Are You Waiting For Godot?
Illustration
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Are You Waiting for Godot?"
Good Stories: "Life in the Light of Eternity" by Richard Jensen
"Painful Waiting" by John Sumwalt
Sermon Starter: "Bouch and the King" by Gregory Tolle
Scrap Pile: Two Advent Candle Readings by R.H. Thompson
What's Up This Week
The common theme in our stories this week is watching and waiting -- and staying alert for the Lord, even when that's not an easy proposition. Our waiting is sometimes painful, sometimes serendipitous, sometimes enlightening -- but we can take comfort that God has not forsaken us, and should always remember to be ready for Christ's promised return, for as the Gospel lesson tells us, we do not know when that that time will come. In the Scrap Pile this week, we have included a pair of brief meditations on Christmas preparations that can be used as readings in the Advent candlelighting portion of the service.
A Story to Live By
Are You Waiting for Godot?
...for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind... so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:5-7
As we embark on another Advent adventure, we should remind ourselves that this sacred season holds a twofold emphasis. Not only do we journey towards Christ's nativity, but we also project our thoughts towards his second advent when the final curtain will be lowered on the world as we now know it.
In Samuel Beckett's tragicomedy Waiting for Godot, we are introduced to Vladimir and Estragon, who wait for the arrival of the mysterious Godot. Though continually sending word that he will appear, Godot never does. Vladimir and Estragon encounter Lucky and Pozzo, they discuss their misery and their lot in life, they even consider suicide -- and yet they wait. Often perceived as being tramps, Vladimir and Estragon are a pair of human beings who do not know why they were put on the earth: they make the tenuous assumption that there must be some point to their existence, and they look to Godot for enlightenment. Unfortunately their waiting is futile; Godot never arrives, and we are left with the uncomfortable feeling that perhaps Macbeth was correct in his assessment that life "is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
The Christian faith exposes the folly of such morbid pessimism when it joyfully declares that the God who made this world of ours will come, because he has come to us in Christ, and that our waiting in the interim is not an exercise in futility. The first Sunday in this Advent season introduces us to the God who was, who is, and who is to come, and challenges us to consider his astonishing provision for a life that is fulfilling and replete with meaning.
You can be certain that we are not futilely "waiting for Godot." Our present and future lie safely in the hands of our Advent Lord, who never lets us off, never lets us down, and will never let us go!
(Adapted from a sermon by Frederick Harm in Sermons on the Second Readings[Series I, Cycle B].)
Good Stories
Life in the Light of Eternity
by Richard A. Jensen
Emilio Lopez received a surprise phone call from his bishop one day. ''Would you be interested in a call to a white congregation in a neighborhood that is becoming Hispanic? I think you're just the kind of pastor they need in these days of transition.''
Emilio was interested. It sounded like a great challenge to him. Before much time had passed, he received and accepted the call. When he arrived at the new congregation he discovered that they were rapidly losing their white members. That's where he fit in. They hoped that Pastor Lopez would reach out from the congregation to the needs of a neighborhood that was in rapid transition. And he did -- very well. A few people in the neighborhood soon began to be active in the congregation. Pastor Lopez was pleased with the fruit of his ministry. So was the church council.
Many members of the congregation, however, were not pleased at this turn of events. Marv Lebold, for example, was very unhappy with the direction of things. Marv wasn't all that faithful a member of the congregation. He showed up at Christmas and Easter and a few times in between. His lack of participation, however, didn't diminish his sense of ownership of the congregation. Marv's family had been members of this church for many years.
One day Marv Lebold caught Pastor Lopez in the church parking lot. He grabbed him around the neck and shoved him against a wall. ''What are you doing here?'' Marv demanded. ''What are you trying to do with my congregation? Who are these new people you're bringing in here?''
Needless to say, Pastor Lopez was frightened by the whole scene. As he pieced it together over the next two weeks, he realized that Marv Lebold was probably nervous about the fact that many members of his family were coming to celebrate Christmas with the Lebolds. Marv was possibly embarrassed to bring his family to church now that it had these people of different backgrounds.
