asked for another doctor. They hooked Timmy up to another machine. Timmy's parents assumed this was routine; they didn't ask many questions.
But the doctor did: he asked countless questions. He was angry. He was surprised. Dr. Murphy was sure something was very wrong. He very calmly asked if the parents would care to wait in the waiting room so they could check Timmy out a little further.
Dr. Murphy spoke with the others in the room. What was going on here? He couldn't find the hole. Two machines couldn't be wrong. He called his mentor, a renowned pediatric cardiologist in Los Angeles, and had reports faxed to him. But Dr. Chen also confirmed that there was no hole in Timmy's heart. They compared the old reports: there was an obvious little hole in the old report. But there was no hole in Timmy's heart now.
Dr. Murphy couldn't believe it. He called the parents in and explained the situation. They cancelled the surgery, but were told to come back in three months. Then in six months. Then the visits were yearly. Seventeen years after Timmy's surgery was scheduled, he was told he didn't have to come back for routine checkups until he was 50.
Timmy -- who now goes by Tim -- is in his second year of medical school. The first year was very rough, with long nights of studying, and he hardly ever was able to return home, but he's almost finished with his second year and he loves his field. He doesn't know which area of medicine he'll choose until he's finished with his rotations. But he does know that whatever area it's in, he'll have a chance to share a story -- a story of a hole that wasn't there anymore and a story of how one doctor came to believe in the power of prayer because of it.
Constance Berg is a former missionary to Chiapas, Mexico. She is currently based in Bakersfield, California, where she serves as the director of 18 nursing homes for handicapped individuals. Berg is the author of three volumes of the CSS series Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit.
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StoryShare, April 15, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
What's Up This Week
"And Jesus Will Be Our Friend" by Frank R. Fisher
"We Must Obey God" by John S. Smylie
"Heartfelt Prayers and a Doubting Doctor" by Constance Berg
What's Up This Week
What is the value of a friend? For most of us, good friends are an important part of our lives -- we share good times with them, and they help us through the tough times. In this week's featured story, Frank Fisher paints a moving picture of the best Friend of all -- one who walks every step of the path with us and never leaves our side... one who is always there for us throughout every fear and terror of our lives... one whose arms comfort and protect us no matter what the trial or tribulation. We also have a powerful story about obeying God's call and living out His vision for our lives, as well as a stirring account of the miraculous power of prayer.
* * * * * * * * *
And Jesus Will Be Our Friend
Frank R. Fisher
Revelation 1:4-8
You're two months old, and you're being held securely in your mother's arms. She has to hold on to you with a pretty good grip today, because you're not all that happy about this starchy white outfit she's crammed you into. But no matter how much you squirm or protest you're not getting out of it, because today is the day of your Baptism.
You start to squirm even harder when your mother and father carry you down a long aisle to a strange place where you're surrounded by strange people. You've almost settled down when they hand you over to a total stranger. That doesn't suit you at all, and you open your mouth wide to tell the world about it. But your screech of fear is cut short when the stranger begins to pour water over your head.
Still sputtering, you're handed back into the relative security of your mother's familiar arms. She cradles you snugly and calms all your fears. And although no one can see them, you're now also held by another set of arms. You're wrapped in the arms of a Friend who will securely hold you -- the arms of a Friend who will be with you throughout every fear and terror of your life... the arms of a Friend who will one day carry you to where no fear or terror can ever follow.
You're ten years old, and you've had a pretty happy and normal life. That is, you had a pretty happy and normal life. All that's changed because things have been tense in your house lately. Your mother and father started arguing about a year ago. About six months ago the arguments got a lot worse. It seems like they can't even talk to each other without screaming. Last night they told you they're getting a divorce.
You pleaded with them and cried your heart out, but you couldn't change their minds. Somehow you sensed they weren't really even listening to anything you said. Sure, they told you they'd always love you. But that doesn't take away the pain, and it doesn't change the absolute terror you feel deep inside.
You cried all night and most of the day. Finally you couldn't take it anymore. You had to talk to someone. So you go to find the one person you thought would listen -- your Sunday School teacher. She's taught your class for three years now... and you know she really cares about you. You know she'll really hear what you have to say.
As your teacher listens to the whole story, you look into her eyes -- and you can tell that she understands and that she hurts with you. But you also know there's nothing she can do to change your parents' minds. As you realize that, you start to cry again. Your teacher starts to cry too, and she puts her arm around you and hugs you.
