This Will Make A Great Shot!
Stories
Contents
“This Will Make A Great Shot!” by Frank Ramirez
“A Modern Lazarus” by John Sumwalt
This Will Make A Great Shot!
by Frank Ramirez
Psalm 24
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. (vv. 3-4)
There is beauty everywhere in these United States. Anyone who’s been to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Mount Shasta, Crater Lake, and many other places can attest to breathtaking wonders. Beauty is not found just in the national parks. Each state boasts its sights of extraordinary sights.
Many of these sights are available to everyone, regardless of their state of health or their disabilities. However, there are occasions when it takes a great deal of effort to see some of the best vistas. People rightfully want to take photos to show their friends their accomplishment. Now, thanks to smart phones and social media, its easier than ever to share these immediately to your circle of friends.
But another phenomenon has occurred alongside this desire to share the beauty of our nation, because it’s possible to put yourself in the picture by taking what’s called a “selfie.” Just push a button that flips the viewpoint of the camera on your phone and suddenly it’s looking at you. Hold it out at arm’s length, and the vista is in the background. You are there!
Obviously, I’m not talking about anything you don’t already know. We’re all doing this at family gatherings, or after we paint the railing outside the house, or put up a new picture in our apartment. We take selfies of ourselves at restaurants, birthday parties, or church just to prove we were there! We like taking selfies and posting them on social media.
The problem is, many of us are taking selfies in unsafe places, which happen to be some of the most beautiful spots, like those sites out west.
The headline for one online article from September of 2020 stated: “An Oregon hiker fell off of a cliff to his death while posing for a photograph.” It went on to describe how this individual, after hiking the Devil’s Cauldron Trail, climbed out on a limb on a tree on a cliff to take a selfie. When the branch broke, he felt over a hundred feet into the waters below. Despite a rescue attempt involving jet skis and a helicopter, the hiker died. The same article mentioned that earlier in July, a woman died taking a selfie in Grand Canyon National Park.
According to one study, more than 250 deaths have occurred while taking selfies between 2011 and 2018. The Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care stated that around sixty percent of those occur in India, followed by Russia, the United States, and Pakistan. Selfie deaths most often occurred in high places or near water, and involve falling, drowning, or moving vehicles. People take photos of themselves while driving and that can lead to fatal accidents. Three quarters of those who died were men under the age of 30.
In one instance, two tourists died only a few weeks apart at the same waterfall in Thailand. On another occasion, six Russian teens died in horrible fashion within a few days of each other because of a fad calling for dangerous selfies.
“Look at me!” We seem to be saying to the world. “Look at me!”
We’ve all been going through a time of sickness and death during the recent pandemic, so that many deaths get lost in the shuffle, but deaths by selfie still arrest our attention, in part because they seem so pointless. People were having a good time, a great time, and suddenly tragedy struck, and in our minds, probably needless tragedy.
I suspect selfies are one way of saying “I was there!” Ironically, this is in a time when it is easier than ever to paste ourselves in a photo in a realistic fashion so who knows if the photo is truly authentic? Photos may not prove anything anyway.
All this made me think of All Saints Day! Why? Because if there was ever something worth something taking a photo of, it’s the images scripture gives us when we’re all together at last. In Revelation, we see the communion of saints, a multitude of people from every nation, tribe, tongue, and language gathered together in eternal praise. In Isaiah, we have a vision of a great feast (talk about your restaurant selfie) on the Lord’s mountain. In Psalm 24, our attention is given to view as pilgrims approach and climb Mount Zion, with the temple at last in sight!
But in all of these, it’s not about us. It’s not about the fact we’re there, we climbed a mountain, we’re eating with friends, we’re with God safely for eternity. It’s about God, and that’s where our attention is. There’s no time for selfies here. Look at God! God’s Grace! And how fortunate we truly are that God loves us.