Marv and his family did show up for the Christmas service. His fears were justified. It was very different than any service he'd ever attended. The service was conducted in two languages: English and Spanish. The live manger scene had a Mexican Joseph, a white Mary, and a baby from El Salvador. Marv Lebold's family thought it was a wonderful expression of the Christian faith.
A few weeks later Marv Lebold made an appointment to see Pastor Lopez. When the appointed day came Marv walked sheepishly into Pastor Lopez's office. ''I've come to apologize,'' he began. ''I was wrong when I shouted at you about what you are doing to this church. The Christmas service, especially the cast of characters, really got to me. I've changed my tune.''
The light of eternity broke into Marv Lebold's life that Christmas day. Jesus Christ broke into his world and called him to ''watch'' in a new way. Slowly but surely he saw that all the marvelous variety of people that God created will sit down at one table in eternity. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither rich nor poor; there is neither black nor gold nor brown nor red at God's eternal banquet table. Marv Lebold got a new vision of other people when he saw them in the light of God's eternity. The ''watch'' he keeps with his life has taken a radical turn!
Richard Jensen is professor emeritus of homiletics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and he also served as the dean of the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching program for the Association of Chicago Theological Seminaries. He is also renowned for his decade-long stint as the speaker for Lutheran Vespers, a weekly national radio ministry of the Lutheran Church. Jensen is the author of several acclaimed books on the art of preaching, including the CSS titles Thinking in Story, Preaching Matthew's Gospel, Preaching Mark's Gospel, and Preaching Luke's Gospel, and his sermons frequently appear in print.
Painful Waiting
by John Sumwalt
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence... From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean... There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:1, 4-6a, 7-8
"But in those days, after that suffering... Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory."
Mark 13:24a, 26
The pain was unbearable!
"Where are you, God?" Lucy prayed. "Don't you know how much I'm hurting? I don't know if I can go on. Are you there, God? Show yourself! You have always been with us in the past. You got us through the Depression when I was a kid. You gave Sam and me both good jobs after the war. We were able to give our kids all the things we never had. Can you blame us if we didn't have time to go to church? There was too much to do. I know I should have at least taken the kids, and now none of them will have anything to do with church. Oh Lord, it hurts! Is this some kind of punishment for my sin?"
This was Lucy's seventh trip to the hospital in two years, and the day after her fourth radiation treatment. She was weary of being sick and discouraged by the constant pain. Nothing seemed to help. The doctors and nurses assured her that she would feel better in time. "The odds are in your favor," they said. But Lucy was beginning to lose hope. It had been three years since the cancer had first been diagnosed. She wanted her life back, to have some feeling of normalcy again -- to be able to take care of herself, to laugh with friends, to fix a meal and go for a swim -- and to be free of the pain. Each agonizing hour seemed an eternity.
"O God," Lucy prayed, "take me away from all of this. I can't bear it any longer."
Lucy slipped mercifully into the morphine fog which had been her only respite from the pain for months and months. When she came to herself a few hours later, she heard the strains of an old gospel hymn being played on the organ in the chapel down the hall. Lucy surprised herself as she began to hum the familiar tune and then to mouth the long-forgotten words:
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
Sermon Starter
Bouch and the King
by Gregory Tolle
"But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."
Mark 13:32-37
In a particular Chicago tavern you might have the good fortune to be served by a Moroccan waiter named Bouch. There's nothing extraordinary about Bouch -- except that he has an ongoing correspondence with the King of Morocco! King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, commonly known as Mohammed VI, has become known as a modernizer and as a ruler who doesn't maintain a royal distance from his subjects, but instead interacts with them freely.
Shortly after taking the throne, King Mohammed addressed his nation via television, promising to take on poverty and corruption while creating jobs and improving Morocco's human rights record. True to his word, he is renowned for helping the poor, the handicapped, and those suffering injustice. Knowing the king's reputation, Bouch wrote to him -- and to his surprise, King Mohammed VI wrote him back! In fact, he and Bouch have exchanged a number of letters.