It was her hug that does it -- just from her arm around you, you can tell you'll survive. Sure, you still hurt. But you now have what it takes to make it through the bad times, for the feel of that gentle pressure tells you that you have a friend... a friend who will be there when things get bad. And in the relief of this discovery you somehow know that both you and your teacher might have another Friend -- a Friend who will always be with you and who'll hurt when you hurt... a Friend who will never divorce or leave you... a Friend that binds you and your teacher together into one family -- the family of God.
You're 22 years old, and you've just started what looks like it'll be a great career in sales. You're enjoying all the parts of your work. But perhaps there are some parts of it you're starting to enjoy a little too much, for you've found you need to entertain your clients. That means you spend a lot of time drinking with them. And now you've started to drink even when you aren't with them. Your work starts to slip, and so does the rest of your life. Finally there comes a time when your spouse lays it on the line. You can choose between your drinking or your marriage.
One of your friends takes you to an AA meeting. And afterwards he tells you his story -- the story about his journey out of addiction. And he tells you how his story is all a part of another, and greater, story. He reminds you of all you already knew about the story of the person named Jesus of Nazareth.
And as he reminds you, something seems to move inside your heart. It feels like a dam bursting inside and opening a path, a path showing you the way to go on. And you remember something you've forgotten for the past few years. You remember you have a Friend -- a Friend who will be by your side through your journey out of addiction... a Friend who will be with you as you work to save your marriage... a Friend who's reaching out to hold your hand to lead you through the rest of your life.
You're 35 years old, and you're happily married with a loving spouse and three wonderful children. You have a great job, a nice house, and respect in your community. Your life seems like it's working out just fine. Well, it was working out fine, before that call last night. You knew something had to be wrong when the phone rang at 3 a.m.
It was your sister. She didn't even let you finish saying hello before she blurted out the news. She said your mother and father had been in an accident. A drunken driver had swerved over the center line and stuck their car head-on... no one survived. The phone fell to the floor. You fell, too. With your spouse's arms tight around you, you knelt there and cried for what seemed like hours.
You're still on that floor now, kneeling where you fell last night. There's a gentle touch, and you look up to see your pastor sitting beside you. She doesn't say a word. All she does is look into your eyes and let her hand rest on your shoulder. But that touch suddenly means the whole world to you. It reminds you that you're among friends. And who she is reminds you that you also have an even greater Friend -- a Friend who will mourn with you... a Friend who will help you find a way to live with this pain... a Friend who now holds your parents securely and lovingly in the palm of a mighty hand.
You're 46 years old, and you're lying on a cart in an emergency room. An ambulance brought you here about four hours ago after you fell on the ice. They've given you a shot to ease the pain. The shot helped a little, but you still feel like there's a knife sticking in your right knee.
Your doctor appears at the side of the cart. He doesn't look real happy -- and when you hear his news you're not real happy either. You're going in for emergency surgery in about an hour. After the surgery you're going to be in rehabilitation for at least six months. When the rehab's done you'll be able to walk again, but you'll always use a cane and you'll always need help wherever you go.
Just as the unfairness of this loss begins to seep into your mind, there are other people standing by the side of your cart... your spouse and your children. They look down and smile at you. Your children tell you that you helped them to learn to walk and they'll be happy to do the same for you. And while your children are talking you hear your spouse quietly breathing a word of prayer.
That prayer reminds you of the Friend who's always with you. And the presence of your spouse and children remind you of that Friend's marvelous gifts. The pain in your knee is still there, but it doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. You look at your family and look at your knee, and then you look upwards and say, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord."
You're 57 years old and living a life that finally seems to have settled down. All of your kids are in college and you and your spouse are beginning to really enjoy decorating your new house. You smile as you walk into your office building and wave at your boss who's standing by her desk. Surprisingly, she doesn't wave back but beckons you into her office instead. There's a security guard standing by her desk.
Your boss tells you the company has re-evaluated its work force. And in the re-evaluation it's been decided your job is now unnecessary. She tells the security guard to escort you to your office and to watch you while you clean out your desk.
After five months you finally find another job. You know you couldn't have made it through those months without your faith, for even while you watched your life savings shrink there was a feeling of an arm around your shoulders... a feeling that no matter how bad things got somehow it was going to be OK... a feeling that although this seemed like the worst of times, there was a Friend with you -- a Friend who held you tightly when you didn't know if you could go on... a Friend who never strayed from your side and who walked every step of this path with you.
You're 68 years old, and last week you had another of those visits with your doctors... a visit where you did your best to convince them that heart surgery is not your idea of a fun way to spend your time. You didn't convince them, and they were pretty convincing themselves. They told you straight-out that if you wanted to have many more years in this life you had to have this operation.
