2 Corinthians 5: 14-21 (links validated 3/8/22)

Flannery O’Connor was what one colleague calls “a remarkably perceptive diagnostician of the human condition.” One of her most penetrating but startling short stories is entitled, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. It’s the story of Bailey, his wife, children, and mother who decide to travel to Florida through an area in which escaped convicts are on the loose. Eventually the grandmother convinces her reluctant son to turn off the main highway and onto a deserted road where they have an accident that disables their car. The only people who stop at the scene of the accident are the escaped convict whom O’Connor calls the Misfit, as well as his passive henchmen. When the grandmother shrieks his name, the Misfit tells her that it would have been better for all of them if she hadn’t recognized him. The old lady spends most of the rest of the story desperately trying to save her family and herself by insisting that the Misfit must come from good people...

always good insights!

Flannery O’Connor was what one colleague calls “a remarkably perceptive diagnostician of the human condition.” One of her most diagnostic but startling short stories is entitled, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. It’s the story of Bailey, his wife, children, and mother. The family decides to travel to Florida for a vacation, even though that means it must travel through an area in which an escaped convict is on the loose. The ornery grandmother is what some call the story’s driving force. She constantly tries to direct the trip. Eventually she convinces her reluctant son to turn off the main highway and onto a deserted road. There they have an accident that disables their car. The only people who stop at the remote scene of the accident are the escaped convict O’Connor calls the Misfit and his docile henchmen, Hiram and Bobbie Lee. When the grandmother shrieks his name, the Misfit tells her that it would have been better for all of them if she hadn’t recognized him...

Last Sunday evening, we watched the Tony awards. I don’t typically watch the Tonys, but because of the musical “Hamilton” – Zoe is a huge fan – we were watching. Hamilton won 11 awards, and like many people, we were taken by Lin Manuel Miranda’s acceptance speech for Best Musical Score. His speech was a sonnet that began with thanks to his wife and concluded with an audacious word of hope: ...We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger. We rise and fall and light from dying embers. Remembrances that hope and love last longer. And love is love is love is love is love is love is love Cannot be killed or swept aside...

Douglas Adams was waiting for a train in Cambridge, England. He had some time before his train, so he bought a newspaper to do the crossword, and got a cup of coffee and a package of cookies. He went and sat at a table. There was a guy sitting across the table, wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase. Everything seemed pretty normal, nothing unusual, when suddenly the man in the business suit leaned across, picked up the package of cookies, tore it open, took one out, and ate it. Adams said that this is the sort of thing the British are very bad at dealing with. He wasn’t sure how to respond, but in he just ignored it. He stared at his newspaper, took a sip of coffee, and tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he reached out and took a cookie for himself. “That will take care of it,” he thought. But it didn’t. A moment or two later the other guy did it again. Since Adams hadn’t said anything the first time, it seemed even harder to say anything now. So he took another cookie himself. It went back and forth like this. There were only 8 cookies in the package, but still, it seemed to take forever. Finally, after all the cookies were gone, the other man stood up. The two exchanged looks and the other man walked away. Adams breathed a sigh of relief. In another moment or two it was time to get ready for the train, so Adams stood up, picked up his newspaper, and there under the newspaper was his package of cookies. Two people experienced the same event but saw it in very different ways...

In 2006 I went to Turkey as the guest of an organization called, "Institute for Interfaith Dialogue." For ten days I traveled around the country with a small group from San Antonio. In our group were Christians, Jews and a couple of Unitarians. Our hosts were three young Muslims. The leader's name was Veysel Demir, a native of Turkey, who was then working on a Ph.D. at the University of Texas, San Antonio. Veysel shepherded our group with the poise of a saint. He had a kind and gentle spirit and a smile that could light up the room. In spite of the stress of making connections and staying on schedule, Veysel kept calm, cool and collected. He exhibited an inner peace and a quiet self-confidence. When we talked about Islam and the Qu'ran – which we did a lot of – he was honest and open in answering our questions and sharing his faith, never dogmatic or argumentative. From time to time, he'd break away from the group to pray. "I'll be right back," he'd say, then he'd slip away to find a nearby mosque. When we passed a beggar on the street, he'd quietly hand him a lira or two and offer a word of kindness. Once, he saw that we were thirsty and out of water. Just like that he showed up with bottled water for everyone. I've never met a more gracious and thoughtful individual. And so, when I hear Paul telling the Galatians that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22), one of the first images that comes to mind is the face of Veysel Demir...

Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. So begins Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem entitled, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." (Written April 19, 1860; first published in 1863 as part of "Tales of a Wayside Inn") This poem came to my mind as I was reading this Scripture. The second stanza goes like this: He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm." This poem came to my mind from the text for today because Paul makes a series of contrasts, much like Paul Revere when he said, "One if by land, and two if by sea." Today I want to suggest that the Apostle Paul offers us the following contrasts: One if by faith; two if by sight. One if our home is with the body; two if our home is with the Lord. One if by face; two if by heart...

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