The Best Thing That Could Have Happened
Dear friends,
In many ways this has been a terrible week. By this I mean that I feel terrible. Since about a week ago I have experienced contractions and spasms in my shoulder and upper back muscles. It is hard to explain just how bad that makes me feel, but I really feel terrible. Hopefully some changes in medication will help this, but right now I feel pretty bad. Actually, I feel quite a bit better having just told you how bad I feel. There is nothing worse than the denial of something, like pain, that is real.
What is both interesting and encouraging about this process is that despite my stiffness and discomfort I still have pretty good range of motion. That is, I can reach both arms just over my head and I can brush my hair all the way round. Although it is still quite uncomfortable, I can brush my teeth and shave my face. Although I am rather clumsy, I can cut my own food and carry my plates to the sink -- one at a time. My ventures into an uncertain future, although not without ups, downs, bumps and surprises, have been marked by wonderful progress for which I am very grateful. That is just the way it is: we move towards an uncertain future over a path that is full of danger, yet we are bolstered by the wonderful truth that God is sufficient for our every need.
I am very grateful that throughout this difficult year of physical rehabilitation I have also experienced a joyful and constant serenity. Please understand, I am not at all happy about this injury and about the discomfort I am feeling today. To be perfectly honest, there is a large part of me that would like to have things the way they were a year ago. On the other hand, over these past 11 months I have had the wonderful opportunity to draw deeply from the wells that I have been digging for many years. And yet the digging has hardly been merely my own work.
The Church itself has been digging wells for me and with me throughout my life. Beginning with my first prayers at bedtime; learning the Lord's Prayer and 23rd Psalm; memorizing all kinds of prayers and Scriptures; reading books, listening to sermons, hearing the Bible taught and studying it for myself, I have developed wonderfully rich resources that have saved my life on many occasions. Oh yes, the Church itself is a profound gift. I cannot begin to list the names of people who invested their lives in me over the years. Likewise, I am enriched by continuing friendships with those men and women for whom I have given myself in ministry, compassion, and service.
Without the faithfulness of God and God's people in the Church I could not have survived, much less prospered as I am prospering today! So, today is a pretty bad day. On the other hand, today is a pretty great day because I will survive and prosper, maybe not exactly on my terms, but certainly on terms that are pleasing to God and beneficial to God's mission in the world for which we together remain responsible. It has been a lifetime of nurture that makes us the people we are today and motivates us to even greater missional efforts as we continue to move into that uncertain future with God and with God's people. There are no shortcuts.
Last weekend has been very painful for those of us who live in the Atlanta area. I was on the phone with a man when he asked if I had heard about the shootings at the Fulton County Courthouse. I said, "No," and he told me about the escaped prisoner and all that followed. By noon on Saturday the local and cable news media had us whipped into a frenzy of fear with the horrific story of an additional murder and a hostage situation in a Gwinnett County apartment. We were relieved when the man gave up without a fight. We were amazed and inspired by the unfolding story of the young hostage, Ashley Smith.
Ms. Smith did so many things right that is just staggering. Not only did she manage not to get herself killed, she convinced Mr. Nichols to turn himself in, saving his life in the process. Yesterday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated that this young woman was a hero and had hit a potential "jackpot," which will certainly include book and movie deals. While some might call her actions "heroic," others of us might give thanks to God that this sister in Christ behaved like a Christian in the midst of a very dangerous situation.
First, I was impressed by the CNN interview with her South Carolina pastor. This man spoke of Ms. Smith as a 12 year-old member of his church. His comments spoke volumes to me about the nature of the Christian community and its power to produce heroic behavior in its members. I can imagine her participating in a Sunday school class, an active member of the youth group, and taking part in community service projects. I can imagine her reading her Bible and talking about it with her friends. I can imagine her singing in worship services and writing in her bedroom. It appears to me that she has had a lifetime of Christian nurture.
Second, it appears to me from the news reports that this young woman has also had her share of failure, pain, and personal tragedy. God takes bent limbs and broken branches and makes them a whole in order that they should accomplish great purposes for the Kingdom. God takes imperfect people and fills them with courage for great purposes. What is especially inspiring to me, however, is that despite our imperfections and our brokenness, God makes wonderful use of the deep wells of spiritual nurture in our lives, and the results are both amazing and life-giving.