They've come to take you to the operating room now. And you're scared... more scared than you've ever been. You turn to your pastor, who's been waiting in your room with you, and you ask for a word of prayer. She touches your head gently and you hear words lifting up your need for protection and health... and you hear words asking for guidance for your surgeon's hands.
As the prayer gently finishes, your pastor traces a cross in oil on your forehead and reminds you that the blessing of the Triune God is with you. And as she makes that cross you sense there's another hand on top of hers -- a hand offering a blessing human hands could never bestow. As you're wheeled away toward surgery that blessing hovers over you, reminding you that no matter what happens there's a Friend with you... a Friend who's taking care of you and who's not going to leave your side today.
You're 95 years old, and a person full of life, full of love for your grandchildren, and brimming with love for your God. You've been in good health, but that's slipping now. Today it's slipped a little too far, and you know your life on the face of this earth is over.
Your sight begins to fade, making your grandchildren's faces disappear. Your hearing starts to fade too, and their voices dim and slip away. Then suddenly you seem to feel an arm around you -- an arm whose touch you seem to know very well indeed... a strong arm that lifts you up until you see the face of your best Friend... the one who's always been a real and tangible presence with you through every fear-filled moment of your life... the One who never left your side... the One who walked with you... the One who cried with you, and wiped away every tear from your eyes... the One who died and was raised for you.
And you see a new heaven and a new earth. Every tear is wiped away from our eyes. Death is no more; mourning and crying and pain are banished from our lives. All things are made new. And forevermore Jesus will be our Friend.
Frank R. Fisher is a second-career interim/transitional pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He currently serves as the interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Bushnell, Illinois. A former paramedic and administrator for the Chicago Fire Department, Fisher is an Oblate of the ecumenical Abbey of John the Baptist and Saint Benedict in Bartonville, Illinois.
We Must Obey God
by John S. Smylie
"We must obey God rather than any human authority."
Acts 5:29b
He was only 19 years old, more than a little idealistic, and was about to engage in a spiritual journey that would last for a lifetime. After partying deep into the late hours of the night he resented the loud alarm clock demanding his attention, screaming out to him that it was time to get up, time to get out of bed and go to his sociology class. He had no idea that this day would be a day that would influence the rest of his life. After throwing water on his face and brushing his teeth, hoping to camouflage the scent of the previous night, he descended on the elevator from the top floor of his high-rise dorm room and faced the chilly air -- and the steps that seem to be designed for dogs rather than human beings... annoying steps, one step up than another step to reach the next step up, thereby always having to use the same leg for the up step.
He reached his sociology class that met at the University Chapel, a space that could accommodate the over 800 students that gathered twice a week. This was a lousy learning environment, made even worse by a lack of sleep and a professor whose lecture might as well have been read from the assigned textbook. After class he walked down the dog steps and into the foyer of the dormitory, pushed the up button for the elevator, stepped inside, pushed 20, and ascended to the top floor. Throwing his books on his desk, he pulled the curtains shut and climbed back into bed. He fell asleep within a few minutes and had a dream that changed his life.
The dream was simple... he was given an image of himself as God saw him -- an image that was very different than the one he had formed of himself. The dream offered him a vision of his life first as a young man, then as an old man. He was dressed in light, able to give and receive love, and he knew that he was glimpsing his truest self. Upon awakening he discovered that his mind had been branded by the powerful image that he knew was impressed upon him by God Almighty. From that moment on he began to seek God's light.
When our lives are touched by the reality of the Holy, we continue to have choices -- yet our choices become narrower and at times more obvious. It seems that our choices are really quite simple: we either choose to obey God or we are miserable. The young man in this story would soon discover that he had to make a choice whether to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit or to follow the wishes of his parents. He announced to his parents that he was leaving college to pursue a spiritual journey. His parents thought he was crazy and expressed their concerns on no uncertain terms; they didn't understand or support his decision to leave college. He needed to discover more about the power of God, while his parents understood that he needed an education to be successful in the world. But the Spirit was calling him to a different knowledge: "We must obey God rather than any human authority." He left his college, returning later to complete his education after experiencing a journey that taught him about faith and holiness. That journey is another story too long to tell here.
Years later he found himself at a divinity school, preparing to serve as a minister, when the Spirit again called him to leave the seminary environment, and also to sell everything that he had and give it to the poor. This time his mother nearly had a heart attack at the thought of him giving away the inheritance that he had received from her father, his grandfather. "We must obey God rather than any human authority." He did leave the seminary, and he did sell everything he had and gave it to the poor -- and to his surprise he was invited to live in a monastic community where he experienced daily worship, contemplative prayer, and the deep healing power of our Lord Jesus Christ. His journey continues to this day. As he listens for the wind of the Spirit and the call of Jesus, he continues to find himself in unexpected adventures with the choice of obedience to God always before him.
