A Little Soul Searching
Stories
Contents
"A Little Soul Searching" by Keith Wagner
"It’s All About Grace" by Keith Wagner
"The Gift" by Keith Hewitt
A Little Soul Searching
by Keith Wagner
Matthew 4:1-11
Several years ago there was a television program that was called "Super Nanny." The show was about a British woman who visited homes where the children were completely out of control. After a few weeks the families were miraculously transformed and the children were well behaved.
One of the major problems that parents had with their children was their inability to say, "no." They were in the habit of giving in and therefore the children had control over their parents. In every case there was also a lack of structure, continuity and scheduling. It wasn’t a matter of being strict disciplinarians, it was a matter of being consistent and especially saying "no" to inappropriate behavior. Therefore the children had to live with the consequences of their negative choices. But, to be able to say “no” the parents had to do a little soul searching.
Before Jesus could embark on his mission and ministry he was called to a time of soul searching. The time in the wilderness provided an arena that would prepare him to say "no" to some things and "yes" to others. Thankfully, Jesus never gave in to the devil’s temptations. He endured. He overcame temptation by remaining committed and worshipping God.
To be tempted is to be human. We have wants, desires and ambitions. There are expectations to aspire to and dreams to follow. And since we live in a society of abundance we are conditioned that we can have just about anything we want.
When we say “no” to temptation we are saying “yes” to self-control. We are practicing patience, endurance and steadfastness. Unfortunately it is difficult to stay on course because of all the distractions.
In the book, “More Stories for the Heart,” by Alice Gray, there is a story called “Back on Course” which illustrates saying “yes” to self-control. One day Bud and Sandy Snavely were sailing their sailboat, the Sensuous Sea, up the Columbia River. They got caught in a terrible storm known as a “widow maker.” Five to six foot waves were crashing against the hull. It was a long, bumpy ride. Suddenly, Bud heard the sound of something clanging against the side of the bow. Straining to see through the driving rain he noticed the anchor had come loose from the pulpit. With each thud, the danger of the anchor beating a hole in the side of the hull became greater and greater.
Bud did a frightening thing. He made his way to the bow without a lifejacket or lifeline. He left Sandy alone in the cockpit to steer the boat. Sandy was a good sailor and one of her strong-suits was keeping the boat on course. But while Bud was retrieving the anchor, hanging precariously over the side, Sandy became worried that he might fall overboard. Bud shouted at Sandy, “Stay on course, point the bow toward the marker.”
Sandy had to take her focus away from her husband who was in danger and continue to keep the boat on course. Losing sight of the marker could mean disaster because the Snavelys would no longer know their position. It was against Sandy’s instincts to turn away from her husband and keep the boat on course. Fortunately she heeded Bud’s command and kept the course. Meanwhile, Bud secured the anchor and returned to the cockpit. The Snavelys made their way safely up the river and survived the storm.
It is so easy to be distracted, especially when danger lurks in the shadows. Life has certain principles and saying “no” even when the way is risky or fearful, is necessary for us to stay on course.
We are all tempted and it is not easy to say “no” especially when there is an opportunity to acquire some great reward.
I heard a story about ten years ago about a man named, Henry Snowden. He pulled up to the drive-thru at a local Burger King and paid for a meal. He drove for a while then pulled over to eat his meal. When he reached for his sack he got the shock of his life. There was nothing wrong with his burger or fries and his drink was cold. But the clerk working at the window had given him two bags. When he opened the second bag he found $4,170 in cash.
The Burger King clerk mistakenly reached for the daily deposit which was placed in a regular lunch bag and handed it to Snowden. The idea was to use an inconspicuous container for the franchise to make its’ daily deposit. It was an honest mistake but it could have resulted in a loss for the restaurant. When Snowden opened the bag he was tempted to keep it. But he knew that returning the bag was the right thing to do. He returned the money the next day. He felt good about his decision because he said “no” to temptation.
* * *
It’s All About Grace
by Keith Wagner
Romans 5:12-19
Paul’s message of grace is addressed to the church, the community of faith. God is gracious and grace was evidenced through the life and death of Jesus Christ.
In the film, Forrest Gump, there was a scene early in the movie when no one on the school bus will give Forrest, played by Tom Hanks, a seat. His friend, Jenny, played by Robin Wright Penn, invited him to sit beside her. It was truly a moment where one person gave another person the gift of grace. When we receive God’s grace we experience acceptance from God although others may reject us.
