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Family Reunion

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 20, 2023

Scriptures: Gen 45:1-7, 25-28; Ps 133; Ro 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matt 14:10-28

Amy Peterson writes, “…I started reading The Kindness of God by Catholic theologian and philosopher Janet Soskice. In her examination of the etymology of the word kindness, Soskice helped me see it for the first time as a strong virtue rather than a weak one. “In Middle English,” she writes, “the words ‘kind’ and ‘kin’ were the same—to say that Christ is ‘our kinde Lord’ is not to say that Christ is tender and gentle, although that may be implied, but to say that he is kin—our kind. This fact, and not emotional disposition, is the rock which is our salvation.” I paused after reading this sentence to try to take it in, to try to peel the sentimental layers off my definition of kindness and replace them with this fact: to be kind meant to be kin. The word unfolded in my mind. God’s kindness meant precisely that God became my kin—Jesus, my brother—and this, Soskice said, was a foundational truth about who I was. Not only that, but for speakers of Middle English, Lord had a particular meaning—a lord was someone from the nobility, the upper social classes. To say “our kinde Lord” was to say the difference in social or economic status between peasants and nobility was also erased through Jesus the “Lord” being of the same “kinde” as all, landowners and peasants alike. Jesus erased divisions that privileged some people over others.”

(Amy Peterson, Where Goodness Still Grows: Reclaiming Virtue in an Age of Hypocrisy, Thomas Nelson, 2020.)

The theme of our Scripture readings today is “Divine Kinship” or “Family Reunion.”

A. It begins with our Genesis reading (45:1-7, 25-28). After having lived in Egypt for about 22 years, Joseph has recognized his brothers and now reveals himself to them. Why would they not have recognized him?

By this time, he did not look Hebrew. They were bearded but he was clean shaven. Additionally, he was wearing an Egyptian wig (Egyptians shaved their heads, due to problems with lice, and were noted for wearing elaborate wigs). There was also his Egyptian style of dress and perhaps an arm bracelet and a jeweled collar signifying being a high Egyptian official. The last time they had seen him, he had been a gangly boy of 17; now he’s 39 years old and no doubt looked very different from the way he had in their last encounter. They also would have heard him speaking Egyptian/Arabic, but talking with them through an interpreter (even though he understood Hebrew). Finally, they were not expecting to see him again since slavery was usually implied a death sentence.

Unbeknownst to them, he has put them through two tests to see if they have changed in the intervening twenty two years. First, he has them leave Simeon behind and promise to bring back Benjamin, his full brother. He is checking to see how honest they are now. They had betrayed him. They had no doubt lied to their father. Will they sacrifice another brother to get what they want? Second, they return and bring back Benjamin, but Joseph has his favorite cup put into Benjamin’s bag of grain, and has his servants accuse their father’s new favorite of theft. Joseph wants to know if they have come to grips with what jealousy cost them in the past. Are they more loyal to Benjamin than they had been to Joseph? Have they developed more compassion for their aging and grieved father?

Apparently so because Judah, their leader, steps up and offers himself (and even his children) in place of Benjamin. Judah recognizes this dilemma is God’s punishment for what they had done to Joseph. He and the others cannot bear to imagine Jacob’s grief over losing Rachel’s only other son, Benjamin.

So, satisfied that his ten half-brothers have truly undergone a moral transformation, he reveals himself to them as their long, lost brother, Joseph. At first, they can’t believe it is him. Then they fear his retribution. But in a truly Christ-like way, he reassures them, [Peterson’s The Message, p.93] am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting [will take place]. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt. God uses Joseph to save his father, Jacob/Israel, his brothers, and his whole extended family (a total of 90 people). But Joseph’s wisdom also saves thousands, perhaps millions of Egyptians as well as untold, unnumbered, other Gentiles. What a fabulous and far-reaching family reunion!

B. In Psalm 133, King David continues the theme of family reunion. Verse 1 celebrates —How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] live together in unity! There is no back-biting, no sarcasm, no jealousy; no murderous rage, no hidden agendas. Instead, such family members experience love, support, and acceptance.