* * *
A Modern Lazarus
by John Sumwalt
John 11:32-44
The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ (v. 44)
When I was collecting testimonials for the first book in the vision series I edited for CSS Publishing, I came to the text about Jesus raising a little girl from the dead. Each vision story was to give insight into one of the assigned texts. I didn’t know where I was going to find a contemporary story about someone raising the dead. Does that still happen? I didn’t know. I didn’t think I would ever find a firsthand account for a raising the dead text: something symbolic maybe, but not the real thing.
Then, while sitting at a picnic table eating potato salad, at a reception after an outdoor wedding in a beautiful garden, someone told me about a preacher he had known who had once raised someone from the dead. The preacher was now dead, but my potato salad-eating friend thought his widow was living in a retirement community not far away. I managed to find Jean Hodge and she agreed to an interview. This is her witness:
My husband, Pastor Tom Hodge, was about to leave his office to go home for supper when he received word that one of his members was in the hospital and was not expected to live. He called to tell me he was going to be late and set out for the hospital. When he arrived, he found the man's family crying and embracing each other in the corridor outside the room. The doctor had just announced to them that their loved one had died.
My husband asked if he could go into the room. There were several more members of the family gathered around the bed. He said to them, "Any of you who don't know the Lord, you leave this room." Then he went over to the bed, laid his hands on the man, and prayed. The man opened his eyes and looked up. The family was elated, and the hospital staff was amazed.
The man lived for about a week before he became ill again. This time the Lord took him home for good. “But in that week of extra life,” Mrs. Hodge said, “he received the Lord as his personal savior. And many who witnessed this miracle also gave their lives to Christ.”
I still don’t know what to make of this account. Mrs. Hodge seemed to be a credible witness and was vouched for by people I trust. I thought of her this week when I came across a brief story “The Christian Century” had gleaned from the New York Times about a village in Spain that holds a peculiar ritual each year on July 29, the feast day of Lazarus’s sister Martha. “The ritual celebrates the lives of people who have been spared from death after a serious illness or accident the previous year. The “living dead” are put into coffins and carried in a procession around town. Some people participate in the procession to give thanks for the recovery of family members. The origins of this ritual, which stems from medieval times is unknown.”
Do you know a modern Lazarus?
*****************************************
StoryShare, November 1, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 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., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“This Will Make A Great Shot!” by Frank Ramirez
“A Modern Lazarus” by John Sumwalt
This Will Make A Great Shot!
by Frank Ramirez
Psalm 24
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. (vv. 3-4)
There is beauty everywhere in these United States. Anyone who’s been to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Mount Shasta, Crater Lake, and many other places can attest to breathtaking wonders. Beauty is not found just in the national parks. Each state boasts its sights of extraordinary sights.
Many of these sights are available to everyone, regardless of their state of health or their disabilities. However, there are occasions when it takes a great deal of effort to see some of the best vistas. People rightfully want to take photos to show their friends their accomplishment. Now, thanks to smart phones and social media, its easier than ever to share these immediately to your circle of friends.
But another phenomenon has occurred alongside this desire to share the beauty of our nation, because it’s possible to put yourself in the picture by taking what’s called a “selfie.” Just push a button that flips the viewpoint of the camera on your phone and suddenly it’s looking at you. Hold it out at arm’s length, and the vista is in the background. You are there!
Obviously, I’m not talking about anything you don’t already know. We’re all doing this at family gatherings, or after we paint the railing outside the house, or put up a new picture in our apartment. We take selfies of ourselves at restaurants, birthday parties, or church just to prove we were there! We like taking selfies and posting them on social media.
The problem is, many of us are taking selfies in unsafe places, which happen to be some of the most beautiful spots, like those sites out west.
The headline for one online article from September of 2020 stated: “An Oregon hiker fell off of a cliff to his death while posing for a photograph.” It went on to describe how this individual, after hiking the Devil’s Cauldron Trail, climbed out on a limb on a tree on a cliff to take a selfie. When the branch broke, he felt over a hundred feet into the waters below. Despite a rescue attempt involving jet skis and a helicopter, the hiker died. The same article mentioned that earlier in July, a woman died taking a selfie in Grand Canyon National Park.
