The Land's Sacred
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Land's Sacred" by Argile Smith
"What's It Worth?" by C. David McKirachan
What's Up This Week
It is our natural tendency to respond to what we see with our senses, while there is so much more to life than that. In "The Land's Sacred," we meet two men who look at something as seemingly simple as land and farming in two completely different lights. "What's It Worth?" takes us through one family's tragedy, revealing that under the pain and anguish, seeds of hope and goodness still grow.
* * * * * * * * *
The Land's Sacred
By Argile Smith
Genesis 28:10-19a
Walter had been a farmer almost all of his life. He grew up in a sharecropper's home where he, his parents, and his two younger brothers worked in the field day in and day out. When he left home at the age of 18, he vowed that he would never return to the farm. After a couple of years away, however, he started to miss the dirt, the seeds, the tractor, and the possibility of seeing something come up out of the ground. So he decided to go back to the soil. For the rest of his life, he worked the land as a farmer.
At first, the land he worked didn't belong to him. He rented it from a real estate mogul named Austin who had bought a huge tract of land so he could sell it later and make a big profit. A few years earlier, Austin had inherited his father's fortune. He also inherited his dad's knack for making money. However, he lacked one instinct that Walter possessed: an intuition for the real value of land.
For seven years Walter rented a small corner of Austin's parcel of land. During that time, he saved enough money to make a down payment on the property he had been renting. He hoped that Austin would sell it to him one day.
When he thought the time had come to talk with Austin about buying the land he had been working, Walter took a deep breath, picked up the phone at his house, and called his landlord. Of course, he had to wade through a pool of assistants, but he remained patient until he heard Austin's voice on the other end of the line.
"Walter, I'm glad you called," Austin said with a hint of pleasure in his voice. He always enjoyed his conversations with Walter, even though they rarely ever lasted longer than a few minutes.
"Well, Austin, thanks for talking with me."
"What can I do for you?"
"I'll get right to the point. I want you to sell me the land that I've been renting from you."
For a long second or two, Austin said nothing, nothing at all. Silence on the other end of the line gave Walter a clue that what he had just said may not have set well with Austin. He knew that his landlord didn't want to break up his huge tract of land into small parcels. The silence could only mean that Austin's mind was sorting through his request, processing it with a view toward the best way to make the biggest profit.
Austin broke the silence with a comment meant to discourage Walter. "You can't afford that land," he warned.
Walter countered, "Yes I can. I've already talked to the bank about it. I can get the money, and I know that I can make the payments."
"Why do you want to burden yourself with a mortgage? Just keep on renting the land."
"Because one day you're going to sell it, and I want to hold on to it and pass it along to my nephew after I'm gone."
"That's an awfully big risk to take just to have some old farm land," Austin said.
"For you, it's just old farm land. For me, it's more than that. It's something sort of sacred," Walter explained. He went on to say that when he worked the land through planting season and harvest time, he sensed something special about the ground and the crops that came from it. He sensed God's presence as he worked in the field. That's why it meant something more to him than an investment. It was a sacred place that he wanted to preserve.
Of course, Austin couldn't refuse Walter's request, even though he tried at first. Just like Walter said, Austin sold the rest of the property later on to a group of developers. For him, land was an investment. For Walter, land was something else. Somehow, it was sacred.
God promised Jacob that He would bring him back to the land of Israel (Genesis 28:15). Paul said that God will redeem the land when He comes for His children (Romans 8:21). The earth on which we live is part of God's great creation that He considers special.
Argile Smith is vice president for advancement at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He previously served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) as a preaching professor, chairman of the Division of Pastoral Ministries, and director of the communications center. While at NOTBS, Smith regularly hosted the Gateway to Truth program on the FamilyNet television network. He has also been the pastor of several congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi. Smith's articles have been widely published in church periodicals, and he is the author or editor of four books.
What's It Worth?
By C. David McKirachan
Romans 8:12-25
She was clinically depressed. It was a struggle for her husband. He had stood with her for years, facing this nameless monster that ate her happiness and hope. Medication worked sometimes and then they had each other, a family, and a home. Their two sons had grown into strong, healthy kids. The older boy was more sensitive, the artistic one. The younger was the jock.
It was the older boy, coming home from school worried about his mother, who found her. She had used a gun. He recognized her by what she wore. The funeral was sad. It was as if what they had fought with all those years had taken more than their wife and mother. Her husband got up and said that he held fast to two things. One was the laughter and love they had shared. The other was the truth that now her suffering was done. She was at peace.