He goes on to mention two metaphors for how rich a blessing this could be: (1) a generous supply of anointing oil, representing empowerment of the Holy Spirit; and (2) abundant dew, highly desired and valued in an arid climate. As troubled and complex as were the kinship relationships in King David’s family, this psalm sets out his longing for this kind of God-inspired love, cooperation, and blessing among brothers and sisters.

C. In Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Paul continues his case for the Jewish people. True, most at that time, rejected Jesus as their Messiah. But Paul is adamant (v.1) that God has not rejected them, His Chosen People. They have rejected Him but He has not washed His hands of them. Instead, the Lord has a plan for bringing them to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Back in verses 25-26, he wrote —the harvest of the Jews will come after…the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…. Just as God has been merciful to us, He too will have mercy on the Jews. Many students of the book of Revelation believe the main purpose of the Great Tribulation (assuming the Church has already been raptured) is to turn a massive number of Jews into Jesus-followers. What a grand family reunion that will be!

D. Finally, in our Gospel lesson (Matthew 15, also Mark 7), Jesus delivers a new doctrine and graciously responds to a Gentile woman.

The new teaching is on moral uncleanliness. Yes, it’s a good health practice to wash your hands before eating—but hand-washing has only to do with the physical. Instead, it’s what comes out of one’s mouth that demonstrates one’s spiritual condition. Our moral or spiritual cleanliness—our heart attitudes–are revealed by what we say. This is why we want to work hard to eliminate cussing and gossip and lying and slander from our daily speech. He calls the rule-bound religious leaders of the Jews blind guides, and appears—by this point–to have given up on appealing to them further.

In fact, He leaves the country for the first time, venturing North into Tyre and Sidon (cities in Phoenicia). No doubt He wants a time-out from his Jewish adversaries. But almost immediately, He encounters a persistent Syro-Phoenician, Canaanite, or Gentile woman. Remember, He says (v.24) was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (not Gentiles).

She calls Him (v.22) —Lord, Son of David. She knows He is a descendant of King David. But she is an outsider, not a member of the family. She is an ethnic outsider; she is a religious outsider; and her gender, in those days, made her an outsider as Jewish rabbis would rarely have spoken directly to a woman.

But she has a demonized daughter that no one has been able to heal, and she is desperate. She is begging Him to heal/deliver her child. Jesus makes the point that she does not belong to “the family.” He came to feed the “children of Israel” (v.26)It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the puppies [the Hebrew word here means not adult dogs but the diminutive, puppies]. He is essentially saying, just as in a family, there is an order here —The children (Israelites) eat first; Then puppies get fed, but not from the table and not until the kids are done. He is not telling her she cannot expect help from Him, but rather that there is a set of priorities to His ministry.

She gets what He is saying, steps into His metaphor, and reminds Him (v.27) —…but even the puppies eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. She knows she does not have a legitimate place at the Jewish table. But even as a nonfamily member, she has faith that Jesus can provide enough that some leftovers will be available to her and to her daughter. Notice, she doesn’t say, Give me what I deserve due to my goodness or my rights, as many today might demand. Instead, (as Timothy Keller asserts in his book King’s Cross , Dutton, 2011, p.89), she implies, “Give me what I don’t deserve on the basis of Your goodness—and, please, I need it right now.”

Jesus commends her faith (The Message, p.1775) —Oh, Woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get! Right then her daughter became well. She entered into His metaphor and responded with belief in Him. Because of her faith, He made her a member of His family.

