Finding Your Way
Stories
Object:
Contents
"Finding Your Way" by Peter Andrew Smith
"Protected by Joy" by C. David McKirachan
Finding Your Way
by Peter Andrew Smith
Luke 3:7-18
“It’s not important.” Lily stepped to one side to avoid a couple rushing to the other end of the airport. “Which gate are we working again?”
“Twelve- C.” Marcie pointed down the corridor. “I don’t understand why you think church is not important. If I didn’t have my faith I’d be lost.”
“I’m doing okay.” Lily followed behind Marcie. “Besides everyone in my family goes to church. They have me covered.”
Marcie shook her head as they reached the small waiting area. “That isn’t enough.”
“Why not? I believe in God and I go sometimes at Christmas. I’m just busy, you know.” Lily stowed her bag under the desk and turned on the monitors. “Besides my Gran goes to church every week without fail. She does enough church for her and me.”
Marcie rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t work that way, Lily.”
“How do you know?”
“That makes no sense.”
“I’m from a good church-going family. That has to count for something.” Lily flicked some lint off her uniform.
“It’s good for them but it does nothing for you. You have to go to church, pray, and read your Bible.”
“You are starting to sound like Gran.”
Marcie stopped and starred at her colleague. “If you think that your Grandmother is such a good person then why aren’t you listening to her?”
“Gran is always on me about one thing or another.” Lily sighed. “She doesn’t understand my schedule makes it hard to do things like go to church.”
“You know there is a chapel at every airport we fly into.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lily waved her hands. “I don’t think I need it. She has me covered.”
“You’re not getting the point.” Marcie shook her head. “Faith is something that you have to do.”
“Agree to disagree I guess.” Lily smiled at the pilot heading their way. “Hey Captain Dan, you look happier than normal today.”
Captain Dan smiled at them and sat his briefcase on the desk. “This is my last flight before I’m off to spend some time with the family.”
“How old are your kids now?”
“Jay is three and Paul is six.” He held up his phone and showed them some recent pictures. “I can’t wait for Christmas with them.”
“They are getting so big,” Lily said. “Give our love to Sally”
“Will do. I suppose I best get the preflight done so that we can get underway on time.” Dan picked up his case. “Dad always said a pilot who was on time was right on everything else as well.”
Marcie smiled. “Your father was a pilot?”
“Yeah, he flew for years and my grandfather before him. Come to think of it my great-grandfather flew in the war.” Dan touched his pilot’s wings. “I guess you can say that it is in my blood.”
“I always thought you were at home on a plane,” Lily said. “You were born to fly.”
“Right. I wish the instructors at flight school had your attitude.” Dan laughed. “Come to think of it I’m glad they ignored my relatives and pushed me as hard as they did.”
They waved as he went on board. Marcie turned to Lily. “Of all the pilots we fly with I think I like him the best.”
“He certainly knows what he is doing.” Lily frowned. “I hear one of the bigger companies is trying to hire him away.”
Marcie sighed. “I hope he stays.”
Lily opened her mouth to say something more but the first passengers began to arrive at the gate.
There was the usual hassles for this time of year but eventually they got everything settled and everyone was signed in. When the last passenger was headed toward the plane Marcie turned off the monitor.
Lily grabbed her bag from underneath the desk. “I guess I should do something about it.”
“About what?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “About going to church and taking God more seriously.”
“So my words convinced you?”
“They may have got me thinking,” Lily admitted. “But Captain Dan was the one who convinced me.”
Marcie’s brow furrowed. “He didn’t say a word about church or God.”
“No, but he grew up in a family of pilots and that didn’t automatically make him a good pilot. He had to work at it,” Lily said. “I guess I need to think of my family less as a reason not to go to church and more as role models for me to follow.”
Marcie smiled as Lily lead the way down the path they both needed take.
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.
* * *
Protected by Joy
by David McKirachan
Philippians 4:4-7
Ever since I started being a pastor, I made a point of using the ecclesiastical seasons to inject color, drama, and meaning into the church year. Along with them go the colors for antependia, banners, candles, and robes. In the middle of Advent and Lent the purple turns pink, the fasts relax, and the themes recall the mercy and grace of our Lord. In Advent the traditional theme is Joy.
