Contentment
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Contentment" by David Leininger
"The Rich Man's Table" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
"Be Not Afraid" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
What's Up This Week
Most of us in America really do have it made. We have food, homes, wealth, and security. What do we do with what we have? Are we obedient -- giving God what is required and helping those around us who are less fortunate? Or, do we hoard everything for ourselves? This week's StoryShare writers David Leininger and Rick McCracken-Bennett give us examples of being obedient unto the Lord. McCracken-Bennett also writes in "Be Not Afraid" about how we not only have wealth and security, but we also have the assurance of forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. Do we use the power of our faith to help others or do we keep it to ourselves?
* * * * * * * * *
Contentment
By David Leininger
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Almost familiar words there. I say "almost" because the passage contains one of the most misquoted texts in all of scripture. People piously recite, "Money is the root of all evil," when the truth is "The LOVE of money is the root," and not of ALL evil, but lots of it. Statistics indicate that 75% of all crime in America is committed simply for money. If drug trafficking, for example, were not so incredibly lucrative, the problem would be gone in a flash.
Now, before you begin squirming in the pews thinking that this is going to be one more sermon bashing you about the fact that you have more than you need while there are poor people in the world who are starving, let me ease your mind -- that is not what this is about. Nor will this be an appeal to give money to the church -- you know what you ought to be doing and you are expected to do it. Rather, this will be a look at what the Bible says about money with an eye toward a proper use of what we have been given to get us to the exalted stage of "Godliness with contentment" of which the apostle Paul speaks. Emerson once said, "Things are in the saddle and riding mankind," and we know that ought not to be.
The first thing to say is that the Bible does not teach money as either a virtue or a vice. It is simply a medium of exchange, the oil that lubricates the wheels of society. Jesus never equated holiness with being broke. Christianity does not now nor ever has advocated poverty. There is no special virtue in being poor and certainly no happiness in constantly struggling to make ends meet.
I recall reading of the fellow who was annoyed when a definitely intoxicated man boarded a bus at a late hour and slumped into the seat right beside him. The passenger's apprehension increased when the drunk asked thickly, "Got any money?" Seeking to head off a "touch," the man replied brusquely, "No." Giving him a long look, the inebriated one leaned forward and intoned loftily, "I should try to get some if I were you. You would find it very useful."
We know that is true. Money can do all sorts of wonderful things. Besides feeding and clothing us, it pays for schools, hospitals, churches, missions, scientific research -- the list is endless. Money can be put to fine and noble uses.
Of course, we know that the opposite is also true. Lewis Lapham, the former editor of Harper's magazine, wrote a fascinating book some years ago called Money and Class in America: Notes and Observations on our Civil Religion, which, by its title, says a mouthful about our values. In it he noted a study he had made of about fifty families that had accumulated substantial holdings prior to 1900. Following the descent of the money through the lines of inheritance to the year 1960, he noticed that with relatively few exceptions, the lives of the heirs were marked by alcoholism, suicide, drug addiction, insanity, and despair. Only a handful achieved, or even bothered to attempt, distinction in anything. For the most part, he says, "They squandered the spoils in gestures of spectacular dissolution" (New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1988, p. 106). Sad.
We have always heard that "Money can't buy happiness." In some ways having money apparently contributes to UNhappiness. Lapham writes, "Among both men and women the incidence of marital infidelity rises with an increase in income. Of the married men earning $20,000 a year (and this book is about twenty years old, by the way), only 31% conducted extracurricular love affairs; of the men earning more than $60,000, [the figure was] 70%" (Lapham, p. 185). Hmmm.
Jesus knew that having money can create problems. He regarded money and possessions as the primary obstacles to a relationship with God. Think of the Rich Young Ruler who was so possessed by his possessions that he could not bear to give them up even for the sake of eternal life (Mark 10:17-22). Or remember Jesus' story of the rich man who selfishly ignored the plight of the starving Lazarus and ended up consigned to eternal torment (Luke 16:19-31). Or recall the Lord's words about the wealthy farmer who figured he had it made -- he would build big barns to hold all his goods, then eat and drink1 and take his ease; he was secure. But the Lord said, "You fool, this night shall your life be required of you. Then to whom will all this belong?" (Luke 12:13-21). Or that line that is so-often quoted: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25). Money can create problems, and apparently, the more you have, the more problems there are.