Grace is a gift which God wants us to receive with gratitude and thanksgiving. Grace can surprise us and come in ways we do not understand. Grace can liberate us from guilt, shame and despair. Grace enables us to see our way more clearly. Most importantly, as we receive grace, God also wants us to be givers of grace.
One day there was a limousine parked along a highway. It had apparently overheated. But, no one stopped to help. Finally, after several hours, Robert Wise saw the troubled limo and stopped to help. The driver asked him if he would drive to the next town and call his boss about his predicament. "No problem," Wise responded. A short time later, Wise returned and told the driver he had made the call. He began to leave and the driver said, "Wait!" He wanted to repay him for his trouble. Wise told him it wasn't necessary but if he really wanted to do something he could send a dozen roses to his wife. The driver got the address and promised to take care of it. The flowers came and in the process the limo driver's boss learned that the Wise's were having financial problems. They were then blessed with even more grace since the boss paid off the mortgage on their home.
I believe we understand grace when we experience it in our own lives. One time I had the opportunity of attending a wedding reception. It was a busy time of the year and the bride and groom doubted that all the guests they invited would come. Apparently the evening they chose for their wedding happened to be a day when all their invited guests were free. Everyone came, and when they started arriving at the reception hall there were not enough tables to seat all the guests. Within minutes, the groom, some relatives and friends started setting up additional tables and chairs. Then, there was room for everyone. No one had to be turned away.
I am always amazed at the resourcefulness of people when there is a passion about including friends and a desire to be hospitable. This was especially true at that reception. The bride and groom sincerely cared about their guests since they didn’t hesitate to make room for all who had come.
On another occasion I was contacted by a couple to perform their wedding. The bride wanted to know if there would be any chance that she and her fiancé could have their wedding at the church I was serving. Both she and her fiancé were Roman Catholic. It was a second marriage for both of them which meant they couldn’t get married in the Catholic Church without a long process of annulments. Fortunately our church had an open policy about hosting weddings even though those getting married were not members of the church. When I told her they could have her wedding at our church she was elated. She really didn’t think we would be that open.
When we planned the wedding the couple wanted me to have communion and include the congregation. I was surprised but happy to carry out their request. So during their wedding we held communion in a protestant church for a predominantly Roman Catholic congregation.
For me, it was a transforming event. Just about the time you get tired of doing weddings, you look back and remember those times when grace permeated many lives.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
* * *
The Gift
by Keith Hewitt
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
It might have been considered a chalet, built on a ridge with an unobstructed view of the tallest mountain on Earth -- if a chalet could be transparent, with the consistency of a bubble, and “built” could be a term applied to the process which had formed it in that place...a process that had nothing to do with hammer and nail, and everything to do with sheer force of will. Its outer (and only) wall was capable of withstanding the assault of wind, snow, and ice for -- literally -- as long as its occupants wished it to do so, and when they no longer so wished, it would vanish without a trace.
Amandiral sat motionless on an outcropping of rock which had been incorporated into the structure, near the center, and studied the mountain. The summit was a jagged vision of white thrust against the sky, shrouded by crystals of snow so fine they almost looked like a fog being whipped around by the wind. Amandiral had been watching with infinite patience, from the sun’s cold zenith until now, when the full moon stood nearly directly overhead. Some of that time was spent with eyes closed, just feeling the bones of the earth as they poked through its skin, a compound fracture formed by the collision of two colossal tectonic plates.
Suddenly aware of another presence, Amandiral’s gaze left the summit, to turn toward the newcomer -- a figure in white, looking not unlike Amandiral, yet different. “Yes, Afriel?”
Wordlessly, Afriel extended a hand; in it was something like a book.
Amandiral accepted it, opened the cover and scanned the inside, nodded a little wistfully and handed it back. “So, they did it,” Amandiral said simply.
“They did,” Afriel agreed. “Despite every warning...every command...despite all the advantages they could ever have, they did it.”
“And you’ve made your report?”
“Of course, told the Old Man myself, after I saw it happen. As per orders.”
“And?”
Afriel’s expression, which had been stern and businesslike, suddenly seemed more perplexed. “It was very strange. When I told him the humans had gone against his command not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, he just smiled a little and said, ‘I know.’”
And now Amandiral smiled. “I suppose he did, being omniscient, and all.”