According to one study, more than 250 deaths have occurred while taking selfies between 2011 and 2018. The Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care stated that around sixty percent of those occur in India, followed by Russia, the United States, and Pakistan. Selfie deaths most often occurred in high places or near water, and involve falling, drowning, or moving vehicles. People take photos of themselves while driving and that can lead to fatal accidents. Three quarters of those who died were men under the age of 30.
In one instance, two tourists died only a few weeks apart at the same waterfall in Thailand. On another occasion, six Russian teens died in horrible fashion within a few days of each other because of a fad calling for dangerous selfies.
“Look at me!” We seem to be saying to the world. “Look at me!”
We’ve all been going through a time of sickness and death during the recent pandemic, so that many deaths get lost in the shuffle, but deaths by selfie still arrest our attention, in part because they seem so pointless. People were having a good time, a great time, and suddenly tragedy struck, and in our minds, probably needless tragedy.
I suspect selfies are one way of saying “I was there!” Ironically, this is in a time when it is easier than ever to paste ourselves in a photo in a realistic fashion so who knows if the photo is truly authentic? Photos may not prove anything anyway.
All this made me think of All Saints Day! Why? Because if there was ever something worth something taking a photo of, it’s the images scripture gives us when we’re all together at last. In Revelation, we see the communion of saints, a multitude of people from every nation, tribe, tongue, and language gathered together in eternal praise. In Isaiah, we have a vision of a great feast (talk about your restaurant selfie) on the Lord’s mountain. In Psalm 24, our attention is given to view as pilgrims approach and climb Mount Zion, with the temple at last in sight!
But in all of these, it’s not about us. It’s not about the fact we’re there, we climbed a mountain, we’re eating with friends, we’re with God safely for eternity. It’s about God, and that’s where our attention is. There’s no time for selfies here. Look at God! God’s Grace! And how fortunate we truly are that God loves us.
* * *
A Modern Lazarus
by John Sumwalt
John 11:32-44
The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ (v. 44)
When I was collecting testimonials for the first book in the vision series I edited for CSS Publishing, I came to the text about Jesus raising a little girl from the dead. Each vision story was to give insight into one of the assigned texts. I didn’t know where I was going to find a contemporary story about someone raising the dead. Does that still happen? I didn’t know. I didn’t think I would ever find a firsthand account for a raising the dead text: something symbolic maybe, but not the real thing.
Then, while sitting at a picnic table eating potato salad, at a reception after an outdoor wedding in a beautiful garden, someone told me about a preacher he had known who had once raised someone from the dead. The preacher was now dead, but my potato salad-eating friend thought his widow was living in a retirement community not far away. I managed to find Jean Hodge and she agreed to an interview. This is her witness:
My husband, Pastor Tom Hodge, was about to leave his office to go home for supper when he received word that one of his members was in the hospital and was not expected to live. He called to tell me he was going to be late and set out for the hospital. When he arrived, he found the man's family crying and embracing each other in the corridor outside the room. The doctor had just announced to them that their loved one had died.
My husband asked if he could go into the room. There were several more members of the family gathered around the bed. He said to them, "Any of you who don't know the Lord, you leave this room." Then he went over to the bed, laid his hands on the man, and prayed. The man opened his eyes and looked up. The family was elated, and the hospital staff was amazed.
The man lived for about a week before he became ill again. This time the Lord took him home for good. “But in that week of extra life,” Mrs. Hodge said, “he received the Lord as his personal savior. And many who witnessed this miracle also gave their lives to Christ.”
I still don’t know what to make of this account. Mrs. Hodge seemed to be a credible witness and was vouched for by people I trust. I thought of her this week when I came across a brief story “The Christian Century” had gleaned from the New York Times about a village in Spain that holds a peculiar ritual each year on July 29, the feast day of Lazarus’s sister Martha. “The ritual celebrates the lives of people who have been spared from death after a serious illness or accident the previous year. The “living dead” are put into coffins and carried in a procession around town. Some people participate in the procession to give thanks for the recovery of family members. The origins of this ritual, which stems from medieval times is unknown.”
Do you know a modern Lazarus?
*****************************************
StoryShare, November 1, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 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., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
