That Person? Really?
October 14, 2020
A congregation very similar to ours happened to be in the midst of a major building campaign. Two nasty brothers were church members. Harry and Jerry were their names. They owned half of the town, and they had their eyes set on getting the rest in any evil, nasty way possible. They had cheated people out of homes and businesses, and no one seemed to care much for them.
News came to the pastor that Harry died unexpectedly, and Jerry was shaken by his brother’s passing. Jerry was soon in the pastor’s office, demanding a funeral service fit for royalty. Jerry said to the pastor, “Pastor, I am willing to give you $1 million to the building fund if you will, from the pulpit, state that my brother was a saint.”
Such a large sum of money. The pastor was torn – what was he to do? He didn’t sleep for days. Finally, at the funeral, the pastor made his way to the pulpit, and began the eulogy, “Brothers and sisters, you all knew Harry. He was a cheat, a scoundrel, a liar, an evil, evil man in every way.” The pastor looked down in the front pew at Jerry, winked at him, nodded, and said, “but compared to his brother Jerry, Harry was a saint!”
HA!
A lot of lessons in that story. One is we certainly must deal with folks in life that we don’t necessarily admire. In fact, in our assigned first lesson coming up this Sunday, that lesson is turbo-charged. For God skips over the bullpen of Hebrew leaders to instead tap Cyrus, king of Persia, to execute God’s plans. Really? A foreigner? Someone who “doesn’t know the Lord”? (Isaiah 45.5) God takes this foreigner “by the arm”? REALLY??!!
King Cyrus of Persia is a guy for whom the Israelites would create a negative campaign ad or throw under the bus on Twitter or Facebook. And now God is using him? Really??
We are just a few weeks away from a major election. Would you agree, when the results are announced, that almost half of our neighbors will be disappointed? Since there are so many offices on the ballot, it’s inevitable that just about all of us will hear the news that our candidate—at some level—did not win. If all the negative campaign ads are true, then super dark days are ahead.
I’m not minimizing the election. Very important issues are at play. But maybe this Sunday’s lesson is a good reminder that, even with governmental officials, God can pull a few strings along the way, that though mighty leaders come and go, our faithful and loving God is always in control. Our Triune God is and will always be the One who leads and in whom our ultimate trust lies.
Questions:
- Upon reflection, do you realize your life has been positively affected by someone you initially disliked?
- Sometimes, family members choose friends or even spouses who cause us to scratch our heads. Can we be open to the possibility that, if God works in mysterious ways, God can work in their lives?
- Do you pray for, as much as you complain about the people you dislike, especially cultural leaders, God’s influence to be upon them?
Open to God’s surprises with you,
Pastor Fritz