Enron, Worldcom, Tyco. Billions of dollars looted by avaricious executives. How many yachts does one person really need? We are talking about greed of unprecedented proportions. Remember the name Ivan Boesky? Convicted of insider trading back in the eighties. Boesky blamed his predicament on a too passionate love of money, "a sickness I have in the face of which I am helpless" (Lapham, p. 185). The Romans had a proverb: "Money is like sea-water; the more a man drinks, the thirstier he becomes."
First Timothy 6 addresses the problem. "Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction," and a glance at any newspaper will verify it.
"Godliness combined with contentment." Where does such contentment come from? The only way we will ever become totally content with what we have is to come to the realization that we do not HAVE anything. We are stewards, managers, of that certain portion of this world's goods over which God has given us TEMPORARY charge, and the emphasis is on the word TEMPORARY. Someone asked when Howard Hughes died, "How much did he leave?" And the response was, "All of it." Alexander the Great inherited one empire and conquered another. The wealth of both East and West was his. Yet he asked that at his death his hands be left unwrapped and open for all to see that they were empty. We are temporary stewards.
The key to contentment in that role, I think, is found in one ancient but dishonored word... TITHE. As you know, the tithe is 10% of income. The concept of the tithe goes back to the earliest pages of the Old Testament and was God's way of reminding us that we are here as managers -- ownership belongs to God. The deal was that we could keep 90% of the proceeds of our efforts for our own use -- we were told to return just 10%. It was not that God needed the money -- it was all God's anyway and God could take every penny in a skinny minute. The tithe was simply a reminder of the source of our wealth. It was an extremely generous offer. Unfortunately, people then and now have done all they could to steal that 10% from the "Boss" and the result is the feeling of discontent with our lot that leads to the troubles we experience.
Certainly, when most folks hear the word TITHE they automatically think of giving to the church. But if you recall, at the beginning of this we said that giving to the church is not what this message is about. The TITHE is the subject; the object is that phrase from the lesson -- "Godliness combined with contentment." Setting aside the tithe is not simply a financial issue, it is a spiritual issue -- this is God's standard, and this is GOD's money, not ours. The question is will we be obedient or not? If we are, we will find contentment. We are always more content when we know we are doing what we ought to do.
David E. Leininger is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Warren, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit (Series VI, Cycle A), God of Justice: A Look at the Ten Commandments for the 21st Century, and A Color-Blind Church, his account of the intriguing match of two congregations -- one black, one white -- in a small community following the reunion of the northern and southern streams of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1983.
The Rich Man's Table
By Rick McCracken-Bennett
Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores."
Luke 16:19-21
Our congregation was taking a turn at a downtown church cooking and serving a meal for about 125 folks. A dozen or so of us arrived early to help my wife prepare barbequed chicken and other fixings, set the tables, and otherwise get things ready so that we could feed people who would no doubt be hungry.
Sure enough, this Wednesday was no different. Some arrived early and attended a prayer service upstairs and when they finished and the doors opened, our guests streamed in. Our kids worked hard and when it came time to serve the meals family-style they jumped right in, brought the food, filled their glasses, talked with the neighborhood children, and enthusiastically handed out dessert at the end of the meal. We were nervous that we hadn't prepared enough, but somehow, some way, no one went home hungry, and those with small children took with them some milk and a few meals of leftovers.
We always feel like we've done something that has a real, if brief, impact on that neighborhood, and I'm always interested in watching the reaction of church members, especially the children, who served for the first time.
That particular evening as the meal came to an end I walked outside to talk with three of the people who had just eaten. I asked if they got enough. "Best meal I've had in weeks," one said.
"My wife cooked it," I said proudly, patting my belly.
"You're a lucky man!" he replied and I thought, he's right, I really am a lucky man.
We talked for a little longer and then I asked, "So... where do you guys live?" They stared at me and then looked back and forth at each other with little grins on their faces. I suddenly got it, "Oh my... you're... you're homeless!" They just nodded. I tried to recover from my faux pas and asked them how they did it... how did they live on the streets? Where did they eat? How did they stay safe?
"You have to have at least some money. Where do you get it?" I asked.
"At the exit ramps around town. We hold up signs."
"Do people really give you money?"