There is no reason for us to ever feel like we are alone or outsiders. God’s family is made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers. Our weekly worship service is like a big family reunion. We who believe in Jesus Christ are members of God’s family. Come, every Sunday, to be with people who love Jesus and who love you. Amen!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

God’s Bigger Picture

Pastor Sherry’s message for June 11, 2023

Scriptures: Gen 12:1-9; Ps 33:1-12; Ro 4:13-25; Matt 9:9-13, 18-26

Some years back, a TV news show in the Midwest ran a TV ad campaign to try to increase their share of the viewing market. They showed a woman, sitting in her car, reading or writing down something—perhaps a shopping list—minding her own business, oblivious to her surroundings. Out of nowhere, this guy appears who rips open her car door, grabs her, and throws her out onto the ground. At first it looks like a car-jacking, which have proliferated all over the country lately. The viewer is horrified for the lady. We wonder what the attacker will do next. But the camera angle pulls way back, and we note that the car is on fire. The guy wasn’t attacking her, or trying to steal her car; instead, he had come to her rescue. The ad concluded with the following statement in big letters across the screen: ”You need the bigger picture. Channel XYZ gives you honest, trustworthy news everyday.”

(Borrowed from a sermon by Rev. Jenny Salt, “The Big Picture of God’s Faithfulness,” archived by www.preachingtoday.com, 6/9/2023.)

TV news programs may come and go—and some are more honest and trustworthy than others–but we can absolutely depend upon the faithfulness of our God.

Our readings today all speak to this immutable, unchanging characteristic of our God in all three persons.

A. Abraham is the first of the 4 great patriarchs of Israel.

Prior to Genesis 12:1-9, Scripture has focused on events important to the human race: Creation; the Fall and its consequences; the Flood; and the Tower of Babel. Talk about the Big Picture! But from Chapter 12 on, God begins to record His interactions with specific humans, beginning with Abram (whose name He changes to Abraham five chapters later).

In today’s reading, God tells Abram that he intends to make a great nation from him.

1.) The Lord promises to bless Abram;

2.) To make his name famous;

3.) To make him a blessing to others.

4.) And, in verse 4, God promises I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples of the earth will be blessed through you. Wow! What a great set of promises!

How are all people on the earth going to be blessed by Abram? This side of the Cross, we know out of his lineage will come the Messiah, Jesus. This is the Bigger Picture! (By the way, this promise has not expired. Thus, we want to be careful to support Israel, especially praying that they would come to accept Jesus as the true Anointed One.)

Just as with Jesus’ Great Commission, which we considered last week, God tells Abram to “Go.” He was to go to Canaan from the south of present day Iraq. How did he know this? Scripture does not convey the conversations, but we can assume he heard from God. Abram was obedient and went. When he arrived in what would become Shechem, and later, Bethel, God promised him a huge territory 300,000 square miles in size. Even at its height as a nation, Israel has never exceeded 30,000 square miles. This promise is as yet unmet, perhaps awaiting the Millenial Reign of Christ at His 2nnd Coming. In thanksgiving to the Lord, though, Abram erected an altar to Him everywhere he went.

Abram lived about 2100BC, prior to the provision of the Law. He is famous for his faith and obedience to God. He probably suspected that he was missing something in life. He was satisfied that God gave him a bigger perspective. He is famous for his life-changing decision to follow God.

He is famous for his noble, generous character. And he is famous for being a man of destiny—the father of all believers (considered the patriarch of Jews, Christians, and even Moslems). He clearly understood the bigger picture!

B. In Psalm 33:1-12–called an “orphan psalm” because we do not know its author’s name–we are given our motivation to praise God. We praise Him 1st because He is the God of Creation, and 2nd, because He is a “providential ruler.” This means that what He says is always true, so we can count on Him. Additionally, it means He is completely faithful to His promises. Furthermore, He is just and loving in His dealings with us. Nothing—certainly nothing dreamed up by people or the evil one—can thwart His plans. The psalmist concludes (v.12) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. This is why we pray weekly that America will return to the Lord. Our country needs to grasp the bigger picture: We were dedicated to Jesus at our founding; we have all but abandoned our faith in Him now; and we will probably not prosper again as a nation until we return to Christ once again.

C. In our Romans 4:13-25 passage, Paul makes the case that God saved Abraham because of the man’s faith. It wasn’t due to his good works, though he was mostly kind and generous. It wasn’t because Abraham obeyed God’s Law. The Law wasn’t given until the time of Moses.