“Then why have us watching these hairless apes? If he already knew they were going to ignore him, why bother having me down in the Garden, watching it happen? Why bother -- well, why bother with them at all?”
Amandiral said quietly, “Are you questioning the Creator?”
“No -- no, I’m not,” Afriel said hastily, suddenly feeling as though he’d just danced up to a very well defined line. “It’s just -- I don’t get it. Why create these magnificent creatures, bless them with Spirit...and then give them the ability to spurn you on their slightest whim? It makes no sense.”
“The Creator doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Have you seen the platypus, Amandiral? I have.”
“Call it what you will -- ungainly, unorthodox, whatever -- it’s not a mistake. It occupies its niche, and it survives quite well. As for humans -- he created them in his own image, Afriel, you know that -- and part of that means the ability to make choices.”
“Well, this choice is causing no end of trouble. The whole order has been upset, and humanity has separated itself from God. How can that not be a mistake?”
Amandiral’s gaze turned back to the far mountain peak. “Oh, that choice was definitely a mistake, there’s no question. Humanity turning its back on God is going to have repercussions you can’t even imagine. I suspect -- in the end -- it’s even going to cost the Creator, himself, dearly, before order is restored. But I believe he wants you -- wants us -- to continue watching, continue studying, so that we can understand them, because they are his dearest creation.”
“And his biggest disappointment, I would guess,” Afriel murmured.
“Don’t be so sure,” Amandiral answered, casting a sideways glance at Afriel, then back toward the moonlit summit. “You cannot give someone the gift of choice, the gift of free will, but only allow it to be exercised for good. If you do that, you eliminate their ability to do -- to choose -- good. Without the possibility of disobedience, the blessing of obedience is hollow.”
There was a short silence, then Afriel grunted. “That all sounds good, Amandiral -- but you leave out the consequences of disobedience. How much grief, and bloodshed, and terror are going to spring from this decision his creations have made?”
“Would humans be better off if they obeyed...if they accepted limitations?”
“Of course.”
“Of course,” Amandiral repeated thoughtfully. There was a longer silence, then, before Amandiral raised a hand to point toward the summit, bright beneath the glory of the moon. “Right now, out there it’s many times colder than ice, and the air itself is so thin that a human left to breathe it would surely die. It’s as inhospitable and inaccessible a place as you could ever imagine, on a world like this. It’s as though the earth itself posted a ‘no trespassing’ sign on the summit of the mountain.”
“And so?” Afriel asked, trying not to sound irritated.
“Just this. There is a clear limit here -- humans cannot set foot on this place. And yet, because humanity has this quirk -- this free will, this unwillingness to accept limits and boundaries, some thousands of years from now human beings will succeed in climbing to the top of that mountain. And not all that far from here, at about the same time, other human beings will be exploring ocean depths so deep they would crush an unprotected human in an instant.”
“Yes, but -- “
“And ten or twenty years after that, human beings will be walking on that moon -- that world right up there. All because humanity doesn’t accept limits, it doesn’t know boundaries. The Creator tells them one thing, and they do another -- and that’s bad. But it’s part of the same trait, the same gift the Creator gave them when he breathed the Spirit into them -- to always question, to be curious...to wonder ‘what if?’ ”
“You have an unusual way of looking at things, Amandiral. I’ll give you that.”
“It’s not just mine, Afriel. Disobedience is the source of the Creator’s greatest grief -- and the refusal to accept limits is his greatest pride. They are two facets of the same gift. Some day, if they live up to their potential, they will leave this world and touch many new ones. But that takes a race sure of its own abilities, and its own decisions.”
“You make this mess sound hopeful, Amandiral.”
“I think our Creator sees it that way, Afriel. He didn’t give them free will as a test -- it was a gift. And now we’ll watch to see what else they do with it.”
“I wonder,” Afriel said, and resolved to give humanity at least a little more time before he put in for a transfer out of Watcher duty. It might be worth the wait, he reasoned...
If they lived up to their potential.
Keith Hewitt is the author of two volumes of NaTiVity Dramas: Nontraditional Christmas Plays for All Ages (CSS). Keith's newest book NaTiVity Dramas: The Third Season will be published September 2012. He is a local pastor, co-youth leader, former Sunday school teacher, and occasional speaker at Christian events. He lives in southeastern Wisconsin with his wife, two children, and assorted dogs and cats.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 5, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 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.