As we look at our lives, we may ask: What risk is the Spirit calling us to take? As we think of what God is doing in our faith communities, in our families, and in our personal lives, it may be good for us to ask ourselves if our faith communities, our families, and our personal lives show obedience to God rather than to human authorities, or even worse, to self-centered and sinful desires. A true journey of faith will likely take us to places that we never dreamed we would go, and yet we can be sure that we will be blessed and God will be honored if we choose to obey our Lord's will and live out His vision for each of us.
We can imagine those first apostles filled with the Spirit of God, filled with confidence and courage, filled with the desire to share the good news of the life-giving power over sin and death that they found in connecting their lives with the living God through the person of Jesus Christ. May our choices reflect the same obedience to God, and may our lives show forth His presence in our communities, in our families, and in ourselves. Let us obey God rather than any other human authority!
John S. Smylie is the rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Casper, Wyoming. Previously he served as the dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, Washington. He is a published author and storyteller as well as a singer-songwriter. Smylie recently completed Grace for Today, a collection of 25 stories that explores how grace, loss, and restoration are part of the same fabric.
Heartfelt Prayers and a Doubting Doctor
Constance Berg
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
John 20:25b
Timmy's heart had a small hole in it. They could see it on the machine at the doctor's office: surgery would be scheduled. The parents were very nervous for their little son. His birth had been smooth, his infancy unremarkable, his crawling stage turned to walking very quickly. There was no indication of anything until Timmy's kindergarten screening when the nurse detected a faint murmur. "We'll just have that checked out," she said and referred the family to a pediatric cardiologist. There was no fear or alarm in her eyes or voice: the parents were not worried.
But Dr. Murphy was a little more forthright with them. "We'll have to go in there and close it up. It'll be a routine procedure, although there are always risks associated with this surgery." He explained complicated medical terms to them and drew a heart the size of a little fist on a sheet of paper. Carefully, he explained where the blood, aorta, and veins were and how they functioned. Surgery was scheduled in a week.
The parents were now beside themselves with worry. Their six-year-old was looking forward to going to kindergarten, not surgery. Now that his training wheels were no longer needed, Timmy was eager to jump on his bicycle, not be in a hospital.
The pastor came to pray with them, and the prayer chain was started. Friends called and started prayer chains in their churches. Soon the family was getting calls from all kinds of people offering their prayers and support.
Time for the pre-surgery came. Friends waited outside while Timmy and his parents went into the examining room. Wires were attached to Timmy's chest with cold, sticky round dots. He giggled when they took them off. One of the nurses gave him a beanbag in the shape of a dolphin. It was blue.
Dr. Murphy came into the room and reviewed the test results. He muttered, quietly called for a nurse, then asked for another doctor. They hooked Timmy up to another machine. Timmy's parents assumed this was routine; they didn't ask many questions.
But the doctor did: he asked countless questions. He was angry. He was surprised. Dr. Murphy was sure something was very wrong. He very calmly asked if the parents would care to wait in the waiting room so they could check Timmy out a little further.
Dr. Murphy spoke with the others in the room. What was going on here? He couldn't find the hole. Two machines couldn't be wrong. He called his mentor, a renowned pediatric cardiologist in Los Angeles, and had reports faxed to him. But Dr. Chen also confirmed that there was no hole in Timmy's heart. They compared the old reports: there was an obvious little hole in the old report. But there was no hole in Timmy's heart now.
Dr. Murphy couldn't believe it. He called the parents in and explained the situation. They cancelled the surgery, but were told to come back in three months. Then in six months. Then the visits were yearly. Seventeen years after Timmy's surgery was scheduled, he was told he didn't have to come back for routine checkups until he was 50.
Timmy -- who now goes by Tim -- is in his second year of medical school. The first year was very rough, with long nights of studying, and he hardly ever was able to return home, but he's almost finished with his second year and he loves his field. He doesn't know which area of medicine he'll choose until he's finished with his rotations. But he does know that whatever area it's in, he'll have a chance to share a story -- a story of a hole that wasn't there anymore and a story of how one doctor came to believe in the power of prayer because of it.
Constance Berg is a former missionary to Chiapas, Mexico. She is currently based in Bakersfield, California, where she serves as the director of 18 nursing homes for handicapped individuals. Berg is the author of three volumes of the CSS series Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit.
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StoryShare, April 15, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
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