Bouch told Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, "Look at the letters! These are letters from the king. If I meet him, I'll be so happy." ("Waiter's pen pal just cool guy who runs a country," Chicago Tribune, July 23, 2001)
Kass talked to the Moroccan deputy consul general in Chicago and discovered that it wasn't at all unusual for the king to write personal letters to his subjects who were abroad. The official explained, "It happens a lot. He loves his subjects."
Nevertheless, we might still join John Kass in wondering, "How many guys hauling beer and burgers in a Chicago tavern have a royal emperor as their pen pal?"
As Christians, we have two things in common with Bouch: First, we currently correspond with a king who loves us, without meeting him face to face. Second, we both wait with anticipation for the day that we will meet our king. For Bouch, this day may never come; he might not ever meet his king face to face. But for Christians, it's the king's promise. We only need to "stay awake" and "stay alert" for his arrival.
Gregory L. Tolle is the senior minister at First United Methodist Church in Durant, Oklahoma. He is the author of Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit (Series IV, Cycle B), from which this story is taken.
Scrap Pile
Two Advent Candle Readings
by R.H. Thompson
Lights to the World
Some people put their Christmas lights up in November; some people wait until the week before Christmas when there are no extra bulbs in the stores and you can't buy icicle lights anywhere. Some people just leave them up from one year to the next, and some people don't put any lights up at all.
Some houses have elaborate displays with floodlights and colored bulbs; some houses have a simple row of lights running along the eaves. Some houses have figures of the Grinch or Santa and the reindeers or the Nativity. And some houses are decked out with lights everywhere: on every branch of every tree, twirled around bushes and shrubs, shaped into stars and snowflakes, and outlining every window and door. Those houses have Christmas music playing outside and usually get their picture in the newspaper.
Have you ever figured out why it is that when you put the lights away last year they were neat and tidy, but this year when you pulled them down from the top shelf with the other Christmas decorations, they were tangled and twisted into impossible knots? And when you finally straightened them out and plugged them in, they flickered half-heartedly and died? Or perhaps there was a bulb missing, so you decided that instead of searching the house for the spare bulbs that it was easier to go to the store and buy some more -- but when you got there they had sold out because it was 4 o'clock on Christmas Eve. Now you've got a problem!
I wonder if that's how God thinks of us sometimes -- as problems. We're supposed to shine for God. We're supposed to be lights to the world like a city on a hill. We're supposed to be good examples for others to follow. When God looks at us, listens to our secret thoughts, sees our selfish ways, our greedy hearts, our lack of compassion, and love for others, does he think that it would just be easier to toss us out with the trash -- like we would throw out a string of useless, burnt-out Christmas lights?
Thank goodness God doesn't do that. Thank goodness God loves us enough not to give up on us when we've given up on him. Thank goodness God loves us enough to revive our indifferent spirits and renew our burnt-out lives and mold those selfish, thoughtless, godless attitudes until we love God as we should... that God loves us enough to help us love others, and to shine like lights for him.
Don't be a burnt-out Christmas bulb. Plug into God's power and shine for Jesus!
(Light candle)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are the light of the world. We thank you for your great love. We ask that you will shine in our lives and through our lives, so that others may find you too. Amen.
Greatly Troubled
Ah, Christmas shopping: the rustle of paper, the glitzy decorations, the angelic strains of carolers, hot apple cider, happy shoppers bidding each other cheerful Yuletide greetings, and of course, purchasing perfect gifts at perfect prices. Or was that a scene from a commercial?
Christmas carols have been playing in the mall since October. Frustrated shoppers are elbowing each other out of the way in the crush to buy the "toy of the year." And the most important phrase on everyone's lips seems to be, "Will the store exchange it if it's wrong?"
Mary was greatly troubled.
When we open the newspapers, switch on the television, log on to the internet, bad news confronts us (you may wish to insert additional local, national, and global events that have had impact on our lives):
* Terrorism, wars, atrocities, refugees
* Earthquakes, mudslides, volcanic eruptions
* Poverty, hunger, homelessness
* Epidemics (especially AIDS)
We can't change the world. Can anyone? Do you worry how events around the world will impact your life?
Mary was greatly troubled.