This was years later than Abraham—after the adventures and exploits of his son, Isaac, his grandson Jacob, and his great-grandson. It was only after years of slavery and following the exodus from Egypt, that Moses was given the Law on Mt. Sinai in the Wilderness. God saved Abraham because of his trust in God’s promises. He trusted despite his circumstances—old age! He was 100 when his wife conceived Isaac, and Sarah was then 90!

Paul tells us Abraham was (v.21) fully persuaded—this means he had no doubts—that God would faithfully fulfill His Genesis 12 promises to him. He grasped the Bigger Picture for his life. Oh, that we all only had such unshakable faith!

D. These passages on faith are paired with our Gospel lesson today from Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26. It may seem an odd pairing but let’s delve into it and search out the connections.

The first portion deals with Jesus’ call to Matthew. It’s Matthew who is telling this story, but notice how he skimps on the details. He may have simply been being modest. What made him answer Jesus’ call? I imagine he had seen Jesus in and around Capernaum. He would have also heard folks talking about Jesus’ teachings and His miracles. I could be wrong, but I think that like a lot of us, he found his life lived his way was bankrupt.

Being a rich tax collector hadn’t led him to happiness. If you have watched the 3 seasons of “The Chosen,” you have noted that Matthew is portrayed as being friendless, disowned by his orthodox parents, and despised by the Romans he served for being a Jew, but also hated and avoided by the Jews for collaborating with the Romans. Undoubtedly he knew he needed something more, something different. Maybe he was desperate for a change. So, somehow, when he looked into Jesus’ eyes, he had the faith to follow after him, and jumped into God’s Bigger Picture.

This is so similar to the synagogue ruler, Jairus. Though he was already a man of faith, he had to have been listening to the Pharisees who rejected Jesus. He knew they saw Him as a blasphemer or worse. Yet, when his precious child fell ill, he remembered all the people who had been healed by Jesus. Like Matthew, Jairus was desperate and Jesus healed his 12 year old daughter because of her father’s infant faith. Jairus, too, jumped into God’s Bigger Picture.

The woman who had bled continuously for 12 years was also desperate enough to reach out to Jesus. She didn’t make a request of Jesus, like Jairus. She didn’t look Him in the eyes, like Matthew. Bleeding people were considered unclean, and could not approach a rabbi. Her family had probably banished her due to her unclean status and guilt by association. She could not attend synagogue. Even Lepers lived in community, but she was all alone. She kept her eyes down and quietly touched the edge of Jesus’ garment. Jesus immediately understood her alienation and pain, healed her, and said (v.22) Take heart, daughter [restoring her to relationship], your faith has healed you. Additionally, as they portray this encounter in “The Chosen,” Christ kindly and lovingly tells her to look up. Her daring propelled her into God’s Bigger Picture.

Thank God we worship a God who is faithful and trustworthy. He is the God of the Bigger Picture and our divine rescuer. He responds to us with love and grace. In response to Him, we want to be persons of abiding faith…like Abram/Abraham; like Matthew; like Jairus, the synagogue president; and like the unnamed woman who had hemorrhaged for 12 years.

I personally stepped into God’s Bigger Picture when my husband of 16 years left me for another woman. Someone at my church suggested I read Isaiah 54 and it changed my life! The prophet is talking about God’s relationship with Israel, but it seemed so very appropriate to how my life was going just then. In verse 4, he identified my shame and humiliation. Then in verse 5, He reassured me For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer…. Having felt abandoned, He comforted me by asserting in verse 10 ”Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, Who has compassion on you. In my grief and heartbreak, I took God at His word, and have never regretted it.

If you are feeling desperate and like life is empty or unfulfilling, please don’t give up on our God. Jesus is still looking for the lost, those who have come to the end of their own resources. Our God has the bigger picture in mind. He sees more than we do. He understands more than we can. He loves us fiercely. He can and does see the forest despite the trees that impede our view. This week, let’s remind ourselves—no matter what happens–that our God sees the bigger picture and will bring about His plans and promises for us (Jeremiah 29:11) ”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Amen! May it be so!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Knowing Who We Are and What We Are Called to Do

Pastor Sherry’s message for 1/23/2022

Scriptures: Neh 8:1-10; Ps 19; 1Cor 12:12-31a; Lk 4:14-21

The story is told of a man who found a young eagle that had fallen from its nest ….