"A Little Soul Searching" by Keith Wagner
"It’s All About Grace" by Keith Wagner
"The Gift" by Keith Hewitt
A Little Soul Searching
by Keith Wagner
Matthew 4:1-11
Several years ago there was a television program that was called "Super Nanny." The show was about a British woman who visited homes where the children were completely out of control. After a few weeks the families were miraculously transformed and the children were well behaved.
One of the major problems that parents had with their children was their inability to say, "no." They were in the habit of giving in and therefore the children had control over their parents. In every case there was also a lack of structure, continuity and scheduling. It wasn’t a matter of being strict disciplinarians, it was a matter of being consistent and especially saying "no" to inappropriate behavior. Therefore the children had to live with the consequences of their negative choices. But, to be able to say “no” the parents had to do a little soul searching.
Before Jesus could embark on his mission and ministry he was called to a time of soul searching. The time in the wilderness provided an arena that would prepare him to say "no" to some things and "yes" to others. Thankfully, Jesus never gave in to the devil’s temptations. He endured. He overcame temptation by remaining committed and worshipping God.
To be tempted is to be human. We have wants, desires and ambitions. There are expectations to aspire to and dreams to follow. And since we live in a society of abundance we are conditioned that we can have just about anything we want.
When we say “no” to temptation we are saying “yes” to self-control. We are practicing patience, endurance and steadfastness. Unfortunately it is difficult to stay on course because of all the distractions.
In the book, “More Stories for the Heart,” by Alice Gray, there is a story called “Back on Course” which illustrates saying “yes” to self-control. One day Bud and Sandy Snavely were sailing their sailboat, the Sensuous Sea, up the Columbia River. They got caught in a terrible storm known as a “widow maker.” Five to six foot waves were crashing against the hull. It was a long, bumpy ride. Suddenly, Bud heard the sound of something clanging against the side of the bow. Straining to see through the driving rain he noticed the anchor had come loose from the pulpit. With each thud, the danger of the anchor beating a hole in the side of the hull became greater and greater.
Bud did a frightening thing. He made his way to the bow without a lifejacket or lifeline. He left Sandy alone in the cockpit to steer the boat. Sandy was a good sailor and one of her strong-suits was keeping the boat on course. But while Bud was retrieving the anchor, hanging precariously over the side, Sandy became worried that he might fall overboard. Bud shouted at Sandy, “Stay on course, point the bow toward the marker.”
Sandy had to take her focus away from her husband who was in danger and continue to keep the boat on course. Losing sight of the marker could mean disaster because the Snavelys would no longer know their position. It was against Sandy’s instincts to turn away from her husband and keep the boat on course. Fortunately she heeded Bud’s command and kept the course. Meanwhile, Bud secured the anchor and returned to the cockpit. The Snavelys made their way safely up the river and survived the storm.
It is so easy to be distracted, especially when danger lurks in the shadows. Life has certain principles and saying “no” even when the way is risky or fearful, is necessary for us to stay on course.
We are all tempted and it is not easy to say “no” especially when there is an opportunity to acquire some great reward.
I heard a story about ten years ago about a man named, Henry Snowden. He pulled up to the drive-thru at a local Burger King and paid for a meal. He drove for a while then pulled over to eat his meal. When he reached for his sack he got the shock of his life. There was nothing wrong with his burger or fries and his drink was cold. But the clerk working at the window had given him two bags. When he opened the second bag he found $4,170 in cash.
The Burger King clerk mistakenly reached for the daily deposit which was placed in a regular lunch bag and handed it to Snowden. The idea was to use an inconspicuous container for the franchise to make its’ daily deposit. It was an honest mistake but it could have resulted in a loss for the restaurant. When Snowden opened the bag he was tempted to keep it. But he knew that returning the bag was the right thing to do. He returned the money the next day. He felt good about his decision because he said “no” to temptation.
* * *
It’s All About Grace
by Keith Wagner
Romans 5:12-19
Paul’s message of grace is addressed to the church, the community of faith. God is gracious and grace was evidenced through the life and death of Jesus Christ.
In the film, Forrest Gump, there was a scene early in the movie when no one on the school bus will give Forrest, played by Tom Hanks, a seat. His friend, Jenny, played by Robin Wright Penn, invited him to sit beside her. It was truly a moment where one person gave another person the gift of grace. When we receive God’s grace we experience acceptance from God although others may reject us.
Grace is a gift which God wants us to receive with gratitude and thanksgiving. Grace can surprise us and come in ways we do not understand. Grace can liberate us from guilt, shame and despair. Grace enables us to see our way more clearly. Most importantly, as we receive grace, God also wants us to be givers of grace.
One day there was a limousine parked along a highway. It had apparently overheated. But, no one stopped to help. Finally, after several hours, Robert Wise saw the troubled limo and stopped to help. The driver asked him if he would drive to the next town and call his boss about his predicament. "No problem," Wise responded. A short time later, Wise returned and told the driver he had made the call. He began to leave and the driver said, "Wait!" He wanted to repay him for his trouble. Wise told him it wasn't necessary but if he really wanted to do something he could send a dozen roses to his wife. The driver got the address and promised to take care of it. The flowers came and in the process the limo driver's boss learned that the Wise's were having financial problems. They were then blessed with even more grace since the boss paid off the mortgage on their home.
I believe we understand grace when we experience it in our own lives. One time I had the opportunity of attending a wedding reception. It was a busy time of the year and the bride and groom doubted that all the guests they invited would come. Apparently the evening they chose for their wedding happened to be a day when all their invited guests were free. Everyone came, and when they started arriving at the reception hall there were not enough tables to seat all the guests. Within minutes, the groom, some relatives and friends started setting up additional tables and chairs. Then, there was room for everyone. No one had to be turned away.
I am always amazed at the resourcefulness of people when there is a passion about including friends and a desire to be hospitable. This was especially true at that reception. The bride and groom sincerely cared about their guests since they didn’t hesitate to make room for all who had come.
On another occasion I was contacted by a couple to perform their wedding. The bride wanted to know if there would be any chance that she and her fiancé could have their wedding at the church I was serving. Both she and her fiancé were Roman Catholic. It was a second marriage for both of them which meant they couldn’t get married in the Catholic Church without a long process of annulments. Fortunately our church had an open policy about hosting weddings even though those getting married were not members of the church. When I told her they could have her wedding at our church she was elated. She really didn’t think we would be that open.
When we planned the wedding the couple wanted me to have communion and include the congregation. I was surprised but happy to carry out their request. So during their wedding we held communion in a protestant church for a predominantly Roman Catholic congregation.
For me, it was a transforming event. Just about the time you get tired of doing weddings, you look back and remember those times when grace permeated many lives.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
* * *
The Gift
by Keith Hewitt
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
It might have been considered a chalet, built on a ridge with an unobstructed view of the tallest mountain on Earth -- if a chalet could be transparent, with the consistency of a bubble, and “built” could be a term applied to the process which had formed it in that place...a process that had nothing to do with hammer and nail, and everything to do with sheer force of will. Its outer (and only) wall was capable of withstanding the assault of wind, snow, and ice for -- literally -- as long as its occupants wished it to do so, and when they no longer so wished, it would vanish without a trace.
Amandiral sat motionless on an outcropping of rock which had been incorporated into the structure, near the center, and studied the mountain. The summit was a jagged vision of white thrust against the sky, shrouded by crystals of snow so fine they almost looked like a fog being whipped around by the wind. Amandiral had been watching with infinite patience, from the sun’s cold zenith until now, when the full moon stood nearly directly overhead. Some of that time was spent with eyes closed, just feeling the bones of the earth as they poked through its skin, a compound fracture formed by the collision of two colossal tectonic plates.
Suddenly aware of another presence, Amandiral’s gaze left the summit, to turn toward the newcomer -- a figure in white, looking not unlike Amandiral, yet different. “Yes, Afriel?”
Wordlessly, Afriel extended a hand; in it was something like a book.
Amandiral accepted it, opened the cover and scanned the inside, nodded a little wistfully and handed it back. “So, they did it,” Amandiral said simply.
“They did,” Afriel agreed. “Despite every warning...every command...despite all the advantages they could ever have, they did it.”
“And you’ve made your report?”
“Of course, told the Old Man myself, after I saw it happen. As per orders.”
“And?”
Afriel’s expression, which had been stern and businesslike, suddenly seemed more perplexed. “It was very strange. When I told him the humans had gone against his command not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, he just smiled a little and said, ‘I know.’”
And now Amandiral smiled. “I suppose he did, being omniscient, and all.”