The debate over Advent has always been interesting. Should we stick to our preparation and stay away from Christmas until we arrive at the moment. Or should we use the themes of Advent, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love to help the people find meaning even in the materialistic Niagara that starts before Thanksgiving.
I have always danced the fence, emphasizing the Advent themes, lighting the Advent wreath in worship, preaching on a unifying theme for the whole season, and using the prophets and the passages from the beginning of Luke and Matthew to move toward the explosion with some meaning other than deals at the Mall.
So Joy is a hum dinger. All that stuff out there is focused on happiness, pushing and shoving us to buy, go, and do all kinds of things to make our kids, our wives, our husbands, our significant others, our selves happy. Joy is unknown.
When the Giants won the Super bowl most of the people at my party were hoarse for three days. It was hard not to talk about it. It pushed everything else out of our agendas. On a totally different level, the day I married my wife, or when my kids were born there was nothing else that took precedence. These moments not only made me happy, they filled my heart and mind with a presence that lifted all the moments of my days to a clear place. Those moments were places of hope and peace. They glowed.
Paul knew those places. Even in prison, waiting to die, he knew the victory was won, he knew that the prophets’ words were true, “Behold, the days are coming says our Lord.” In that place he was protected, kept safe, and free of doubt. The name of that place is Joy.
There is no season no environment too cold, too nuts, too dark, too poor, too secular to stop the coming of our Lord. “Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee oh Israel.” Merry Christmas.
C. David McKirachan is pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury in central New Jersey. He also teaches at Monmouth University. Two of his books, I Happened Upon a Miracle and A Year of Wonder, have been published by Westminster John Knox Press. McKirachan was raised in a pastor's home and he is the brother of a pastor, and he has discovered his name indicates that he has druid roots. Storytelling seems to be a congenital disorder. He lives with his 21-year-old son Ben and his dog Sam.
*****************************************
StoryShare, December 13, 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.
"Finding Your Way" by Peter Andrew Smith
"Protected by Joy" by C. David McKirachan
Finding Your Way
by Peter Andrew Smith
Luke 3:7-18
“It’s not important.” Lily stepped to one side to avoid a couple rushing to the other end of the airport. “Which gate are we working again?”
“Twelve- C.” Marcie pointed down the corridor. “I don’t understand why you think church is not important. If I didn’t have my faith I’d be lost.”
“I’m doing okay.” Lily followed behind Marcie. “Besides everyone in my family goes to church. They have me covered.”
Marcie shook her head as they reached the small waiting area. “That isn’t enough.”
“Why not? I believe in God and I go sometimes at Christmas. I’m just busy, you know.” Lily stowed her bag under the desk and turned on the monitors. “Besides my Gran goes to church every week without fail. She does enough church for her and me.”
Marcie rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t work that way, Lily.”
“How do you know?”
“That makes no sense.”
“I’m from a good church-going family. That has to count for something.” Lily flicked some lint off her uniform.
“It’s good for them but it does nothing for you. You have to go to church, pray, and read your Bible.”
“You are starting to sound like Gran.”
Marcie stopped and starred at her colleague. “If you think that your Grandmother is such a good person then why aren’t you listening to her?”
“Gran is always on me about one thing or another.” Lily sighed. “She doesn’t understand my schedule makes it hard to do things like go to church.”
“You know there is a chapel at every airport we fly into.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lily waved her hands. “I don’t think I need it. She has me covered.”
“You’re not getting the point.” Marcie shook her head. “Faith is something that you have to do.”
“Agree to disagree I guess.” Lily smiled at the pilot heading their way. “Hey Captain Dan, you look happier than normal today.”
Captain Dan smiled at them and sat his briefcase on the desk. “This is my last flight before I’m off to spend some time with the family.”
“How old are your kids now?”
“Jay is three and Paul is six.” He held up his phone and showed them some recent pictures. “I can’t wait for Christmas with them.”