They went for family counseling. The older son took antidepressants. Nine months later, his father found him. It was an overdose of the medicine. At that service, the father had remained silent. The younger brother was the one who spoke. He spoke of their rivalry. He spoke of their pranks. He spoke of his brother's art. He spoke of what a good big brother he'd been. Then he said that he was glad of one thing more. He was glad that his brother was at peace, with his mother.
The two of them made a go of it. They'd been close, but now they held to each other, survivors in the storm. The son did well. He set records and started at community college in a nursing program. He wanted to help people.
He was working on his car when the hood came down and hit him in the head. They told his father he was brain-dead. They also told him that since he was so young and healthy; his organs were perfect for transplant. It was a small room. There were only three of us there, the father, the doctor, and myself. After he'd said his peace, the doctor said, "I'll leave you to talk about it."
I sat wondering what to say. All his suffering, all his loss, and all that was left was himself in this small room. But I was wrong.
"Thank God." That's what he said. "Thank God. My boy always wanted to help people. Since his mother and brother died, he wanted to do something for people that would allow them to live, to leave their suffering behind. Now he can."
At that funeral, the father announced that fifteen people had been given new life and hope by his son. Then he said, "But there's one thing more. I realize that all the good things he's done, and all the good in my family's lives is nothing compared with what they have now. I will live believing in that. It is our hope. It is hope for all of us." Then he sat down.
The broken hearts that have suffered more than most of us can understand, their suffering cannot be discounted by some simple platitude pointing to another time and place. This is not the core and bedrock of the gospel. But in the midst of their loss we see not only the depth of pain, but also the distance that God is willing to go to remind us that all of this is not the end. "... because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God."
C. David McKirachan is pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury in central New Jersey. He also teaches at Monmouth University. Two of his books, I Happened Upon a Miracle and A Year of Wonder, have been published by Westminster John Knox Press. McKirachan was raised in a pastor's home and he is the brother of a pastor, and he has discovered his name indicates that he has druid roots. Storytelling seems to be a congenital disorder. He lives with his 21-year-old son Ben and his dog Sam.
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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.
**************
StoryShare, July 20, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 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
"The Land's Sacred" by Argile Smith
"What's It Worth?" by C. David McKirachan
What's Up This Week
It is our natural tendency to respond to what we see with our senses, while there is so much more to life than that. In "The Land's Sacred," we meet two men who look at something as seemingly simple as land and farming in two completely different lights. "What's It Worth?" takes us through one family's tragedy, revealing that under the pain and anguish, seeds of hope and goodness still grow.
* * * * * * * * *
The Land's Sacred
By Argile Smith
Genesis 28:10-19a
Walter had been a farmer almost all of his life. He grew up in a sharecropper's home where he, his parents, and his two younger brothers worked in the field day in and day out. When he left home at the age of 18, he vowed that he would never return to the farm. After a couple of years away, however, he started to miss the dirt, the seeds, the tractor, and the possibility of seeing something come up out of the ground. So he decided to go back to the soil. For the rest of his life, he worked the land as a farmer.
At first, the land he worked didn't belong to him. He rented it from a real estate mogul named Austin who had bought a huge tract of land so he could sell it later and make a big profit. A few years earlier, Austin had inherited his father's fortune. He also inherited his dad's knack for making money. However, he lacked one instinct that Walter possessed: an intuition for the real value of land.
For seven years Walter rented a small corner of Austin's parcel of land. During that time, he saved enough money to make a down payment on the property he had been renting. He hoped that Austin would sell it to him one day.
When he thought the time had come to talk with Austin about buying the land he had been working, Walter took a deep breath, picked up the phone at his house, and called his landlord. Of course, he had to wade through a pool of assistants, but he remained patient until he heard Austin's voice on the other end of the line.
"Walter, I'm glad you called," Austin said with a hint of pleasure in his voice. He always enjoyed his conversations with Walter, even though they rarely ever lasted longer than a few minutes.
"Well, Austin, thanks for talking with me."
"What can I do for you?"
"I'll get right to the point. I want you to sell me the land that I've been renting from you."
For a long second or two, Austin said nothing, nothing at all. Silence on the other end of the line gave Walter a clue that what he had just said may not have set well with Austin. He knew that his landlord didn't want to break up his huge tract of land into small parcels. The silence could only mean that Austin's mind was sorting through his request, processing it with a view toward the best way to make the biggest profit.
