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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 24, 2005 I AM NOT! |
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FRONTLINE DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2005 by Fritz
Foltz
Matthew
5: 13-16
Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You are the light of the world, Jesus. How do you
get off claiming I am? I do not want that responsibility.
There are days I feel like that. I would just as soon let Jesus have the honor
of being the light of the world. There is a side of me that echoes Charles
Barkley crying athletes are not role models and should not be forced into being
so. On those days I am not at all comfortable hearing today’s lesson pass that
title on to me.
Yet that is exactly what happens at every baptism. We all light our own candles
from the Christ Candle and tell one another, “Let your light so shine before
others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven”.
Al baptized Christians are called to be role models whether they like it or not.
My favorite role model story makes that point. It has haunted me for 35 years.
It concerns an old friend I shall call Robert Carl. Robert is an
alcoholic, so I shall avoid his real name. In fact, when he was sober he
was a leader in Alcoholics Anonymous. He talked the talk very well.
But time and time again he would slip, because he just could not walk the walk.
On this particular day, his wife called me to come sit with him. She was
leaving and afraid he might harm himself. So there we sat watching
her pack her bags, load the car, and leave for good. She stopped on the
way out to confess she still loved Robert, but could not live with his drinking
any more. Needless to say I was talking to a broken man. He cried and
cried asking, "What am I going to do now?" Then he began to talk
about Glenn Richie. Glenn was a weaver in the Bloomsburg silk mill and a council
person in my first Church. Robert said time after time when the
darkness seemed ready to overcome him, he would be rescued by Glenn Richie.
Glenn always gave him hope, always helped him find the light. His goal in
life was to be like Glenn: to sit with his family in Church, to be a respected
member of the community. Glenn's witness was what kept him going.
As he spoke in great pain, it was evident that Glenn was still his role model.
I left worrying if Robert would be safe, but I was a lot more comfortable than
usual because of Glenn Richie. Maybe two weeks later I was alone with
Glenn and used the occasion to report how much I was very impressed with his
helping Robert. Glenn looked at me like I was crazy and asked,
"Robert who? You must have the wrong name." He had no idea who
Robert was. In the end he figured out he was in his bowling league.
Glenn said they would have been at the same bowling alley every Monday evening,
but he could not remember ever having had a conversation with him. Yet
obviously Robert watched Glenn Richie like a hawk.
For almost forty years that incident has caused me to be very careful how I act.
Neither Charles Barkley nor any other of us can deny the role. Others are
watching. We are the Light of the World in this time and place. God depends on
us and other people depend on us, because that is how religion is taught. We all
learn how to be God’s people not by what we read in books but by what we see
in people.
Let us pray: Enable me to reflect Christ’s light in all I do, Father, that I
may live out my baptism and be an example for others. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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