Third, much has been made of Ms. Smith's use of the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren as a means of averting another tragedy. I must say at the outset that Mr. Warren's book is excellent in every respect and very much worth reading. Having said this, the reading of this book or any book does not produce instant spiritual maturity. There is no instant spiritual maturity. Rather, we are nurtured in our faith over the years until we begin to feel God's presence so closely that we remain calm in every crisis. Then, if we are calm during a crisis we are able to reach for whatever we are reading at the moment and give someone, like Mr. Nichols, the greatest gift he has ever received. It was the best thing that could have happened to him!
For Ashley Smith it was the Purpose Driven Life. If that had happened to me and I was in my study I would have reached for Henri Nouwen wonderful devotional volume, The Return of the Prodigal Son: a Story of a Homecoming. Father Nouwen reflects on his spiritual journey through his contemplation of Rembrandt's painting of the same name.
One of the greatest challenges of the spiritual life is to receive God's forgiveness. There is something in us humans that keeps us clinging to our sins and prevents us from letting God erase our past and offer us a completely new beginning. Sometimes it even seems as though I want to prove to God that my darkness is too great to overcome. While God wants to restore me to the full dignity of sonship, I keep insisting that I will settle for being a hired servant. But do I truly want to be restored to the full responsibility of the son? Do I truly want to be so totally forgiven that a completely new way of living becomes possible?
If I had been taken hostage last Friday I might have told Mr. Nichols that every day God gives me a special message in the Daily Lectionary. One of the lessons for Friday was Romans 8:28-39. Here is part of it:
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sisters and brothers, I am so grateful that Ashley Smith has been part of the Christian community that has nurtured her faith throughout her lifetime. I am even more grateful that she had a great resource at her fingertips -- and that she knew how to use it with grace and confidence in God!
God be with you through the hopelessness of Holy Week, and into the Joy that lies beyond.
Jim
In many ways this has been a terrible week. By this I mean that I feel terrible. Since about a week ago I have experienced contractions and spasms in my shoulder and upper back muscles. It is hard to explain just how bad that makes me feel, but I really feel terrible. Hopefully some changes in medication will help this, but right now I feel pretty bad. Actually, I feel quite a bit better having just told you how bad I feel. There is nothing worse than the denial of something, like pain, that is real.
What is both interesting and encouraging about this process is that despite my stiffness and discomfort I still have pretty good range of motion. That is, I can reach both arms just over my head and I can brush my hair all the way round. Although it is still quite uncomfortable, I can brush my teeth and shave my face. Although I am rather clumsy, I can cut my own food and carry my plates to the sink -- one at a time. My ventures into an uncertain future, although not without ups, downs, bumps and surprises, have been marked by wonderful progress for which I am very grateful. That is just the way it is: we move towards an uncertain future over a path that is full of danger, yet we are bolstered by the wonderful truth that God is sufficient for our every need.
I am very grateful that throughout this difficult year of physical rehabilitation I have also experienced a joyful and constant serenity. Please understand, I am not at all happy about this injury and about the discomfort I am feeling today. To be perfectly honest, there is a large part of me that would like to have things the way they were a year ago. On the other hand, over these past 11 months I have had the wonderful opportunity to draw deeply from the wells that I have been digging for many years. And yet the digging has hardly been merely my own work.
The Church itself has been digging wells for me and with me throughout my life. Beginning with my first prayers at bedtime; learning the Lord's Prayer and 23rd Psalm; memorizing all kinds of prayers and Scriptures; reading books, listening to sermons, hearing the Bible taught and studying it for myself, I have developed wonderfully rich resources that have saved my life on many occasions. Oh yes, the Church itself is a profound gift. I cannot begin to list the names of people who invested their lives in me over the years. Likewise, I am enriched by continuing friendships with those men and women for whom I have given myself in ministry, compassion, and service.
