Central United Methodist Church

Lewis Street at Beverley
Staunton VA
Founded in 1797
Rev. David D. Reed, Pastor
 
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October 2005

Hope

The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city's hospitals.  One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child.  She took the child's name and room number and talked briefly with the child's regular class teacher. "We're studying nouns and adverbsin his class now," the regular teacher said, "and I'd be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too far behind."

The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon.  No one had mentioned to her taht the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain.  Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, "I've been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs."  When she left she felt she hadn't accomplished much.

But the next day, a nurse asked her, "What did you do to that boy?"  The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize.  "No, no," said the nurse.  "You don't know what I mean.  We've been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed.  He's fighting back, responding to treatment.  It's as though he's decided to live."
Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived.  Everything changed when he came to a simple realization.  He expressed it this way:  "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?"  (Bits & Pieces, July 1991.)

For a variety of reasons you and I are living in a time of chaos.  People are struggling to hold themselves together long enough to find meaning for their lives.  Too often that to which people turn for shelter or strength proves to be inadequate and destructive.  Their shelter gives way to the wind and the storm leaving them explosed to the raw elements of life.  Pain and disappointment intensifies the chaos as disillusionment overwhelms hope and cynicism becomes the new means for a place of safety.  In its most extended form cynicism says if everyone and everything is unreliable, then I can only trust myself.  The problem is, even though I am sincere when I say I can trust only myself, I know my personal failures.  So, even I am not utterly reliable.

Is there no hope? Yes!  Hope in abundance.  There is hope that can vanquish cynicism; hope that can provide shelter from even the rawest elements of life; hope that is personal and yet universal.  Where is such hope to be found?  It is offered to us in the faithfulness of God's love as shown to us in the life and resurrection of Jesus.  Would God have sent Jesus to the pain and chaos of the world if nothing could be done?  "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?"

Still learning from the Teacher,

David

 

 

 

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