And what of our nation, the country we live in, the place we call home? There has been enough evidence in the past twelve months to prove our brokenness (again, you may wish to insert specific current events):
* Violence against children and by children
* Plane crashes, car wrecks
* Floods, hurricanes, cyclones
* Political scandal, political unrest
* Economic hardship
* Environmental issues
Sometimes we wonder whether life can get any more depressing than this!
Mary was greatly troubled.
What about our individual lives -- our hopes and dreams, our fears, our job security and long-term plans? Our complicated relationships and family situations? Health concerns and financial worries? Where does God fit into this?
Mary was greatly troubled.
Do the uncertainties of life trouble us? Perhaps not. Perhaps we don't think about them too much. Or perhaps they invade our minds in the stillness of night, or creep into our thoughts when we least expect them to.
In Luke's Gospel we read that Mary was greatly troubled. An angel was standing before her. Mary was alone, just sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, thinking about what to prepare for supper maybe, when there he was. The angel had a message from the Lord God himself for her. Mary was greatly troubled by his words: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28).
Seeing her fear, the angel told her, "Do not be afraid. You have found favor with God" (Luke 1:30).
So Mary listened. She must have gotten over her fear, because she even questioned him, telling him, an angel, that what he was saying was impossible! By the time the angel left, Mary was no longer troubled. She trusted God and knew that he could do the impossible.
What troubles you? Do your troubles and concerns overwhelm you? Have you forgotten that with God all things are possible? In our world of uncertainties, be greatly troubled about the right thing -- your relationship with the Almighty God -- for it is God who holds our future.
(Light candle)
Prayer: Our Father, we praise you because you are Lord over every situation, every event, and every person in the world. When we are worried and afraid, help us to remember that you love us and are with us, always. We pray for people all over the world who have suffered in the last year, and ask that your love and peace will fill their hearts. In Jesus' name. Amen.
R.H. Thompson is a former elementary school teacher who is now a freelance writer and teacher as well as a full-time mom in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is a graduate of Edge Hill University College, Lancashire, England (B.Ed.). These readings appeared in the anthology Christmas Treasures.
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StoryShare, November 27, 2005, issue.
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What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Are You Waiting for Godot?"
Good Stories: "Life in the Light of Eternity" by Richard Jensen
"Painful Waiting" by John Sumwalt
Sermon Starter: "Bouch and the King" by Gregory Tolle
Scrap Pile: Two Advent Candle Readings by R.H. Thompson
What's Up This Week
The common theme in our stories this week is watching and waiting -- and staying alert for the Lord, even when that's not an easy proposition. Our waiting is sometimes painful, sometimes serendipitous, sometimes enlightening -- but we can take comfort that God has not forsaken us, and should always remember to be ready for Christ's promised return, for as the Gospel lesson tells us, we do not know when that that time will come. In the Scrap Pile this week, we have included a pair of brief meditations on Christmas preparations that can be used as readings in the Advent candlelighting portion of the service.
A Story to Live By
Are You Waiting for Godot?
...for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind... so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:5-7
As we embark on another Advent adventure, we should remind ourselves that this sacred season holds a twofold emphasis. Not only do we journey towards Christ's nativity, but we also project our thoughts towards his second advent when the final curtain will be lowered on the world as we now know it.
In Samuel Beckett's tragicomedy Waiting for Godot, we are introduced to Vladimir and Estragon, who wait for the arrival of the mysterious Godot. Though continually sending word that he will appear, Godot never does. Vladimir and Estragon encounter Lucky and Pozzo, they discuss their misery and their lot in life, they even consider suicide -- and yet they wait. Often perceived as being tramps, Vladimir and Estragon are a pair of human beings who do not know why they were put on the earth: they make the tenuous assumption that there must be some point to their existence, and they look to Godot for enlightenment. Unfortunately their waiting is futile; Godot never arrives, and we are left with the uncomfortable feeling that perhaps Macbeth was correct in his assessment that life "is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
The Christian faith exposes the folly of such morbid pessimism when it joyfully declares that the God who made this world of ours will come, because he has come to us in Christ, and that our waiting in the interim is not an exercise in futility. The first Sunday in this Advent season introduces us to the God who was, who is, and who is to come, and challenges us to consider his astonishing provision for a life that is fulfilling and replete with meaning.