Without the faithfulness of God and God's people in the Church I could not have survived, much less prospered as I am prospering today! So, today is a pretty bad day. On the other hand, today is a pretty great day because I will survive and prosper, maybe not exactly on my terms, but certainly on terms that are pleasing to God and beneficial to God's mission in the world for which we together remain responsible. It has been a lifetime of nurture that makes us the people we are today and motivates us to even greater missional efforts as we continue to move into that uncertain future with God and with God's people. There are no shortcuts.
Last weekend has been very painful for those of us who live in the Atlanta area. I was on the phone with a man when he asked if I had heard about the shootings at the Fulton County Courthouse. I said, "No," and he told me about the escaped prisoner and all that followed. By noon on Saturday the local and cable news media had us whipped into a frenzy of fear with the horrific story of an additional murder and a hostage situation in a Gwinnett County apartment. We were relieved when the man gave up without a fight. We were amazed and inspired by the unfolding story of the young hostage, Ashley Smith.
Ms. Smith did so many things right that is just staggering. Not only did she manage not to get herself killed, she convinced Mr. Nichols to turn himself in, saving his life in the process. Yesterday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated that this young woman was a hero and had hit a potential "jackpot," which will certainly include book and movie deals. While some might call her actions "heroic," others of us might give thanks to God that this sister in Christ behaved like a Christian in the midst of a very dangerous situation.
First, I was impressed by the CNN interview with her South Carolina pastor. This man spoke of Ms. Smith as a 12 year-old member of his church. His comments spoke volumes to me about the nature of the Christian community and its power to produce heroic behavior in its members. I can imagine her participating in a Sunday school class, an active member of the youth group, and taking part in community service projects. I can imagine her reading her Bible and talking about it with her friends. I can imagine her singing in worship services and writing in her bedroom. It appears to me that she has had a lifetime of Christian nurture.
Second, it appears to me from the news reports that this young woman has also had her share of failure, pain, and personal tragedy. God takes bent limbs and broken branches and makes them a whole in order that they should accomplish great purposes for the Kingdom. God takes imperfect people and fills them with courage for great purposes. What is especially inspiring to me, however, is that despite our imperfections and our brokenness, God makes wonderful use of the deep wells of spiritual nurture in our lives, and the results are both amazing and life-giving.
Third, much has been made of Ms. Smith's use of the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren as a means of averting another tragedy. I must say at the outset that Mr. Warren's book is excellent in every respect and very much worth reading. Having said this, the reading of this book or any book does not produce instant spiritual maturity. There is no instant spiritual maturity. Rather, we are nurtured in our faith over the years until we begin to feel God's presence so closely that we remain calm in every crisis. Then, if we are calm during a crisis we are able to reach for whatever we are reading at the moment and give someone, like Mr. Nichols, the greatest gift he has ever received. It was the best thing that could have happened to him!
For Ashley Smith it was the Purpose Driven Life. If that had happened to me and I was in my study I would have reached for Henri Nouwen wonderful devotional volume, The Return of the Prodigal Son: a Story of a Homecoming. Father Nouwen reflects on his spiritual journey through his contemplation of Rembrandt's painting of the same name.
One of the greatest challenges of the spiritual life is to receive God's forgiveness. There is something in us humans that keeps us clinging to our sins and prevents us from letting God erase our past and offer us a completely new beginning. Sometimes it even seems as though I want to prove to God that my darkness is too great to overcome. While God wants to restore me to the full dignity of sonship, I keep insisting that I will settle for being a hired servant. But do I truly want to be restored to the full responsibility of the son? Do I truly want to be so totally forgiven that a completely new way of living becomes possible?
If I had been taken hostage last Friday I might have told Mr. Nichols that every day God gives me a special message in the Daily Lectionary. One of the lessons for Friday was Romans 8:28-39. Here is part of it:
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sisters and brothers, I am so grateful that Ashley Smith has been part of the Christian community that has nurtured her faith throughout her lifetime. I am even more grateful that she had a great resource at her fingertips -- and that she knew how to use it with grace and confidence in God!
God be with you through the hopelessness of Holy Week, and into the Joy that lies beyond.
Jim
posted by Pierce | 8:00 AM
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