“They are getting so big,” Lily said. “Give our love to Sally”
“Will do. I suppose I best get the preflight done so that we can get underway on time.” Dan picked up his case. “Dad always said a pilot who was on time was right on everything else as well.”
Marcie smiled. “Your father was a pilot?”
“Yeah, he flew for years and my grandfather before him. Come to think of it my great-grandfather flew in the war.” Dan touched his pilot’s wings. “I guess you can say that it is in my blood.”
“I always thought you were at home on a plane,” Lily said. “You were born to fly.”
“Right. I wish the instructors at flight school had your attitude.” Dan laughed. “Come to think of it I’m glad they ignored my relatives and pushed me as hard as they did.”
They waved as he went on board. Marcie turned to Lily. “Of all the pilots we fly with I think I like him the best.”
“He certainly knows what he is doing.” Lily frowned. “I hear one of the bigger companies is trying to hire him away.”
Marcie sighed. “I hope he stays.”
Lily opened her mouth to say something more but the first passengers began to arrive at the gate.
There was the usual hassles for this time of year but eventually they got everything settled and everyone was signed in. When the last passenger was headed toward the plane Marcie turned off the monitor.
Lily grabbed her bag from underneath the desk. “I guess I should do something about it.”
“About what?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “About going to church and taking God more seriously.”
“So my words convinced you?”
“They may have got me thinking,” Lily admitted. “But Captain Dan was the one who convinced me.”
Marcie’s brow furrowed. “He didn’t say a word about church or God.”
“No, but he grew up in a family of pilots and that didn’t automatically make him a good pilot. He had to work at it,” Lily said. “I guess I need to think of my family less as a reason not to go to church and more as role models for me to follow.”
Marcie smiled as Lily lead the way down the path they both needed take.
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.
* * *
Protected by Joy
by David McKirachan
Philippians 4:4-7
Ever since I started being a pastor, I made a point of using the ecclesiastical seasons to inject color, drama, and meaning into the church year. Along with them go the colors for antependia, banners, candles, and robes. In the middle of Advent and Lent the purple turns pink, the fasts relax, and the themes recall the mercy and grace of our Lord. In Advent the traditional theme is Joy.
The debate over Advent has always been interesting. Should we stick to our preparation and stay away from Christmas until we arrive at the moment. Or should we use the themes of Advent, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love to help the people find meaning even in the materialistic Niagara that starts before Thanksgiving.
I have always danced the fence, emphasizing the Advent themes, lighting the Advent wreath in worship, preaching on a unifying theme for the whole season, and using the prophets and the passages from the beginning of Luke and Matthew to move toward the explosion with some meaning other than deals at the Mall.
So Joy is a hum dinger. All that stuff out there is focused on happiness, pushing and shoving us to buy, go, and do all kinds of things to make our kids, our wives, our husbands, our significant others, our selves happy. Joy is unknown.
When the Giants won the Super bowl most of the people at my party were hoarse for three days. It was hard not to talk about it. It pushed everything else out of our agendas. On a totally different level, the day I married my wife, or when my kids were born there was nothing else that took precedence. These moments not only made me happy, they filled my heart and mind with a presence that lifted all the moments of my days to a clear place. Those moments were places of hope and peace. They glowed.
Paul knew those places. Even in prison, waiting to die, he knew the victory was won, he knew that the prophets’ words were true, “Behold, the days are coming says our Lord.” In that place he was protected, kept safe, and free of doubt. The name of that place is Joy.
There is no season no environment too cold, too nuts, too dark, too poor, too secular to stop the coming of our Lord. “Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee oh Israel.” Merry Christmas.
C. David McKirachan is pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury in central New Jersey. He also teaches at Monmouth University. Two of his books, I Happened Upon a Miracle and A Year of Wonder, have been published by Westminster John Knox Press. McKirachan was raised in a pastor's home and he is the brother of a pastor, and he has discovered his name indicates that he has druid roots. Storytelling seems to be a congenital disorder. He lives with his 21-year-old son Ben and his dog Sam.
*****************************************
StoryShare, December 13, 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.