Austin broke the silence with a comment meant to discourage Walter. "You can't afford that land," he warned.
Walter countered, "Yes I can. I've already talked to the bank about it. I can get the money, and I know that I can make the payments."
"Why do you want to burden yourself with a mortgage? Just keep on renting the land."
"Because one day you're going to sell it, and I want to hold on to it and pass it along to my nephew after I'm gone."
"That's an awfully big risk to take just to have some old farm land," Austin said.
"For you, it's just old farm land. For me, it's more than that. It's something sort of sacred," Walter explained. He went on to say that when he worked the land through planting season and harvest time, he sensed something special about the ground and the crops that came from it. He sensed God's presence as he worked in the field. That's why it meant something more to him than an investment. It was a sacred place that he wanted to preserve.
Of course, Austin couldn't refuse Walter's request, even though he tried at first. Just like Walter said, Austin sold the rest of the property later on to a group of developers. For him, land was an investment. For Walter, land was something else. Somehow, it was sacred.
God promised Jacob that He would bring him back to the land of Israel (Genesis 28:15). Paul said that God will redeem the land when He comes for His children (Romans 8:21). The earth on which we live is part of God's great creation that He considers special.
Argile Smith is vice president for advancement at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He previously served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) as a preaching professor, chairman of the Division of Pastoral Ministries, and director of the communications center. While at NOTBS, Smith regularly hosted the Gateway to Truth program on the FamilyNet television network. He has also been the pastor of several congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi. Smith's articles have been widely published in church periodicals, and he is the author or editor of four books.
What's It Worth?
By C. David McKirachan
Romans 8:12-25
She was clinically depressed. It was a struggle for her husband. He had stood with her for years, facing this nameless monster that ate her happiness and hope. Medication worked sometimes and then they had each other, a family, and a home. Their two sons had grown into strong, healthy kids. The older boy was more sensitive, the artistic one. The younger was the jock.
It was the older boy, coming home from school worried about his mother, who found her. She had used a gun. He recognized her by what she wore. The funeral was sad. It was as if what they had fought with all those years had taken more than their wife and mother. Her husband got up and said that he held fast to two things. One was the laughter and love they had shared. The other was the truth that now her suffering was done. She was at peace.
They went for family counseling. The older son took antidepressants. Nine months later, his father found him. It was an overdose of the medicine. At that service, the father had remained silent. The younger brother was the one who spoke. He spoke of their rivalry. He spoke of their pranks. He spoke of his brother's art. He spoke of what a good big brother he'd been. Then he said that he was glad of one thing more. He was glad that his brother was at peace, with his mother.
The two of them made a go of it. They'd been close, but now they held to each other, survivors in the storm. The son did well. He set records and started at community college in a nursing program. He wanted to help people.
He was working on his car when the hood came down and hit him in the head. They told his father he was brain-dead. They also told him that since he was so young and healthy; his organs were perfect for transplant. It was a small room. There were only three of us there, the father, the doctor, and myself. After he'd said his peace, the doctor said, "I'll leave you to talk about it."
I sat wondering what to say. All his suffering, all his loss, and all that was left was himself in this small room. But I was wrong.
"Thank God." That's what he said. "Thank God. My boy always wanted to help people. Since his mother and brother died, he wanted to do something for people that would allow them to live, to leave their suffering behind. Now he can."
At that funeral, the father announced that fifteen people had been given new life and hope by his son. Then he said, "But there's one thing more. I realize that all the good things he's done, and all the good in my family's lives is nothing compared with what they have now. I will live believing in that. It is our hope. It is hope for all of us." Then he sat down.
The broken hearts that have suffered more than most of us can understand, their suffering cannot be discounted by some simple platitude pointing to another time and place. This is not the core and bedrock of the gospel. But in the midst of their loss we see not only the depth of pain, but also the distance that God is willing to go to remind us that all of this is not the end. "... because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God."
C. David McKirachan is pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury in central New Jersey. He also teaches at Monmouth University. Two of his books, I Happened Upon a Miracle and A Year of Wonder, have been published by Westminster John Knox Press. McKirachan was raised in a pastor's home and he is the brother of a pastor, and he has discovered his name indicates that he has druid roots. Storytelling seems to be a congenital disorder. He lives with his 21-year-old son Ben and his dog Sam.
**********************************************
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.
**************
StoryShare, July 20, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 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.
