Here Am I; Send Me!
Stories
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Here Am I; Send Me!" by Stan Purdum
"Off To Follow Jesus" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
"What If Simon Peter Wrote A Letter Home?" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
What's Up This Week
We are all sinners, but that doesn't mean that we cannot tell others about Jesus Christ. Jesus wants us to spread the word to all who will listen. He will give us the right words to say when the time comes. We just need to listen to him and he will guide us in the right direction. I am ready to be your disciple, Jesus, send me!
Here Am I; Send Me!
Stan Purdum
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
"Go and say to this people: 'Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.' "
-- Isaiah 6:9
Until he saw the reflection of the flashing red and blue lights in his rearview mirror, Sam hadn't even aware he'd been exceeding the speed limit. Truth be told, he didn't even know what the limit was. His mind certainly was not on driving.
The police car behind him flashed its headlights, and Sam guided his car to the curb. He sat quietly in the dark night as the officer got out of the patrol car and walked to Sam's driver's side window.
"I need to see your license and registration," the officer said neutrally. He waited while Sam pulled his license from his wallet and the registration from his glove box. Sam handed the two items through the window.
The policeman, whom Sam judged to be in his forties, splayed the two documents in his left hand and illuminated them with a flashlight he held in his right hand. "You were doing 41 in a 25-mile zone," he said.
"I'm sorry, Officer. I should have been paying more attention." Sam could have added that the streets of that small town had been deserted at 2 a.m., but then, what was the point? The limits must have been posted, but Sam couldn't have said one way or the other; he hadn't been looking for them.
The cop told Sam to stay where he was. He took Sam's documents, walked back to his own vehicle and climbed in. Sam, looking in his mirror, saw the patrol car's overhead light come on and observed the officer speaking into his radio mike. Probably checking my license for outstanding warrants, Sam thought, though without much worry. He hadn't had a ticket in years and his auto registration was up-to-date. It's a shame to sully my driving record with a speeding violation, though, but I shouldn't have been driving on autopilot. Could hardly help it under the circumstances, I suppose.
A few moments later, the officer again approached Sam's car door. "Where are you headed at this hour?" he asked.
"I had to bring someone to St. Mary's," he said, referring the massive institution on the other side of the town. And then, sensing that the officer's question was not an official inquiry, Sam added, "My son, actually."
"At this hour, it must have been an emergency."
Sam looked at the policeman and thought he saw concern on the man's face, and Lord knew, he needed to talk. "Yes, it was. My son's a grown man, but his emotions have never been quite right. He's always had rage issues. He hit his mother pretty hard this evening. He was very remorseful afterward -- he always is. Actually, it was his idea to come here tonight."
"The folks at St. Mary's have helped a lot of people."
"Yes, but this is not my son's first visit. I'm afraid it won't be his last either."
"I'm very sorry, sir. That must be really hard."
"It is. We aren't given a lot of hope that things will change for our son."
"But you can't stop trying."
Sam sighed. "No, I suppose we can't. I just wish there was a better prognosis."
"Even if you're promised only failure, don't give up. I've seen too many who have. Don't you give up."
Sam stared at the officer, wondering if angels ever wore navy blue. "Thank you," Sam said.
The policeman handed back Sam's license and registration. "Just go ahead, sir."
And after a pause he added, "And drive carefully."
Stan Purdum is the pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Waynesburg, Ohio. He has served as the editor for the preaching journals Emphasis and Homiletics, and he currently edits Proclaim. He has also written extensively for both the religious and secular press. Purdum is the author of New Mercies I See (CSS) and He Walked in Galilee (Abingdon Press), as well as two accounts of his long-distance bicycle journeys, Roll Around Heaven All Day and Playing in Traffic.
Off To Follow Jesus
Rick McCracken-Bennett
Luke 5:1-11
When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. (v. 11)
It had barely occurred to me before that night. Why would it? I had been away from the church for years and only recently began testing the waters again. I wasn't sure it was the right thing for me, I was still a bit of a skeptic (still am!), and I didn't want my college friends to think I was any stranger than I was.