You can be certain that we are not futilely "waiting for Godot." Our present and future lie safely in the hands of our Advent Lord, who never lets us off, never lets us down, and will never let us go!
(Adapted from a sermon by Frederick Harm in Sermons on the Second Readings[Series I, Cycle B].)
Good Stories
Life in the Light of Eternity
by Richard A. Jensen
Emilio Lopez received a surprise phone call from his bishop one day. ''Would you be interested in a call to a white congregation in a neighborhood that is becoming Hispanic? I think you're just the kind of pastor they need in these days of transition.''
Emilio was interested. It sounded like a great challenge to him. Before much time had passed, he received and accepted the call. When he arrived at the new congregation he discovered that they were rapidly losing their white members. That's where he fit in. They hoped that Pastor Lopez would reach out from the congregation to the needs of a neighborhood that was in rapid transition. And he did -- very well. A few people in the neighborhood soon began to be active in the congregation. Pastor Lopez was pleased with the fruit of his ministry. So was the church council.
Many members of the congregation, however, were not pleased at this turn of events. Marv Lebold, for example, was very unhappy with the direction of things. Marv wasn't all that faithful a member of the congregation. He showed up at Christmas and Easter and a few times in between. His lack of participation, however, didn't diminish his sense of ownership of the congregation. Marv's family had been members of this church for many years.
One day Marv Lebold caught Pastor Lopez in the church parking lot. He grabbed him around the neck and shoved him against a wall. ''What are you doing here?'' Marv demanded. ''What are you trying to do with my congregation? Who are these new people you're bringing in here?''
Needless to say, Pastor Lopez was frightened by the whole scene. As he pieced it together over the next two weeks, he realized that Marv Lebold was probably nervous about the fact that many members of his family were coming to celebrate Christmas with the Lebolds. Marv was possibly embarrassed to bring his family to church now that it had these people of different backgrounds.
Marv and his family did show up for the Christmas service. His fears were justified. It was very different than any service he'd ever attended. The service was conducted in two languages: English and Spanish. The live manger scene had a Mexican Joseph, a white Mary, and a baby from El Salvador. Marv Lebold's family thought it was a wonderful expression of the Christian faith.
A few weeks later Marv Lebold made an appointment to see Pastor Lopez. When the appointed day came Marv walked sheepishly into Pastor Lopez's office. ''I've come to apologize,'' he began. ''I was wrong when I shouted at you about what you are doing to this church. The Christmas service, especially the cast of characters, really got to me. I've changed my tune.''
The light of eternity broke into Marv Lebold's life that Christmas day. Jesus Christ broke into his world and called him to ''watch'' in a new way. Slowly but surely he saw that all the marvelous variety of people that God created will sit down at one table in eternity. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither rich nor poor; there is neither black nor gold nor brown nor red at God's eternal banquet table. Marv Lebold got a new vision of other people when he saw them in the light of God's eternity. The ''watch'' he keeps with his life has taken a radical turn!
Richard Jensen is professor emeritus of homiletics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and he also served as the dean of the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching program for the Association of Chicago Theological Seminaries. He is also renowned for his decade-long stint as the speaker for Lutheran Vespers, a weekly national radio ministry of the Lutheran Church. Jensen is the author of several acclaimed books on the art of preaching, including the CSS titles Thinking in Story, Preaching Matthew's Gospel, Preaching Mark's Gospel, and Preaching Luke's Gospel, and his sermons frequently appear in print.
Painful Waiting
by John Sumwalt
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence... From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean... There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:1, 4-6a, 7-8
"But in those days, after that suffering... Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory."
Mark 13:24a, 26
The pain was unbearable!
"Where are you, God?" Lucy prayed. "Don't you know how much I'm hurting? I don't know if I can go on. Are you there, God? Show yourself! You have always been with us in the past. You got us through the Depression when I was a kid. You gave Sam and me both good jobs after the war. We were able to give our kids all the things we never had. Can you blame us if we didn't have time to go to church? There was too much to do. I know I should have at least taken the kids, and now none of them will have anything to do with church. Oh Lord, it hurts! Is this some kind of punishment for my sin?"
