I accompanied my wife to
the doctor and explained the situation: “My wife’s
got a problem, doc.” He looks
quizzical:
“What’s wrong?” I reply,
“Sometimes she walks with a stoop.” Says he,
“So . . .don’t walk with her.” Truer
words never spoken on the occasion of the annual
church picnic to the mountains a couple of Sundays
ago.
The stoop she walks with exclaimed how great
the picnic would be—encouraged everyone to
come—and then failed to get there with some very
important items; namely, plates, cups and
utensils.
There was lots of food, plenty to
drink—just nothing with which to hold either food
or beverage.
80 or 90 adults and kids, way up in the
mountains, too far to go to get supplies . . .and
the fearless leader was clearly empty-handed.
Now, this was an
opportune moment for the crowd to turn surly. Could’ve
been reminiscent of the well-known politician who,
while riding on a train, produced a $5 bill and
said, “I’m going to throw this five dollar bill
out the window and make somebody happy.” One of his
ardent admirers suggested, “But, sir, why don’t
you throw five $1 bills and make five people
happy?”
A member of the opposition, seated in the
corner, growled, “Why don’t you just throw
yourself out and make everybody happy?”
Sometimes, we can
imagine the worst. Winston
Churchill once received a standing ovation, and a
lady commented how flattering it must be to
receive that kind of applause. “Yes,” he
said, “but also know that if it were my hanging,
the crowd would be twice the size.” My
tendency toward self-flagellation called to mind
the headline that appeared in the papers a few
years ago:
“Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers
Should Be Belted.”
What I witnessed
instead was a most wondrous thing (and, I might
add, was actually what I would expect from this
particular crowd.) After the
initial shock, and the prayer, of course, people
instantly began to get creative: Tupperware lids,
cake pan covers, plastic bags, paper towels and
very large corn chips were instantly converted to
“plates.”
Some folks moved among the group tearing
apart large sections of tin foil to make smaller
pieces, sharing with plateless picnic-ers (a new
twist on the loaves and fishes.) Others ran
to their cars to retrieve extra cups, napkins and
other bits and pieces collected from excursions
through Sonic and McDonald’s drive-up
windows.
People shared this
little adventure with a mixture of laughter and a
sort of matter-of-fact acceptance. Actually,
most of the food was consumed, eating salad with
one’s fingers did not turn out to be so bad and
few if any were damaged in such a way as to carry
long-term scars from the experience. No therapy
will be required.
To me, it was an incredible
illustration of a great church at its best. Some
wonderful characteristics were obvious: ready forgiveness
of the dolt who misplaced the supplies (which,
interestingly enough, turned up right where I had
left them, in the kitchen at church); flexibility—handling
surprise and embracing change without fear; resiliency—bouncing
back from an adverse situation without a “victim”
mentality; resourcefulness—rising
to the occasion, using what is at hand to make a
success out of what could be a disaster; sense of
humor—not taking one’s self or the foibles of
others too seriously.
What a group—I am so
impressed, and proud to be associated with
you!
Interestingly enough, this experience
provides a metaphor for the days in which we
live.
Our life as a church is one of continuous
change, surprise and challenge. We are
seeking additional staff person(s) and we
seriously need additional education space (is a
construction project on the horizon-?-). The
strategic outlook involves a greater emphasis on
small groups, increasing use of technology and a
much broader involvement in missions. Going
forward will require a church that is flexible,
resilient, and resourceful, a healthy group that
can work hard, share easily and laugh
together.
Even when life is not the picnic we
anticipated, we know that we can do more than
merely survive. We can do
well, enjoy each other’s company and thrive
creatively!
One other
characteristic I observed that Sunday afternoon
about you: you are teachable. The
lesson:
don’t let the preacher be responsible for
getting the plates next year.
I can hardly wait to
picnic with you into the future!
Love,
Pastor
Chuck