The few times the thought came to me, that maybe I was called to go to seminary and pursue this very fragile call to ministry, I brushed it away like an annoying fly.
I had none of the prerequisites. I hadn't lived an exemplary life... far from it. I was nursing an alcohol addiction that would one day overtake me and even I saw it coming. What, in God's name, could I be thinking?
Then, I would push it as far down in my consciousness as I could, only to have it resurface from time to time.
I don't remember talking to anyone about it before that night. I was all alone that evening, driving my 1964 Corvair Van (I'm not making this up), heading up Interstate 75 toward a party at Bowling Green State University. It surfaced again as I drove. I fought it off with my normal arsenal: I'm getting ready to graduate, start my teaching career, I'm not smart enough, I'm not spiritual enough (I think I used the word "holy"), and I just couldn't see myself in that role. There were a lot more people better suited. What could God possibly want with a Tuba major with a marching band addiction?
There wasn't a voice, inside or out. No bolt of lightning. I simply found myself doing an illegal U-turn, and heading toward my parent's home some fifty miles away.
I didn't know what I would say. I didn't have an explanation that made sense to me, let alone anyone else. So I decided to trust that the words would come to me.
When I arrived I realized that it was "card club night." I walked in, said hello to about a dozen of my parent's friends, and asked to talk to Mom and Dad in the kitchen. I told them that I was going to seminary right after I graduated from college. I couldn't believe the words as they spilled out of my mouth so I don't know how I expected them to believe them.
I don't remember what they said, but the look on their faces said it all: YOU MUST BE KIDDING! But I wasn't, and apparently God wasn't. None of this was as dramatic as leaving my boat at the shore and going off to follow Jesus, but I figure it was just about as scary.
What If Simon Peter Wrote A Letter Home?
Rick McCracken-Bennett
Luke 5:1-11
What if Simon Peter wrote a letter home to his mom and dad?
Dear Mom and Dad,
I think I owe you an explanation about where I've been and all. You know it isn't like me to just up and leave you with all the work especially after we had such a fantastic catch of fish the other day. Wasn't that something?! And after not being able to land one stupid fish all night long. We finally decided to call it quits. James and John and I had a little talk and decided not to waste our time. I don't know where the fish were hiding but we sure couldn't find them.
As we made our way to shore I could see that there was almost no room to work. There had to be hundreds of people milling around. To be honest, that's another reason we came in from fishing... it looked like something was going on.
We were washing all the crud out of our nets when Jesus came up and asked me to take him out just a little ways off shore so that he could talk to the people better. You remember Jesus, of course. He was over at the house the other night when you, Mother, had that horrible fever. What good luck that it broke in time for you to be able to serve us dinner. Had it been up to Dad and I we probably would have just ordered in some pizza or something.
Mom and Dad, I could have listened to him for hours. Of course, I had a front row seat and could hear every word. He told us that God's kingdom was coming. In fact, he said that it was here, now, at hand, breaking into the world as he spoke. I wasn't sure I was following everything but I had to admit that God's kingdom had some appeal with all the troubles in the world and with the Romans and everything. It must have been the same for the crowds since almost no one left and many more joined them, pushing and shoving their way to the shore so that some folks were standing knee-deep in the water.
When he was finished talking he turned to me, thanked me, and then told me to put out into deep water and go fishing again. I could tell from that that he didn't know much about catching fish. I said how we had fished all night long and had caught nothing but he gently told me to fish there anyway. So I rowed in a little bit, hollered to James and John to join us, that we were going fishing again, and they just shook their heads, jumped in anyway and off we went.
We rowed right over to where we had fished all night and when Jesus told us to, we put down our nets. Well, you can imagine our surprise. Surprise, I think, isn't even the word; we were flabbergasted. We caught so many fish that it looked like our nets would break. And our boat, well, the water was up to the rails and I was sure we would drown right then and there.