“He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat and behave like the chickens. One day a naturalist passed by the farm and asked why it was that the king of all birds should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens. The farmer replied that since he had given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it had never learned to fly. Since it now behaved as the chickens, it was no longer an eagle.

‘Still it has the heart of an eagle,’ replied the naturalist, ‘and can surely be taught to fly.’ He lifted the eagle toward the sky and said, ‘You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.’ The eagle, however, was confused. He did not know who he was, and seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.

‘The naturalist took the bird to the roof of the house and urged him again, saying, ‘You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly.’ But the eagle was afraid of this unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food. Finally the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There he held the king of the birds high above him and encouraged him again, saying, ‘You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly.’ The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble. Slowly he stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens.

‘It may be that the eagle still remembers the chickens with nostalgia. It may even be that he occasionally revisits the barnyard. But as far as anyone knows, he has never returned to lead the life of a chicken.” (Theology News and Notes, October, 1976, quoted in Multnomah Message, Spring, 1993, p. 1).

The eagle had a case of confused identity. He didn’t know who he was—a chicken or an eagle. He didn’t know his purpose—to peck for food on the ground, like a strange domestic; or to soar the heavens as a magnificent raptor. We can often be like that, can’t we? We can limit who we are, and we can miss out on our purpose.

Let’s see what our Scripture passages today have to about our identity and our purpose.

A. Our Old Testament lesson comes from Nehemiah 8:1-10, and takes place in Jerusalem in 445BC, roughly 2500 years ago. Jewish POW’s of first the Babylonian, then the Persian Empires, had been set free by the Persian king, Artaxerxes, to return to their homeland. Under the oversight and direction of their governor, Nehemiah, they had completed the massive rebuilding of the city walls in just 52 days. Ezra, their priest had begun the sad reconstruction of the Temple, which would take many more years. We find them today assembled–on the equivalent of their New Year’s Day—inside the Water Gate (1 of the 12 refurbished gates of the city). You may recall that business, legal, and political matters were debated and decided, in those days, at the city gates. So this wasn’t just some narrow passageway, but a gate opening into a sizeable square or assembly area.

Again, they had to meet there because reconstruction of the Temple was not accomplished.

Ezra and Nehemiah had convened a “solemn assembly” of all the returning citizens. Scholars estimate some 49,000 men, women, and children of an age to understand [perhaps ages 8-10 and above], had gathered there—with someone providing child care for the younger ones. After 70 years of exile in a foreign nation, they may have held Bible studies there, but chances are good that they had not really been formally taught the Torah (the Law). The word has gotten around, however, that someone had found a copy of the Law of Moses during the Temple rebuilding project. The People wanted to know what it said. They realized they had been punished by God for their idolatry and for not obeying His Law. They wanted to be sure they didn’t err in the same way their grandparents had.

Notice what happens. Ezra proclaims God’s word, in a loud voice, from a raised platform (perhaps the first pulpit). The people remain standing, and quiet, and as they listen for some 4-6 hours! This is where the synagogue tradition of standing for the reading of Scripture began. In Eastern Orthodox congregations—and in the middle ages in Europe–people stood for the entire service. That’s why we find there large cathedrals with no pews. Today, we stand for the reading of the Gospel, the Creed, and communion. Standing is a sign of respect, a sign of reverence. These folks are hearing God’s word read to them—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy—perhaps for the first time.

Additionally, there are Levites available to walk among the crowd and explain what God’s Word means. Scholars believe the people may not have understood the Hebrew, as they had probably been speaking Aramaic or even Persian/Farsi. So the teachers of the Law were there to answer questions and to explain. This is probably the most important job we pastors now do—explain the meaning of Scripture, as best as we can. The pre-Reformation Catholic Church had moved away from this important duty. The Protestant Reformers were thus insistent that we preach and explain God’s Word. This is why I park on the Scripture passages appointed for the day in all of my sermons. Like the people of Nehemiah’s day, we cannot obey God’s Word if we don’t know or understand it.

