Let's see how many of you can answer this question. What is the first name of the gentleman pictured above? Here's a few hints: Rose quickly in the ranks of the US Army during the Civil War. Medal of Honor winner. Died at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. His last name was ....... Custer! It's easy, right? But, the correct response is actually Thomas, George's younger brother, who incidentally was the first American soldier to win the Medal Of Honor twice, and it came in incidents only several days apart! George was the obvious answer to the majority of us but in this case, not the right one.
It's kind of like an introduction I've used several times when giving devotionals:
''Name the man who served as an inspiration to many including me and who died on November 22, 1963."
Several in the audience will quickly blurt out John F. Kennedy, whose final day on earth is known by most Americans over forty. But my response is that my answer would be noted Christian author, C.S. Lewis, whose death on 11/22/63 was rightly overshadowed by the horrific assassination of JFK in Dallas. (In case you're interested, noted British writer Aldous Huxley, of Brave New World fame, also passed the same day as Kennedy and Lewis.) While I never read the future President's book, Profiles In Courage, I have struggled over the course of decades grasping any number of Lewis' writings and even have a sample of them delivered to my e-mail box every morning. In my case, the amount of influence of these two in shaping a life is not close.
As the Coronavirus and its spread wreaks havoc throughout the world, people seem to be focusing on nothing else. Every television and radio station is providing wall to wall statistics and the phrase flattening the curve has been embedded into our collective vocabulary, at least in the US. Stories of heartache and fear are everywhere we turn, especially on my social media fix, Facebook. None of us can be sure of what the immediate future holds, even in schools which have always granted youngsters some normalcy in treacherous times. But I've seen something else as well. There are more people encouraging prayer on their posts than I remember. Churches are rightly leaving the property confines of their buildings and getting into the community, meeting very real needs. One of my former students, who is married to one of my former players, announced tonight he is making vegetable soup and will HOME DELIVER to anyone who wants/needs some. Another former player is actively recruiting volunteers for Meals On Wheels in Atlanta. I could go on and on and you probably could as well.
The only miracle performed by Jesus that is recounted in all four Gospels is the Feeding of the 5000. It started when the apostles told the Savior to send the large crowd, which had gathered in the middle of nowhere, away so they could find food. The Son of God turned it around and commanded The Twelve to feed the multitude themselves. And after some excuses and the appearance of a youngster with loaves and fishes, along with a healthy dose of divine intervention, the masses were fed with leftovers to boot! Initially, Peter-Andrew-James-John-etc only saw the problem. But the Christ, who knew the crowd was like shepherd-less sheep, had compassion and made sure their physical needs were met. Then, and only then, did Jesus dismiss the horde. What a great example He left for us to reach out during a challenging scenario! What Would Jesus Do? We don't need a bracelet or slogan bearing t-shirt to figure that one out.
Applicable quote of the day:
Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.
Sally Koch
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org
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