I shouted something foolish like, "Get away from me, for I am a sinner." Now I'm not sure where I thought Jesus would go, us being out in the middle of the lake and all, but I knew one thing; I didn't want to drown and especially I didn't want to drown before I got things straight with my maker.
Then Jesus looked me in the eye and said, "Don't you be afraid. From now on you will be catching people."
I wanted to say, Now what is that supposed to mean? But... well, to be honest, I didn't know what to think, let alone say to the man. We were straining to get to shore all the while trying to understand what had happened.
When we finally got to shore he turned to us and asked us to become followers, disciples I think he said. To be honest, I have never in my life even thought about following a teacher. I figured I'd live out my life on the water doing one honest day's work after another. But the call to follow him was so strong. I looked to James and John for a little guidance and James shrugged as if to say, What have we got to loose? And we left everything.
Yes, as you already know, Dad, we left the boats, the nets, and all those fish. I heard later that the crowd had such a fish fry that day that no one went hungry. When we told Jesus about it later, he just laughed and laughed like he knew something we didn't.
Since then we've seen the most amazing things: lepers made clean, lame people walking. His teaching is out of this world. The stories he tells have us talking about them for hours. And our little band of brothers is growing. Some fellow by the name of Levi just joined us. From what I can tell I think he's going to be a real help to us when it comes time to do our taxes.
So that's my story. I felt like I needed to let you know in my own words what happened and that I'm doing fine. I'll try to write again soon.
Your loving son,
Simon Peter
Rick McCracken-Bennett, an Episcopal priest and church planter, is 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 director. McCracken-Bennett has been an avid storyteller for almost 20 years, sharing his stories in churches, libraries, schools, and conferences. He is a member of the National Storytelling Network and the Storytellers of Central Ohio. His doctoral thesis, Future Story, explored the use of stories to help bring about change in the church.
**********************************************
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 click here share-a-story@csspub.com and email the story to us.
**************
StoryShare, February 4, 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
"Here Am I; Send Me!" by Stan Purdum
"Off To Follow Jesus" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
"What If Simon Peter Wrote A Letter Home?" by Rick McCracken-Bennett
What's Up This Week
We are all sinners, but that doesn't mean that we cannot tell others about Jesus Christ. Jesus wants us to spread the word to all who will listen. He will give us the right words to say when the time comes. We just need to listen to him and he will guide us in the right direction. I am ready to be your disciple, Jesus, send me!
Here Am I; Send Me!
Stan Purdum
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
"Go and say to this people: 'Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.' "
-- Isaiah 6:9
Until he saw the reflection of the flashing red and blue lights in his rearview mirror, Sam hadn't even aware he'd been exceeding the speed limit. Truth be told, he didn't even know what the limit was. His mind certainly was not on driving.
The police car behind him flashed its headlights, and Sam guided his car to the curb. He sat quietly in the dark night as the officer got out of the patrol car and walked to Sam's driver's side window.
"I need to see your license and registration," the officer said neutrally. He waited while Sam pulled his license from his wallet and the registration from his glove box. Sam handed the two items through the window.
The policeman, whom Sam judged to be in his forties, splayed the two documents in his left hand and illuminated them with a flashlight he held in his right hand. "You were doing 41 in a 25-mile zone," he said.
"I'm sorry, Officer. I should have been paying more attention." Sam could have added that the streets of that small town had been deserted at 2 a.m., but then, what was the point? The limits must have been posted, but Sam couldn't have said one way or the other; he hadn't been looking for them.
The cop told Sam to stay where he was. He took Sam's documents, walked back to his own vehicle and climbed in. Sam, looking in his mirror, saw the patrol car's overhead light come on and observed the officer speaking into his radio mike. Probably checking my license for outstanding warrants, Sam thought, though without much worry. He hadn't had a ticket in years and his auto registration was up-to-date. It's a shame to sully my driving record with a speeding violation, though, but I shouldn't have been driving on autopilot. Could hardly help it under the circumstances, I suppose.
A few moments later, the officer again approached Sam's car door. "Where are you headed at this hour?" he asked.
"I had to bring someone to St. Mary's," he said, referring the massive institution on the other side of the town. And then, sensing that the officer's question was not an official inquiry, Sam added, "My son, actually."
"At this hour, it must have been an emergency."
Sam looked at the policeman and thought he saw concern on the man's face, and Lord knew, he needed to talk. "Yes, it was. My son's a grown man, but his emotions have never been quite right. He's always had rage issues. He hit his mother pretty hard this evening. He was very remorseful afterward -- he always is. Actually, it was his idea to come here tonight."
"The folks at St. Mary's have helped a lot of people."
"Yes, but this is not my son's first visit. I'm afraid it won't be his last either."
"I'm very sorry, sir. That must be really hard."
"It is. We aren't given a lot of hope that things will change for our son."
"But you can't stop trying."
Sam sighed. "No, I suppose we can't. I just wish there was a better prognosis."
"Even if you're promised only failure, don't give up. I've seen too many who have. Don't you give up."
Sam stared at the officer, wondering if angels ever wore navy blue. "Thank you," Sam said.
The policeman handed back Sam's license and registration. "Just go ahead, sir."
And after a pause he added, "And drive carefully."
Stan Purdum is the pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Waynesburg, Ohio. He has served as the editor for the preaching journals Emphasis and Homiletics, and he currently edits Proclaim. He has also written extensively for both the religious and secular press. Purdum is the author of New Mercies I See (CSS) and He Walked in Galilee (Abingdon Press), as well as two accounts of his long-distance bicycle journeys, Roll Around Heaven All Day and Playing in Traffic.
Off To Follow Jesus
Rick McCracken-Bennett
Luke 5:1-11
When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. (v. 11)
It had barely occurred to me before that night. Why would it? I had been away from the church for years and only recently began testing the waters again. I wasn't sure it was the right thing for me, I was still a bit of a skeptic (still am!), and I didn't want my college friends to think I was any stranger than I was.
The few times the thought came to me, that maybe I was called to go to seminary and pursue this very fragile call to ministry, I brushed it away like an annoying fly.
I had none of the prerequisites. I hadn't lived an exemplary life... far from it. I was nursing an alcohol addiction that would one day overtake me and even I saw it coming. What, in God's name, could I be thinking?
Then, I would push it as far down in my consciousness as I could, only to have it resurface from time to time.
I don't remember talking to anyone about it before that night. I was all alone that evening, driving my 1964 Corvair Van (I'm not making this up), heading up Interstate 75 toward a party at Bowling Green State University. It surfaced again as I drove. I fought it off with my normal arsenal: I'm getting ready to graduate, start my teaching career, I'm not smart enough, I'm not spiritual enough (I think I used the word "holy"), and I just couldn't see myself in that role. There were a lot more people better suited. What could God possibly want with a Tuba major with a marching band addiction?
There wasn't a voice, inside or out. No bolt of lightning. I simply found myself doing an illegal U-turn, and heading toward my parent's home some fifty miles away.
I didn't know what I would say. I didn't have an explanation that made sense to me, let alone anyone else. So I decided to trust that the words would come to me.
When I arrived I realized that it was "card club night." I walked in, said hello to about a dozen of my parent's friends, and asked to talk to Mom and Dad in the kitchen. I told them that I was going to seminary right after I graduated from college. I couldn't believe the words as they spilled out of my mouth so I don't know how I expected them to believe them.
I don't remember what they said, but the look on their faces said it all: YOU MUST BE KIDDING! But I wasn't, and apparently God wasn't. None of this was as dramatic as leaving my boat at the shore and going off to follow Jesus, but I figure it was just about as scary.
What If Simon Peter Wrote A Letter Home?
Rick McCracken-Bennett
Luke 5:1-11
What if Simon Peter wrote a letter home to his mom and dad?