The people respond with AMEN, AMEN! May it be so, hands lifted, praising God. We say, Thanks be to God! following our reading of Scripture and hopefully we mean it. They then became convicted of their sinfulness. They now knew the standard. They also realized how far short of God’s standard they had lived, and how the sins of their forebears had led to the destruction of their country, and to their 70 year exile as a subjugated people. So, they prostrate themselves and cry tears of repentance. But Ezra, Nehemiah, the 13 on the platform, and the Levites among them, tell them not to grieve or mourn. For a time they had lost their identity and their purpose! But God brought them out of captivity. He once again delivered them and restored them. He hadn’t turned His back on them. And now they had a new chance to get it right. This, then, is an occasion to celebrate, to rejoice about the goodness and mercy of the Lord.

Nehemiah tells them, (v.10)—Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Just what does that mean? It doesn’t say, I bring God joy when I praise Him (though we probably do). It doesn’t say, My joy about God makes me strong (though it may). Both of the above statements begin in the wrong place: with ME. The true starting place, always, is with GOD. God’s joy is the foundation for our strength. So, what brings Him joy? When we remember our identity begins with our belief in Him, as His beloved children, and our purpose is to be obedient to Him.

B. Our Gospel lesson today comes from Luke 4:14-21. Jesus has returned home to Nazareth (following His baptism, 40 days in the wilderness, and probably the wedding at Cana. He goes to the Synagogue on the Sabbath, as was His custom. The synagogue at Nazareth would have been His “home church.” When I visited my home church in Tallahassee from seminary in Pittsburgh, it was always such a blessing and a celebration to greet old friends. This must have been true for Jesus too as they invited Him to read the Scripture appointed for the day and to preach.

Now Jesus knows Who He is—the beloved Son of God. He also knows His mission–to redeem the world—which He no doubt came to grips with during His time of prayer, meditation, and temptation in the wilderness.

And He would have realized the Scripture, Isaiah 61:1-2a, was His mission-statement. He reads aloud for the congregation what Isaiah had predicted about Him 700-750 years before His birth: Anointed by the HS, He would…

[1] Preach good news to the poor (God loves you and has sent Me to save you);

[2] I will proclaim freedom to prisoners (people whose own sin has captured them);

[3] I will recover sight for the blind;

[4] I will release those who have been captured and injured by the sins of others;

[5] And I will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor: This is it! God has sent you the Messiah!

Then He sat down (the traditional posture of a teacher) and told them that what the prophet had predicted has now come true in Him. In other words, Jesus knows His identity and His purpose. Do we each know who we are and what we are called to do?

This week, let’s try to remember our true identity comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ.

1. Not from our profession;

2. Not from our marital status;

3. Not from our family name or our friendship circle;

4. Not from where we live;

5. Not from what sports team or political candidate we support;

6. Not even from our gender orientation.

7. No, we are children of God and inheritors of His Kingdom through Christ Jesus. That is our prime and most important identity.

And our purpose derives from that: We are here on earth, at this time and place, to know, love, and serve God. Christians means little Christs. We are to imitate Jesus in the way we behave.

Allow me to close with a story regarding the 19th century French artist Paul Gustave Dore, taken from Our Daily Bread, 01/06/1993. (Dore was famous as an illustrator of books, including the Bible, fairy tales, and other poems and novels of the day:

The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore (1821-1883) lost his passport while traveling in Europe. When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards. Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass. The guard, however, said that many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be persons they were not. Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. “All right,” said the official, “we’ll give you a test, and if you pass it we’ll allow you to go through.” Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be. His work confirmed his word!

This week, let us remember, we are eagles called to be eagles, not chickens. May what we say and do reflect who we are. AMEN! (May it be so!)

©2022 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams