Change Is Essential For Newness
Stories
Object:
Contents
"Change is Essential for Newness" by Keith Wagner
"Living Our Beliefs" by Keith Wagner
"Who is Family?" by Peter Andrew Smith
* * * * * * *
Change is Essential for Newness
by Keith Wagner
1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)
The Israelites were unhappy with Samuel, their aging leader. They were demanding change. As a result Saul became their new king. Change is never easy. People have difficulty letting go and making the transition to newness.
In the 1960’s the Swiss were the world’s leaders in making watches. They invented the first quartz watch prototype. But, their failure to recognize the implications of their development caused them to dismiss the new technology. Consequently Japan quickly snapped up the opportunity.
Since the Swiss were resistant to change the Japanese took over the market with the electronic watch. The Swiss share of watchmaking collapsed from 65 percent to less than 10 percent within 10 years, and it took many more years for the Swiss to climb back up. The Swiss continued to improve upon what they had been doing, further refining the manufacture of watch gears and springs and offering waterproof and self-winding watches. Key to their comeback was the Swatch, an affordable, trend-setting product aimed at a non-traditional market. However they would never again dominate the watch making market.
Change is inevitable. As humans we resist it but change can also mean rebirth. To adapt to change we have to trust that God will be with us because God is always recreating and moving us forward.
In 1980 Mount Saint Helens erupted, and the Pacific Northwest was aw struck by its devastating impact. Forests were destroyed by fire and many of the rivers were filled with debris. Most all the fish and other wildlife died. As toxic fumes filled the air the experts predicted that acid rain would develop from the ash-laden clouds. The future for the area seemed bleak.
Surprisingly, less than a year after the eruption, scientists discovered that despite the fact that the rivers had been clogged with hot mud, volcanic ash, and floating debris, some of the salmon and other fish had managed to survive. By using alternate streams and waterways, some of which were less than six inches deep, the fish returned home to spawn. Within a few short years, the fields, lakes, and rivers surrounding Mount Saint Helen rebounded with new life. The water and soil somehow benefitted from the nutrients supplied by the volcano. Eventually the mountain began to show signs of new vegetation.
Unfortunately the volcanic disaster changed the landscape and interrupted the lives of many communities. Nevertheless there was rebirth.
Just as Samuel had to yield his leadership to Saul, we have to trust in the changing leadership of our times as well. We also have to change with the times, listening to the visionary voices in our midst.
There are times when we all become complacent. It is easier to stay the course than work for change. Currently in the United States we are going through a critical process of change that has to do with our justice system. There have been a number of incidents where police officers wrongfully abused people who are minorities. Consequently we have experienced protests, angry neighbors and even violence.
Many police forces throughout the country are making improvements in the training of officers and deputies. Local governments are having town meetings and networking to bring about change that will enable us as a society to be more just. Unfortunately some innocent people have died and there is tension in many cities.
In Dayton, Ohio police officers are having conversations with people in the neighborhoods they are commissioned to protect. The “coffee with a cop” program is gaining momentum. Leadership has learned that the best way to bring about change is to enhance relationships.
Eventually Samuel anoints Saul as the newly appointed King. He gave his blessing to his successor which helped to create peace and comfort to the Israelites.
* * *
Living Our Beliefs
by Keith Wagner
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Paul was telling the Church at Corinth to persevere in spite of their time of affliction. “7For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,” he stated. In other words the church folks at Corinth were to identify with Jesus, as the suffering servant and the one who was resurrected.
In April, 1973, the Park Center YMCA in Midland, Texas, asked for volunteers to help repair seventeen run-down homes in the city. The effort was so successful that Midlanders made it an annual event. After volunteers had completed repairs on one home, the owner opened her front door and exclaimed, “It’s just like Christmas in April.” The name stuck. “Christmas in April” has made hundreds of homes livable in Midland and it also brought the people together. Men and women, young and old, black, white, and Hispanic built a community spirit. The program became a tradition and one year they repaired 84 homes. Midlanders have learned that helping others benefits the whole community. All they had to do was rearrange their priorities, pull their resources and go to work.
As long as love of neighbor continues in this world, there is evidence of the risen Lord. We live our beliefs by loving our neighbors. And just as Jesus was resurrected we believe in the power of God who can resurrect an entire community.
Valmeyer, Illinois is a small town of German immigrants. It is a town of about 900 people who were ravaged by the flood waters of the Mississippi for years. The Army Corps of Engineers constructed a levee system to protect the village and surrounding area. This levee system successfully protected the area from flooding for almost 50 years. But, the great flood of 1993 totally inundated Valmeyer. The people lost everything: their homes, their work places, and their entire town.
After the flood receded, the village accepted federal government assistance to relocate to higher ground about 2 miles to the east. The new town, now known as New Valmeyer, is 400 feet higher, located on top of the bluffs of Old Valmeyer. The town of Valmeyer received thirty-five million dollars of government money, to help pay for the school, streets, sewer systems, and many other buildings and important things a town needs, including the community center, which is used for the fire and police department.
Not everybody left their homes, however, a few decided to stay and rebuild or fix their homes while others decided to just move out of Valmeyer, all together. The school was rebuilt right in the middle of town, the most important thing to the residents of Valmeyer. They wanted the kids to feel like they were home again, and when it was all said and done, they could really tell the difference in the lives of their children.
The congregation of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Valmeyer saw all of its buildings destroyed in the Great Flood too. However, they continued to function as the church, without buildings, for three years. During that time, they helped relocate and rebuild their small town, and finally entered their beautiful new church buildings in l996. Although it took government funds to finance the reconstruction, God’s people were very much involved in the process.
Paul also said, “Since we believe, so we speak.” As people of faith the words that we say can change lives because of our commitment to Christ.
One time there was a young man who lived a miserable life. He was orphaned at the age of three and taken in by strangers. He was kicked out of school, suffered from poverty and developed a serious heart condition. His wife died at an early age and he was an invalid most of his life. But, in spite of all these setbacks he never quit expressing himself. In his adult life, which only lasted twenty years, he produced some of the most brilliant articles, poems and essays ever written. His poems are in the English classes of virtually every high school in the United States. His short stories are world famous. His name was Edgar Allen Poe.
Poe did not look back. While he had every reason to quit and give up, he continued to press on. Followers of Jesus are those who don’t look back. Instead, they are the ones who press on, serving others as they witness through words and deeds.
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.
* * *
Who is Family?
by Peter Andrew Smith
Mark 3:20-35
John stood next to Aunt Ruth and greeted mourners in the small room of the funeral home. As per his mother’s wishes, there were only a couple of small flower arrangements beside the modest casket.
The first half hour he didn’t recognize many of the people and relied on Aunt Ruth to introduce them. He heard remembrances of his mother as a girl from some of her classmates who still kept in touch and a few neighbours from the street her family had lived on for years came out to express their sympathies and reassure him that his mother came “from a good family.”
After that, though, John recognized the visitors or they introduced themselves and John found himself both laughing and crying as stories were told about his mother’s love of life and her generous nature. During a break, John sat down to collect he thoughts. He took a drink of water from the glasses set out for the family.
“Who were all those people?” Aunt Ruth sat down beside him. “I didn’t know any of them.”
“They are folks from the downtown mission,” John said.
“Staff?”
“No, although I suppose most of them help out in some way.”
She frowned. “How did they know Alice?”
“Mom volunteered with me at the soup kitchen after she retired.” John smiled as he remembered. “She loved it there.”
“She did?” Ruth looked at the casket. “I wouldn’t have expected Alice to be into that sort of thing.”
“Mom was in her element,” John said. “She talked to everyone. She always stayed until the last person left.”
“Huh.” Ruth snorted. “So that is why there are so many of those type of people here tonight.”
“What type of people?”
“You know.” Ruth waved a hand. “Not our sort of people.”
John’s smile froze in place. “What sort of people do you mean, Aunt Ruth?”
“Not from our area of town,” Ruth said.
“Most of them live fairly close to Mom’s apartment.”
“I never understood why Alice chose to move away from the neighbourhood.” Ruth slumped back in her chair. “This has been a long evening.”
John chose to focus on her last comment. “It is exhausting but it’s also wonderful to see so many of her friends come out to pay their respects.”
“Friends?” Ruth shook her head. “They weren’t her friends. They were people who came to where she worked looking for a hand out.”
“She knew every single one of them. She spent hours talking to them each week at the Mission.”
“Friends are people you share something in common with.”
“Did you know that Mom started a community garden?” John asked.
“Your mother always did have a green thumb,” Ruth said. “As a teenager, her flowers were the envy of the garden club. What did she grow?”
“Tomatoes were her specialty but she grew pretty much anything you could eat.”
“Vegetables? Why in heaven’s name would she waste her time growing them when you can buy such good produce in the stores?”
“She learned that the people in the area couldn’t afford fresh vegetables so she found a vacant lot and organized a community garden. A lot of people who come to the soup kitchen worked alongside her. She loved being there on the weekends weeding and talking to people.”
“Huh.” Ruth’s face scrunched up. “What about all the garden parties she would go to in the summer? When did she find time for all of it?”
“Garden parties?” John laughed. “That is what Mom called the time she spent at the community garden.”
“I’m glad I never knew.” Ruth scowled. “I wouldn’t have worried about her among those sorts of people.”
John realized he was not going to be able to ignore the elephant in the room any longer. “What sort of people, Aunt Ruth?”
“You know, the sort of people who came here tonight.” Ruth shivered. “People who do not have education, breeding, and money.”
“So what?” John said. “The people I saw here tonight loved Mom and she loved them. Some like Dave, the fellow with the beard and long hair, started back to church because of her.”
Ruth scoffed. “She did always have a soft spot for charity cases.”
John sighed and realized a change of topic was in order. “So did you want to come to the reception after the memorial service?”
“Absolutely,” Ruth said. “Which club is it at?”
“It’s going to be at the Mission. Mom left money in her will to sponsor a special meal for anyone who wants to attend.”
“Why would she want to hold the meal with those people instead of her own flesh and blood?”
“Aunt Ruth, we are invited.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it, John. Why did she put money aside for them?”
“Honestly?” John stood up as more people from the Mission came through the door. “Because they were her family.”
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada currently serving St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things are Ready (CSS) a book of lectionary based communion prayers and a number of stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
*****************************************
StoryShare, June 7, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 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.
"Change is Essential for Newness" by Keith Wagner
"Living Our Beliefs" by Keith Wagner
"Who is Family?" by Peter Andrew Smith
* * * * * * *
Change is Essential for Newness
by Keith Wagner
1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)
The Israelites were unhappy with Samuel, their aging leader. They were demanding change. As a result Saul became their new king. Change is never easy. People have difficulty letting go and making the transition to newness.
In the 1960’s the Swiss were the world’s leaders in making watches. They invented the first quartz watch prototype. But, their failure to recognize the implications of their development caused them to dismiss the new technology. Consequently Japan quickly snapped up the opportunity.
Since the Swiss were resistant to change the Japanese took over the market with the electronic watch. The Swiss share of watchmaking collapsed from 65 percent to less than 10 percent within 10 years, and it took many more years for the Swiss to climb back up. The Swiss continued to improve upon what they had been doing, further refining the manufacture of watch gears and springs and offering waterproof and self-winding watches. Key to their comeback was the Swatch, an affordable, trend-setting product aimed at a non-traditional market. However they would never again dominate the watch making market.
Change is inevitable. As humans we resist it but change can also mean rebirth. To adapt to change we have to trust that God will be with us because God is always recreating and moving us forward.
In 1980 Mount Saint Helens erupted, and the Pacific Northwest was aw struck by its devastating impact. Forests were destroyed by fire and many of the rivers were filled with debris. Most all the fish and other wildlife died. As toxic fumes filled the air the experts predicted that acid rain would develop from the ash-laden clouds. The future for the area seemed bleak.
Surprisingly, less than a year after the eruption, scientists discovered that despite the fact that the rivers had been clogged with hot mud, volcanic ash, and floating debris, some of the salmon and other fish had managed to survive. By using alternate streams and waterways, some of which were less than six inches deep, the fish returned home to spawn. Within a few short years, the fields, lakes, and rivers surrounding Mount Saint Helen rebounded with new life. The water and soil somehow benefitted from the nutrients supplied by the volcano. Eventually the mountain began to show signs of new vegetation.
Unfortunately the volcanic disaster changed the landscape and interrupted the lives of many communities. Nevertheless there was rebirth.
Just as Samuel had to yield his leadership to Saul, we have to trust in the changing leadership of our times as well. We also have to change with the times, listening to the visionary voices in our midst.
There are times when we all become complacent. It is easier to stay the course than work for change. Currently in the United States we are going through a critical process of change that has to do with our justice system. There have been a number of incidents where police officers wrongfully abused people who are minorities. Consequently we have experienced protests, angry neighbors and even violence.
Many police forces throughout the country are making improvements in the training of officers and deputies. Local governments are having town meetings and networking to bring about change that will enable us as a society to be more just. Unfortunately some innocent people have died and there is tension in many cities.
In Dayton, Ohio police officers are having conversations with people in the neighborhoods they are commissioned to protect. The “coffee with a cop” program is gaining momentum. Leadership has learned that the best way to bring about change is to enhance relationships.
Eventually Samuel anoints Saul as the newly appointed King. He gave his blessing to his successor which helped to create peace and comfort to the Israelites.
* * *
Living Our Beliefs
by Keith Wagner
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Paul was telling the Church at Corinth to persevere in spite of their time of affliction. “7For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,” he stated. In other words the church folks at Corinth were to identify with Jesus, as the suffering servant and the one who was resurrected.
In April, 1973, the Park Center YMCA in Midland, Texas, asked for volunteers to help repair seventeen run-down homes in the city. The effort was so successful that Midlanders made it an annual event. After volunteers had completed repairs on one home, the owner opened her front door and exclaimed, “It’s just like Christmas in April.” The name stuck. “Christmas in April” has made hundreds of homes livable in Midland and it also brought the people together. Men and women, young and old, black, white, and Hispanic built a community spirit. The program became a tradition and one year they repaired 84 homes. Midlanders have learned that helping others benefits the whole community. All they had to do was rearrange their priorities, pull their resources and go to work.
As long as love of neighbor continues in this world, there is evidence of the risen Lord. We live our beliefs by loving our neighbors. And just as Jesus was resurrected we believe in the power of God who can resurrect an entire community.
Valmeyer, Illinois is a small town of German immigrants. It is a town of about 900 people who were ravaged by the flood waters of the Mississippi for years. The Army Corps of Engineers constructed a levee system to protect the village and surrounding area. This levee system successfully protected the area from flooding for almost 50 years. But, the great flood of 1993 totally inundated Valmeyer. The people lost everything: their homes, their work places, and their entire town.
After the flood receded, the village accepted federal government assistance to relocate to higher ground about 2 miles to the east. The new town, now known as New Valmeyer, is 400 feet higher, located on top of the bluffs of Old Valmeyer. The town of Valmeyer received thirty-five million dollars of government money, to help pay for the school, streets, sewer systems, and many other buildings and important things a town needs, including the community center, which is used for the fire and police department.
Not everybody left their homes, however, a few decided to stay and rebuild or fix their homes while others decided to just move out of Valmeyer, all together. The school was rebuilt right in the middle of town, the most important thing to the residents of Valmeyer. They wanted the kids to feel like they were home again, and when it was all said and done, they could really tell the difference in the lives of their children.
The congregation of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Valmeyer saw all of its buildings destroyed in the Great Flood too. However, they continued to function as the church, without buildings, for three years. During that time, they helped relocate and rebuild their small town, and finally entered their beautiful new church buildings in l996. Although it took government funds to finance the reconstruction, God’s people were very much involved in the process.
Paul also said, “Since we believe, so we speak.” As people of faith the words that we say can change lives because of our commitment to Christ.
One time there was a young man who lived a miserable life. He was orphaned at the age of three and taken in by strangers. He was kicked out of school, suffered from poverty and developed a serious heart condition. His wife died at an early age and he was an invalid most of his life. But, in spite of all these setbacks he never quit expressing himself. In his adult life, which only lasted twenty years, he produced some of the most brilliant articles, poems and essays ever written. His poems are in the English classes of virtually every high school in the United States. His short stories are world famous. His name was Edgar Allen Poe.
Poe did not look back. While he had every reason to quit and give up, he continued to press on. Followers of Jesus are those who don’t look back. Instead, they are the ones who press on, serving others as they witness through words and deeds.
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.
* * *
Who is Family?
by Peter Andrew Smith
Mark 3:20-35
John stood next to Aunt Ruth and greeted mourners in the small room of the funeral home. As per his mother’s wishes, there were only a couple of small flower arrangements beside the modest casket.
The first half hour he didn’t recognize many of the people and relied on Aunt Ruth to introduce them. He heard remembrances of his mother as a girl from some of her classmates who still kept in touch and a few neighbours from the street her family had lived on for years came out to express their sympathies and reassure him that his mother came “from a good family.”
After that, though, John recognized the visitors or they introduced themselves and John found himself both laughing and crying as stories were told about his mother’s love of life and her generous nature. During a break, John sat down to collect he thoughts. He took a drink of water from the glasses set out for the family.
“Who were all those people?” Aunt Ruth sat down beside him. “I didn’t know any of them.”
“They are folks from the downtown mission,” John said.
“Staff?”
“No, although I suppose most of them help out in some way.”
She frowned. “How did they know Alice?”
“Mom volunteered with me at the soup kitchen after she retired.” John smiled as he remembered. “She loved it there.”
“She did?” Ruth looked at the casket. “I wouldn’t have expected Alice to be into that sort of thing.”
“Mom was in her element,” John said. “She talked to everyone. She always stayed until the last person left.”
“Huh.” Ruth snorted. “So that is why there are so many of those type of people here tonight.”
“What type of people?”
“You know.” Ruth waved a hand. “Not our sort of people.”
John’s smile froze in place. “What sort of people do you mean, Aunt Ruth?”
“Not from our area of town,” Ruth said.
“Most of them live fairly close to Mom’s apartment.”
“I never understood why Alice chose to move away from the neighbourhood.” Ruth slumped back in her chair. “This has been a long evening.”
John chose to focus on her last comment. “It is exhausting but it’s also wonderful to see so many of her friends come out to pay their respects.”
“Friends?” Ruth shook her head. “They weren’t her friends. They were people who came to where she worked looking for a hand out.”
“She knew every single one of them. She spent hours talking to them each week at the Mission.”
“Friends are people you share something in common with.”
“Did you know that Mom started a community garden?” John asked.
“Your mother always did have a green thumb,” Ruth said. “As a teenager, her flowers were the envy of the garden club. What did she grow?”
“Tomatoes were her specialty but she grew pretty much anything you could eat.”
“Vegetables? Why in heaven’s name would she waste her time growing them when you can buy such good produce in the stores?”
“She learned that the people in the area couldn’t afford fresh vegetables so she found a vacant lot and organized a community garden. A lot of people who come to the soup kitchen worked alongside her. She loved being there on the weekends weeding and talking to people.”
“Huh.” Ruth’s face scrunched up. “What about all the garden parties she would go to in the summer? When did she find time for all of it?”
“Garden parties?” John laughed. “That is what Mom called the time she spent at the community garden.”
“I’m glad I never knew.” Ruth scowled. “I wouldn’t have worried about her among those sorts of people.”
John realized he was not going to be able to ignore the elephant in the room any longer. “What sort of people, Aunt Ruth?”
“You know, the sort of people who came here tonight.” Ruth shivered. “People who do not have education, breeding, and money.”
“So what?” John said. “The people I saw here tonight loved Mom and she loved them. Some like Dave, the fellow with the beard and long hair, started back to church because of her.”
Ruth scoffed. “She did always have a soft spot for charity cases.”
John sighed and realized a change of topic was in order. “So did you want to come to the reception after the memorial service?”
“Absolutely,” Ruth said. “Which club is it at?”
“It’s going to be at the Mission. Mom left money in her will to sponsor a special meal for anyone who wants to attend.”
“Why would she want to hold the meal with those people instead of her own flesh and blood?”
“Aunt Ruth, we are invited.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it, John. Why did she put money aside for them?”
“Honestly?” John stood up as more people from the Mission came through the door. “Because they were her family.”
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada currently serving St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things are Ready (CSS) a book of lectionary based communion prayers and a number of stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
*****************************************
StoryShare, June 7, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 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.