"Some do. Some act like they don't see us." They began to laugh and one said, "When she's on my exit ramp holding her sign that says 'Homeless' I stand on the other side of the ramp with a sign that says 'She ain't homeless but I am.' "
It was getting late and the pastor came out and said she would be giving them a ride. "Where? Where are you going?" I asked, hoping it was to a shelter somewhere nearby.
"You've never been there. Down by the river if the cops haven't moved the camp."
They thanked me again for the meal and for talking with them and left with the pastor to go "home." I went back downstairs to finish with cleanup and then drove home. All the way I thought about our conversation and how the one guy looked so familiar. I was almost home when it dawned on me where I had seen him before. He had been at the exit ramp off of 315 holding a cardboard sign that said he was homeless. Only a couple of hours before, he had been an anonymous person holding a ratty-looking sign that I only caught out of the corner of my eye as I tried to make my way through the light before he could rap on my window and ask for money.
I wonder what I'll do the next time I see someone with their cardboard sign. Will I help to satisfy his hunger with what falls from my table? I wonder.
I still don't know his name, but in my prayers each night, I call him Lazarus.
Be Not Afraid
By Rick McCracken-Bennett
Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
"You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; Of the plague that stalks in the darkness, nor of the sickness that lays waste at mid-day." translation from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979
I'm not sure where I first heard it, but I was told that the number one most requested song by our military men and women at worship services in Iraq is the Bob Dufford composition, "Be Not Afraid." That didn't surprise me. With words like, be not afraid and lyrics that speak of crossing deserts and passing through raging waters and walking amid burning flames and standing before the powers of hell it's difficult to think of a song that would speak more directly to the danger our men and women face every day in their service to our country. Every time I hear the song, I get a vivid picture in my mind of a dusty tent chapel in the desert and our military singing the soothing words of promise.
It's a favorite of mine as well. During particularly tough days I'll make my way into church, pick up my guitar, and play it from memory. I find myself singing the song to myself as I drive to a hospital emergency room to comfort a family that has had the unthinkable happen to them. I sing it to myself whenever I forget, as I too often do, that God is with me, God goes on ahead of me, and that my God will give me rest. While I haven't had to worry too much about arrows that fly by day or plagues that stalk me in the darkness, or sickness that lays waste at midday, we all see enough scary things in a single day to keep a horror novelist filled with plot lines for life.
As I write this, these headlines came streaming into my computer from the internet:
University Student Faces Terrorist Charges
Be not afraid
Lawmakers' plane evades ground fire in Iraq
Be not afraid
Four Ohio stores evacuated in bomb scare
Be not afraid
Warming could worsen inland storms
Be not afraid
Family buries second son killed in war
Be not afraid
Stoning death boys found guilty
Be not afraid
There were more, and unfortunately, in the weeks since I wrote these words, hundreds of headlines just as frightening have been printed in the paper and read on the evening news. More than ever we need to hear the words of the song be not afraid and the even stronger words of the psalm, you shall not be afraid.
I'm not surprised that when I "googled" the words be not afraid, I got thousands of hits which included poems, songs, articles, books, and blogs, most of them reminding us to not be afraid for we have a God that is with us, goes ahead of us, protects us, and guides us.
Years ago I began to practice a discipline that I learned from a book by Eugene Peterson. Peterson reminds us of the words of the young man in the tomb in Mark 16 that goes something like this: "Don't be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth... he has been raised... he is not here... go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee, there you will see him as he promised."
The discipline he suggests is that we paraphrase those words as we make our way toward what might be a difficult or dangerous situation. It might go something like this: "Do not be afraid. Christ is risen and has gone before me to room 736 at Community Hospital where he will meet me as he promised." My role then, after praying these words, is to pay attention when I arrive at my destination to what the risen Christ has been doing before I finally arrived. I find myself far less anxious about what I am to say or do and simply try to fall into step with the work that Christ is already doing in that place.
Then... for at least a while, I am able to not be afraid; of the terrors (or the terrorists) of the night, the arrows of the daytime, or the plagues that stalk in the darkness.
Rick McCracken-Bennett is an avid storyteller, an Episcopal priest and church planter, and the founding pastor of All Saints Episcopal Church in New Albany, Ohio. Rick began his ministry as a Roman Catholic priest, and he has also served as an alcohol and drug treatment counselor and as the director of an outpatient treatment center for adults and children.
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StoryShare, September 30, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
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What's Up This Week
"Contentment" by David Leininger
"The Rich Man's Table" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
"Be Not Afraid" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
What's Up This Week
Most of us in America really do have it made. We have food, homes, wealth, and security. What do we do with what we have? Are we obedient -- giving God what is required and helping those around us who are less fortunate? Or, do we hoard everything for ourselves? This week's StoryShare writers David Leininger and Rick McCracken-Bennett give us examples of being obedient unto the Lord. McCracken-Bennett also writes in "Be Not Afraid" about how we not only have wealth and security, but we also have the assurance of forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. Do we use the power of our faith to help others or do we keep it to ourselves?
* * * * * * * * *
Contentment
By David Leininger
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Almost familiar words there. I say "almost" because the passage contains one of the most misquoted texts in all of scripture. People piously recite, "Money is the root of all evil," when the truth is "The LOVE of money is the root," and not of ALL evil, but lots of it. Statistics indicate that 75% of all crime in America is committed simply for money. If drug trafficking, for example, were not so incredibly lucrative, the problem would be gone in a flash.
Now, before you begin squirming in the pews thinking that this is going to be one more sermon bashing you about the fact that you have more than you need while there are poor people in the world who are starving, let me ease your mind -- that is not what this is about. Nor will this be an appeal to give money to the church -- you know what you ought to be doing and you are expected to do it. Rather, this will be a look at what the Bible says about money with an eye toward a proper use of what we have been given to get us to the exalted stage of "Godliness with contentment" of which the apostle Paul speaks. Emerson once said, "Things are in the saddle and riding mankind," and we know that ought not to be.
The first thing to say is that the Bible does not teach money as either a virtue or a vice. It is simply a medium of exchange, the oil that lubricates the wheels of society. Jesus never equated holiness with being broke. Christianity does not now nor ever has advocated poverty. There is no special virtue in being poor and certainly no happiness in constantly struggling to make ends meet.
I recall reading of the fellow who was annoyed when a definitely intoxicated man boarded a bus at a late hour and slumped into the seat right beside him. The passenger's apprehension increased when the drunk asked thickly, "Got any money?" Seeking to head off a "touch," the man replied brusquely, "No." Giving him a long look, the inebriated one leaned forward and intoned loftily, "I should try to get some if I were you. You would find it very useful."
We know that is true. Money can do all sorts of wonderful things. Besides feeding and clothing us, it pays for schools, hospitals, churches, missions, scientific research -- the list is endless. Money can be put to fine and noble uses.
Of course, we know that the opposite is also true. Lewis Lapham, the former editor of Harper's magazine, wrote a fascinating book some years ago called Money and Class in America: Notes and Observations on our Civil Religion, which, by its title, says a mouthful about our values. In it he noted a study he had made of about fifty families that had accumulated substantial holdings prior to 1900. Following the descent of the money through the lines of inheritance to the year 1960, he noticed that with relatively few exceptions, the lives of the heirs were marked by alcoholism, suicide, drug addiction, insanity, and despair. Only a handful achieved, or even bothered to attempt, distinction in anything. For the most part, he says, "They squandered the spoils in gestures of spectacular dissolution" (New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1988, p. 106). Sad.
We have always heard that "Money can't buy happiness." In some ways having money apparently contributes to UNhappiness. Lapham writes, "Among both men and women the incidence of marital infidelity rises with an increase in income. Of the married men earning $20,000 a year (and this book is about twenty years old, by the way), only 31% conducted extracurricular love affairs; of the men earning more than $60,000, [the figure was] 70%" (Lapham, p. 185). Hmmm.
Jesus knew that having money can create problems. He regarded money and possessions as the primary obstacles to a relationship with God. Think of the Rich Young Ruler who was so possessed by his possessions that he could not bear to give them up even for the sake of eternal life (Mark 10:17-22). Or remember Jesus' story of the rich man who selfishly ignored the plight of the starving Lazarus and ended up consigned to eternal torment (Luke 16:19-31). Or recall the Lord's words about the wealthy farmer who figured he had it made -- he would build big barns to hold all his goods, then eat and drink1 and take his ease; he was secure. But the Lord said, "You fool, this night shall your life be required of you. Then to whom will all this belong?" (Luke 12:13-21). Or that line that is so-often quoted: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25). Money can create problems, and apparently, the more you have, the more problems there are.
Enron, Worldcom, Tyco. Billions of dollars looted by avaricious executives. How many yachts does one person really need? We are talking about greed of unprecedented proportions. Remember the name Ivan Boesky? Convicted of insider trading back in the eighties. Boesky blamed his predicament on a too passionate love of money, "a sickness I have in the face of which I am helpless" (Lapham, p. 185). The Romans had a proverb: "Money is like sea-water; the more a man drinks, the thirstier he becomes."
First Timothy 6 addresses the problem. "Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction," and a glance at any newspaper will verify it.
"Godliness combined with contentment." Where does such contentment come from? The only way we will ever become totally content with what we have is to come to the realization that we do not HAVE anything. We are stewards, managers, of that certain portion of this world's goods over which God has given us TEMPORARY charge, and the emphasis is on the word TEMPORARY. Someone asked when Howard Hughes died, "How much did he leave?" And the response was, "All of it." Alexander the Great inherited one empire and conquered another. The wealth of both East and West was his. Yet he asked that at his death his hands be left unwrapped and open for all to see that they were empty. We are temporary stewards.
The key to contentment in that role, I think, is found in one ancient but dishonored word... TITHE. As you know, the tithe is 10% of income. The concept of the tithe goes back to the earliest pages of the Old Testament and was God's way of reminding us that we are here as managers -- ownership belongs to God. The deal was that we could keep 90% of the proceeds of our efforts for our own use -- we were told to return just 10%. It was not that God needed the money -- it was all God's anyway and God could take every penny in a skinny minute. The tithe was simply a reminder of the source of our wealth. It was an extremely generous offer. Unfortunately, people then and now have done all they could to steal that 10% from the "Boss" and the result is the feeling of discontent with our lot that leads to the troubles we experience.
Certainly, when most folks hear the word TITHE they automatically think of giving to the church. But if you recall, at the beginning of this we said that giving to the church is not what this message is about. The TITHE is the subject; the object is that phrase from the lesson -- "Godliness combined with contentment." Setting aside the tithe is not simply a financial issue, it is a spiritual issue -- this is God's standard, and this is GOD's money, not ours. The question is will we be obedient or not? If we are, we will find contentment. We are always more content when we know we are doing what we ought to do.
David E. Leininger is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Warren, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit (Series VI, Cycle A), God of Justice: A Look at the Ten Commandments for the 21st Century, and A Color-Blind Church, his account of the intriguing match of two congregations -- one black, one white -- in a small community following the reunion of the northern and southern streams of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1983.
The Rich Man's Table
By Rick McCracken-Bennett
Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores."
Luke 16:19-21
Our congregation was taking a turn at a downtown church cooking and serving a meal for about 125 folks. A dozen or so of us arrived early to help my wife prepare barbequed chicken and other fixings, set the tables, and otherwise get things ready so that we could feed people who would no doubt be hungry.
Sure enough, this Wednesday was no different. Some arrived early and attended a prayer service upstairs and when they finished and the doors opened, our guests streamed in. Our kids worked hard and when it came time to serve the meals family-style they jumped right in, brought the food, filled their glasses, talked with the neighborhood children, and enthusiastically handed out dessert at the end of the meal. We were nervous that we hadn't prepared enough, but somehow, some way, no one went home hungry, and those with small children took with them some milk and a few meals of leftovers.
We always feel like we've done something that has a real, if brief, impact on that neighborhood, and I'm always interested in watching the reaction of church members, especially the children, who served for the first time.
That particular evening as the meal came to an end I walked outside to talk with three of the people who had just eaten. I asked if they got enough. "Best meal I've had in weeks," one said.
"My wife cooked it," I said proudly, patting my belly.
"You're a lucky man!" he replied and I thought, he's right, I really am a lucky man.
We talked for a little longer and then I asked, "So... where do you guys live?" They stared at me and then looked back and forth at each other with little grins on their faces. I suddenly got it, "Oh my... you're... you're homeless!" They just nodded. I tried to recover from my faux pas and asked them how they did it... how did they live on the streets? Where did they eat? How did they stay safe?
"You have to have at least some money. Where do you get it?" I asked.
"At the exit ramps around town. We hold up signs."
"Do people really give you money?"