This was Lucy's seventh trip to the hospital in two years, and the day after her fourth radiation treatment. She was weary of being sick and discouraged by the constant pain. Nothing seemed to help. The doctors and nurses assured her that she would feel better in time. "The odds are in your favor," they said. But Lucy was beginning to lose hope. It had been three years since the cancer had first been diagnosed. She wanted her life back, to have some feeling of normalcy again -- to be able to take care of herself, to laugh with friends, to fix a meal and go for a swim -- and to be free of the pain. Each agonizing hour seemed an eternity.
"O God," Lucy prayed, "take me away from all of this. I can't bear it any longer."
Lucy slipped mercifully into the morphine fog which had been her only respite from the pain for months and months. When she came to herself a few hours later, she heard the strains of an old gospel hymn being played on the organ in the chapel down the hall. Lucy surprised herself as she began to hum the familiar tune and then to mouth the long-forgotten words:
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
Sermon Starter
Bouch and the King
by Gregory Tolle
"But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."
Mark 13:32-37
In a particular Chicago tavern you might have the good fortune to be served by a Moroccan waiter named Bouch. There's nothing extraordinary about Bouch -- except that he has an ongoing correspondence with the King of Morocco! King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, commonly known as Mohammed VI, has become known as a modernizer and as a ruler who doesn't maintain a royal distance from his subjects, but instead interacts with them freely.
Shortly after taking the throne, King Mohammed addressed his nation via television, promising to take on poverty and corruption while creating jobs and improving Morocco's human rights record. True to his word, he is renowned for helping the poor, the handicapped, and those suffering injustice. Knowing the king's reputation, Bouch wrote to him -- and to his surprise, King Mohammed VI wrote him back! In fact, he and Bouch have exchanged a number of letters.
Bouch told Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, "Look at the letters! These are letters from the king. If I meet him, I'll be so happy." ("Waiter's pen pal just cool guy who runs a country," Chicago Tribune, July 23, 2001)
Kass talked to the Moroccan deputy consul general in Chicago and discovered that it wasn't at all unusual for the king to write personal letters to his subjects who were abroad. The official explained, "It happens a lot. He loves his subjects."
Nevertheless, we might still join John Kass in wondering, "How many guys hauling beer and burgers in a Chicago tavern have a royal emperor as their pen pal?"
As Christians, we have two things in common with Bouch: First, we currently correspond with a king who loves us, without meeting him face to face. Second, we both wait with anticipation for the day that we will meet our king. For Bouch, this day may never come; he might not ever meet his king face to face. But for Christians, it's the king's promise. We only need to "stay awake" and "stay alert" for his arrival.
Gregory L. Tolle is the senior minister at First United Methodist Church in Durant, Oklahoma. He is the author of Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit (Series IV, Cycle B), from which this story is taken.
Scrap Pile
Two Advent Candle Readings
by R.H. Thompson
Lights to the World
Some people put their Christmas lights up in November; some people wait until the week before Christmas when there are no extra bulbs in the stores and you can't buy icicle lights anywhere. Some people just leave them up from one year to the next, and some people don't put any lights up at all.
Some houses have elaborate displays with floodlights and colored bulbs; some houses have a simple row of lights running along the eaves. Some houses have figures of the Grinch or Santa and the reindeers or the Nativity. And some houses are decked out with lights everywhere: on every branch of every tree, twirled around bushes and shrubs, shaped into stars and snowflakes, and outlining every window and door. Those houses have Christmas music playing outside and usually get their picture in the newspaper.
Have you ever figured out why it is that when you put the lights away last year they were neat and tidy, but this year when you pulled them down from the top shelf with the other Christmas decorations, they were tangled and twisted into impossible knots? And when you finally straightened them out and plugged them in, they flickered half-heartedly and died? Or perhaps there was a bulb missing, so you decided that instead of searching the house for the spare bulbs that it was easier to go to the store and buy some more -- but when you got there they had sold out because it was 4 o'clock on Christmas Eve. Now you've got a problem!