Dear Mom and Dad,
I think I owe you an explanation about where I've been and all. You know it isn't like me to just up and leave you with all the work especially after we had such a fantastic catch of fish the other day. Wasn't that something?! And after not being able to land one stupid fish all night long. We finally decided to call it quits. James and John and I had a little talk and decided not to waste our time. I don't know where the fish were hiding but we sure couldn't find them.
As we made our way to shore I could see that there was almost no room to work. There had to be hundreds of people milling around. To be honest, that's another reason we came in from fishing... it looked like something was going on.
We were washing all the crud out of our nets when Jesus came up and asked me to take him out just a little ways off shore so that he could talk to the people better. You remember Jesus, of course. He was over at the house the other night when you, Mother, had that horrible fever. What good luck that it broke in time for you to be able to serve us dinner. Had it been up to Dad and I we probably would have just ordered in some pizza or something.
Mom and Dad, I could have listened to him for hours. Of course, I had a front row seat and could hear every word. He told us that God's kingdom was coming. In fact, he said that it was here, now, at hand, breaking into the world as he spoke. I wasn't sure I was following everything but I had to admit that God's kingdom had some appeal with all the troubles in the world and with the Romans and everything. It must have been the same for the crowds since almost no one left and many more joined them, pushing and shoving their way to the shore so that some folks were standing knee-deep in the water.
When he was finished talking he turned to me, thanked me, and then told me to put out into deep water and go fishing again. I could tell from that that he didn't know much about catching fish. I said how we had fished all night long and had caught nothing but he gently told me to fish there anyway. So I rowed in a little bit, hollered to James and John to join us, that we were going fishing again, and they just shook their heads, jumped in anyway and off we went.
We rowed right over to where we had fished all night and when Jesus told us to, we put down our nets. Well, you can imagine our surprise. Surprise, I think, isn't even the word; we were flabbergasted. We caught so many fish that it looked like our nets would break. And our boat, well, the water was up to the rails and I was sure we would drown right then and there.
I shouted something foolish like, "Get away from me, for I am a sinner." Now I'm not sure where I thought Jesus would go, us being out in the middle of the lake and all, but I knew one thing; I didn't want to drown and especially I didn't want to drown before I got things straight with my maker.
Then Jesus looked me in the eye and said, "Don't you be afraid. From now on you will be catching people."
I wanted to say, Now what is that supposed to mean? But... well, to be honest, I didn't know what to think, let alone say to the man. We were straining to get to shore all the while trying to understand what had happened.
When we finally got to shore he turned to us and asked us to become followers, disciples I think he said. To be honest, I have never in my life even thought about following a teacher. I figured I'd live out my life on the water doing one honest day's work after another. But the call to follow him was so strong. I looked to James and John for a little guidance and James shrugged as if to say, What have we got to loose? And we left everything.
Yes, as you already know, Dad, we left the boats, the nets, and all those fish. I heard later that the crowd had such a fish fry that day that no one went hungry. When we told Jesus about it later, he just laughed and laughed like he knew something we didn't.
Since then we've seen the most amazing things: lepers made clean, lame people walking. His teaching is out of this world. The stories he tells have us talking about them for hours. And our little band of brothers is growing. Some fellow by the name of Levi just joined us. From what I can tell I think he's going to be a real help to us when it comes time to do our taxes.
So that's my story. I felt like I needed to let you know in my own words what happened and that I'm doing fine. I'll try to write again soon.
Your loving son,
Simon Peter
Rick McCracken-Bennett, an Episcopal priest and church planter, is 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 director. McCracken-Bennett has been an avid storyteller for almost 20 years, sharing his stories in churches, libraries, schools, and conferences. He is a member of the National Storytelling Network and the Storytellers of Central Ohio. His doctoral thesis, Future Story, explored the use of stories to help bring about change in the church.
**********************************************
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 click here share-a-story@csspub.com and email the story to us.
**************
StoryShare, February 4, 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.
