Month: April 2023

A Good Lesson

Several years ago, a new preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, “You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a ‘gift from God’ and keep quiet.”

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change.” The driver with a smile replied, “Aren’t you the new Preacher in town? I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change.

“I’ll see you at church on Sunday”

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, “Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.”

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians and will put us to the test! Always be on guard and remember (as I try to remember) that you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself “Christian.”

How are you doing. Remember the Christ is here to help.

Thoughts from here and there…It’s not too late.

It’s too late. He is being dragged down into hell by demons. He has one hand over one eye and in the other is a look of ominous recognition. He understands, but it is now too late. This is a scene from Michelangelo’s painting of the Last Judgement.

On an Easter Sunday morning it is too late for the guards that blocked access to the tomb. It is too late for those who sought to falsify the story with a tale that has lived even to this day. It is too late for a Roman ruler who washed his hands of the whole mess and gave the man to a mob hungry for death.

It is not too late for those who were called friends and disciples. Oh, they fled the scene. On an earlier occasion he was denied three times before the cock crowed. In despair, with heads lowered from heavy hearts, they gave up and returned to hide it out in an upper room. The anguish of apparent loss hangs heavy like thick fog in the valley of hopelessness. It only appears to be too late.

Its not too late because there is a flash of light like lightening and the stone is rolled away. Its not too late because the beautiful voice of the representatives of a gracious God reveal that he is truly risen indeed. It took a while, but eventually the disciples realized that it was not too late. They accepted and incorporated his resurrection into the very core of their lives and teachings. This is true even of Paul, who claimed to be a disciple like one born out of wedlock. He was determined to know nothing accept Jesus Christ.

I read this story as told by Ann Weems and how it relates to Easter and worship and life shared together.

“Hearing a southern accent, Ann Weems was reminded of the time she was in Wisconsin leading a worship service at an Interim Ministers’ Conference. Before supper that first night, a man with a southern accent came up to her and asked, ‘Where are you from?’ When she responded, ‘Nashville,’ he smiled and said he had known it.

“‘Who are your people?’ he asked.

Ann recalls the surge of memories which swept over her. She saw faces and names and even smelled some of the sweet aromas associated with home. She had answered the question before: when she went to college in Memphis and when she had married and her name changed.

I knew what it meant: To whom do you belong? Ann writes. It is an ancient question. It’s a means of identification, a claiming of ties. It can instantly open doors or shut them in your face.

“‘My father is Tom Barr,’ Ann replied.

“His face lit up with a look of recognition. He told the people with him, ‘She’s one of us! She’s Tom Barr’s daughter.’ They gathered around and led her to their table, talking about people they knew twenty-five years ago in Nashville.

“We dashed back in time and it felt right, Ann recalled. I belonged. I was accepted. I know who my people are.”

We are the people of God. It is never too late. There is always time to join the resurrection throng and shout loud hosannas of praise for what God has done in Jesus Christ.

The Cocoon
This story comes in many forms and with differing detail. No matter, all of them make the same point. Please, read on!
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.
Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of his life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It was never able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening, were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
The cocoon is a marvelous symbol of Easter. We would be butterflies. Jesus trials, trial and resurrection speak of the nature of life and relationships. Out of the grave emerged a butterfly. Jesus’ story speaks to us of the nature of our lives, our tasks, and the rewards of the future. Life may at times be extremely painful. We cannot ignore the pain. We choose to work through it for the eventual beauty of character and life that may be ours through Christ. Ultimately, there is a resurrection!