I wonder if that's how God thinks of us sometimes -- as problems. We're supposed to shine for God. We're supposed to be lights to the world like a city on a hill. We're supposed to be good examples for others to follow. When God looks at us, listens to our secret thoughts, sees our selfish ways, our greedy hearts, our lack of compassion, and love for others, does he think that it would just be easier to toss us out with the trash -- like we would throw out a string of useless, burnt-out Christmas lights?
Thank goodness God doesn't do that. Thank goodness God loves us enough not to give up on us when we've given up on him. Thank goodness God loves us enough to revive our indifferent spirits and renew our burnt-out lives and mold those selfish, thoughtless, godless attitudes until we love God as we should... that God loves us enough to help us love others, and to shine like lights for him.
Don't be a burnt-out Christmas bulb. Plug into God's power and shine for Jesus!
(Light candle)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are the light of the world. We thank you for your great love. We ask that you will shine in our lives and through our lives, so that others may find you too. Amen.
Greatly Troubled
Ah, Christmas shopping: the rustle of paper, the glitzy decorations, the angelic strains of carolers, hot apple cider, happy shoppers bidding each other cheerful Yuletide greetings, and of course, purchasing perfect gifts at perfect prices. Or was that a scene from a commercial?
Christmas carols have been playing in the mall since October. Frustrated shoppers are elbowing each other out of the way in the crush to buy the "toy of the year." And the most important phrase on everyone's lips seems to be, "Will the store exchange it if it's wrong?"
Mary was greatly troubled.
When we open the newspapers, switch on the television, log on to the internet, bad news confronts us (you may wish to insert additional local, national, and global events that have had impact on our lives):
* Terrorism, wars, atrocities, refugees
* Earthquakes, mudslides, volcanic eruptions
* Poverty, hunger, homelessness
* Epidemics (especially AIDS)
We can't change the world. Can anyone? Do you worry how events around the world will impact your life?
Mary was greatly troubled.
And what of our nation, the country we live in, the place we call home? There has been enough evidence in the past twelve months to prove our brokenness (again, you may wish to insert specific current events):
* Violence against children and by children
* Plane crashes, car wrecks
* Floods, hurricanes, cyclones
* Political scandal, political unrest
* Economic hardship
* Environmental issues
Sometimes we wonder whether life can get any more depressing than this!
Mary was greatly troubled.
What about our individual lives -- our hopes and dreams, our fears, our job security and long-term plans? Our complicated relationships and family situations? Health concerns and financial worries? Where does God fit into this?
Mary was greatly troubled.
Do the uncertainties of life trouble us? Perhaps not. Perhaps we don't think about them too much. Or perhaps they invade our minds in the stillness of night, or creep into our thoughts when we least expect them to.
In Luke's Gospel we read that Mary was greatly troubled. An angel was standing before her. Mary was alone, just sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, thinking about what to prepare for supper maybe, when there he was. The angel had a message from the Lord God himself for her. Mary was greatly troubled by his words: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28).
Seeing her fear, the angel told her, "Do not be afraid. You have found favor with God" (Luke 1:30).
So Mary listened. She must have gotten over her fear, because she even questioned him, telling him, an angel, that what he was saying was impossible! By the time the angel left, Mary was no longer troubled. She trusted God and knew that he could do the impossible.
What troubles you? Do your troubles and concerns overwhelm you? Have you forgotten that with God all things are possible? In our world of uncertainties, be greatly troubled about the right thing -- your relationship with the Almighty God -- for it is God who holds our future.
(Light candle)
Prayer: Our Father, we praise you because you are Lord over every situation, every event, and every person in the world. When we are worried and afraid, help us to remember that you love us and are with us, always. We pray for people all over the world who have suffered in the last year, and ask that your love and peace will fill their hearts. In Jesus' name. Amen.
R.H. Thompson is a former elementary school teacher who is now a freelance writer and teacher as well as a full-time mom in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is a graduate of Edge Hill University College, Lancashire, England (B.Ed.). These readings appeared in the anthology Christmas Treasures.
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StoryShare, November 27, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2005 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., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