“Then why have us watching these hairless apes? If he already knew they were going to ignore him, why bother having me down in the Garden, watching it happen? Why bother -- well, why bother with them at all?”
Amandiral said quietly, “Are you questioning the Creator?”
“No -- no, I’m not,” Afriel said hastily, suddenly feeling as though he’d just danced up to a very well defined line. “It’s just -- I don’t get it. Why create these magnificent creatures, bless them with Spirit...and then give them the ability to spurn you on their slightest whim? It makes no sense.”
“The Creator doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Have you seen the platypus, Amandiral? I have.”
“Call it what you will -- ungainly, unorthodox, whatever -- it’s not a mistake. It occupies its niche, and it survives quite well. As for humans -- he created them in his own image, Afriel, you know that -- and part of that means the ability to make choices.”
“Well, this choice is causing no end of trouble. The whole order has been upset, and humanity has separated itself from God. How can that not be a mistake?”
Amandiral’s gaze turned back to the far mountain peak. “Oh, that choice was definitely a mistake, there’s no question. Humanity turning its back on God is going to have repercussions you can’t even imagine. I suspect -- in the end -- it’s even going to cost the Creator, himself, dearly, before order is restored. But I believe he wants you -- wants us -- to continue watching, continue studying, so that we can understand them, because they are his dearest creation.”
“And his biggest disappointment, I would guess,” Afriel murmured.
“Don’t be so sure,” Amandiral answered, casting a sideways glance at Afriel, then back toward the moonlit summit. “You cannot give someone the gift of choice, the gift of free will, but only allow it to be exercised for good. If you do that, you eliminate their ability to do -- to choose -- good. Without the possibility of disobedience, the blessing of obedience is hollow.”
There was a short silence, then Afriel grunted. “That all sounds good, Amandiral -- but you leave out the consequences of disobedience. How much grief, and bloodshed, and terror are going to spring from this decision his creations have made?”
“Would humans be better off if they obeyed...if they accepted limitations?”
“Of course.”
“Of course,” Amandiral repeated thoughtfully. There was a longer silence, then, before Amandiral raised a hand to point toward the summit, bright beneath the glory of the moon. “Right now, out there it’s many times colder than ice, and the air itself is so thin that a human left to breathe it would surely die. It’s as inhospitable and inaccessible a place as you could ever imagine, on a world like this. It’s as though the earth itself posted a ‘no trespassing’ sign on the summit of the mountain.”
“And so?” Afriel asked, trying not to sound irritated.
“Just this. There is a clear limit here -- humans cannot set foot on this place. And yet, because humanity has this quirk -- this free will, this unwillingness to accept limits and boundaries, some thousands of years from now human beings will succeed in climbing to the top of that mountain. And not all that far from here, at about the same time, other human beings will be exploring ocean depths so deep they would crush an unprotected human in an instant.”
“Yes, but -- “
“And ten or twenty years after that, human beings will be walking on that moon -- that world right up there. All because humanity doesn’t accept limits, it doesn’t know boundaries. The Creator tells them one thing, and they do another -- and that’s bad. But it’s part of the same trait, the same gift the Creator gave them when he breathed the Spirit into them -- to always question, to be curious...to wonder ‘what if?’ ”
“You have an unusual way of looking at things, Amandiral. I’ll give you that.”
“It’s not just mine, Afriel. Disobedience is the source of the Creator’s greatest grief -- and the refusal to accept limits is his greatest pride. They are two facets of the same gift. Some day, if they live up to their potential, they will leave this world and touch many new ones. But that takes a race sure of its own abilities, and its own decisions.”
“You make this mess sound hopeful, Amandiral.”
“I think our Creator sees it that way, Afriel. He didn’t give them free will as a test -- it was a gift. And now we’ll watch to see what else they do with it.”
“I wonder,” Afriel said, and resolved to give humanity at least a little more time before he put in for a transfer out of Watcher duty. It might be worth the wait, he reasoned...
If they lived up to their potential.
Keith Hewitt is the author of two volumes of NaTiVity Dramas: Nontraditional Christmas Plays for All Ages (CSS). Keith's newest book NaTiVity Dramas: The Third Season will be published September 2012. He is a local pastor, co-youth leader, former Sunday school teacher, and occasional speaker at Christian events. He lives in southeastern Wisconsin with his wife, two children, and assorted dogs and cats.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 5, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 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.