"Some do. Some act like they don't see us." They began to laugh and one said, "When she's on my exit ramp holding her sign that says 'Homeless' I stand on the other side of the ramp with a sign that says 'She ain't homeless but I am.' "
It was getting late and the pastor came out and said she would be giving them a ride. "Where? Where are you going?" I asked, hoping it was to a shelter somewhere nearby.
"You've never been there. Down by the river if the cops haven't moved the camp."
They thanked me again for the meal and for talking with them and left with the pastor to go "home." I went back downstairs to finish with cleanup and then drove home. All the way I thought about our conversation and how the one guy looked so familiar. I was almost home when it dawned on me where I had seen him before. He had been at the exit ramp off of 315 holding a cardboard sign that said he was homeless. Only a couple of hours before, he had been an anonymous person holding a ratty-looking sign that I only caught out of the corner of my eye as I tried to make my way through the light before he could rap on my window and ask for money.
I wonder what I'll do the next time I see someone with their cardboard sign. Will I help to satisfy his hunger with what falls from my table? I wonder.
I still don't know his name, but in my prayers each night, I call him Lazarus.
Be Not Afraid
By Rick McCracken-Bennett
Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
"You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; Of the plague that stalks in the darkness, nor of the sickness that lays waste at mid-day." translation from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979
I'm not sure where I first heard it, but I was told that the number one most requested song by our military men and women at worship services in Iraq is the Bob Dufford composition, "Be Not Afraid." That didn't surprise me. With words like, be not afraid and lyrics that speak of crossing deserts and passing through raging waters and walking amid burning flames and standing before the powers of hell it's difficult to think of a song that would speak more directly to the danger our men and women face every day in their service to our country. Every time I hear the song, I get a vivid picture in my mind of a dusty tent chapel in the desert and our military singing the soothing words of promise.
It's a favorite of mine as well. During particularly tough days I'll make my way into church, pick up my guitar, and play it from memory. I find myself singing the song to myself as I drive to a hospital emergency room to comfort a family that has had the unthinkable happen to them. I sing it to myself whenever I forget, as I too often do, that God is with me, God goes on ahead of me, and that my God will give me rest. While I haven't had to worry too much about arrows that fly by day or plagues that stalk me in the darkness, or sickness that lays waste at midday, we all see enough scary things in a single day to keep a horror novelist filled with plot lines for life.
As I write this, these headlines came streaming into my computer from the internet:
University Student Faces Terrorist Charges
Be not afraid
Lawmakers' plane evades ground fire in Iraq
Be not afraid
Four Ohio stores evacuated in bomb scare
Be not afraid
Warming could worsen inland storms
Be not afraid
Family buries second son killed in war
Be not afraid
Stoning death boys found guilty
Be not afraid
There were more, and unfortunately, in the weeks since I wrote these words, hundreds of headlines just as frightening have been printed in the paper and read on the evening news. More than ever we need to hear the words of the song be not afraid and the even stronger words of the psalm, you shall not be afraid.
I'm not surprised that when I "googled" the words be not afraid, I got thousands of hits which included poems, songs, articles, books, and blogs, most of them reminding us to not be afraid for we have a God that is with us, goes ahead of us, protects us, and guides us.
Years ago I began to practice a discipline that I learned from a book by Eugene Peterson. Peterson reminds us of the words of the young man in the tomb in Mark 16 that goes something like this: "Don't be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth... he has been raised... he is not here... go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee, there you will see him as he promised."
The discipline he suggests is that we paraphrase those words as we make our way toward what might be a difficult or dangerous situation. It might go something like this: "Do not be afraid. Christ is risen and has gone before me to room 736 at Community Hospital where he will meet me as he promised." My role then, after praying these words, is to pay attention when I arrive at my destination to what the risen Christ has been doing before I finally arrived. I find myself far less anxious about what I am to say or do and simply try to fall into step with the work that Christ is already doing in that place.
Then... for at least a while, I am able to not be afraid; of the terrors (or the terrorists) of the night, the arrows of the daytime, or the plagues that stalk in the darkness.
Rick McCracken-Bennett is an avid storyteller, an Episcopal priest and church planter, and the founding pastor of All Saints Episcopal Church in New Albany, Ohio. Rick began his ministry as a Roman Catholic priest, and he has also served as an alcohol and drug treatment counselor and as the director of an outpatient treatment center for adults and children.
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How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply email the story to us at storyshare@sermonsuite.com.
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StoryShare, September 30, 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.
