In 1845, a group of Christians gathered in a rural area of Pennsylvania and formed a Lutheran congregation. Eventually, a church building was erected outside the town of Wexford. The faithful people of Trinity Lutheran Church met in this building. They married there, they baptized their babies there, they served the Lord faithfully, and they buried their dead in the little graveyard outside the church walls. As the years passed, the number of saints that was added to the graveyard increased, until the church was surrounded by tombstones.
The little congregation grew, and an education building was erected next to the church so the people could teach their children, youth and adults the stories of Jesus. And the church continued to grow. Eventually, the little congregation outgrew their sanctuary. A building committee met to discuss their options. The decision seemed to be an easy one - the most logical thing to do would be to build a new sanctuary and attach it to the education building. There was plenty of land available for this purpose, and it would mean that people would no longer have to walk 100 yards in Pennsylvania winters to get from Sunday school to worship.
But the church was not so quick to embrace this sensible plan. And, in fact, after years of debate, the church members voted instead to undertake a limited expansion of their current sanctuary. This was not a logical choice, but the decision made sense to the church members who wanted to preserve their church’s unique identity of being completely surrounded by its cemetery.
This was not a morbid decision. It was an acknowledgment by the members that their present congregation not only rested on the witness of the saints in Scripture to the grace of God in Jesus the Christ, but also through the witness of all who had contributed their own witness to the faith in the life of their congregation.
You see, no one can enter the church building for worship without walking past the graves of those who served the congregation in the past. And on every Sunday morning, weather permitting, various people from the congregation can be seen standing before tombstones after the service, remembering those whom they have loved, and who have contributed to their own faith.
[adapted from a story told by Ronald Harbaugh in his sermon, "The Faithful are all Saints"]
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Pay it Forward
Have you ever wanted something to go so well, so perfectly, only to find that your plans have been frustrated, your high ideals have been dashed, and you’ve come to a place where you’re not even sure you’ll be able to extricate yourself from the mess you’ve made?
This was the situation that Dana James found himself in during his honeymoon journey twenty years ago. Dana and Patricia James were young, they were in love, and they had high expectations of what life had to offer them. Patricia was a student in law school. Dana worked for Northwest Airlines. They had very little money, but Dana was determined that he and Patricia would enjoy an unforgettable honeymoon.
Because he worked for an airlines, Dana was able to get very cheap first-class airline tickets and generous discounts at hotels. Although his personal finances were extremely restricted, he planned a five-star honeymoon trip to the far East for himself and Patricia. This would be a trip of a lifetime, and they would be able to travel on a shoestring! He and Patricia even figured they could conserve their money by skipping a few meals here and there and rely on enjoying the dining on-board the airplane. With very little money in their pockets, they set out with high expectations.
On their outbound flight, Dana and Patricia settled comfortably into their first-class seats for the lengthy journey. They noticed a diminutive Japanese gentleman seated near them. During the course of the flight, the gentleman came to their seats and struck up a conversation with them. He asked where they were going and they told him their itinerary. “Oh,” he said, “you are not traveling to Japan?” “We would like to very much,” Patricia replied. “My mother is in fact Japanese and my father is African-American. But we do not have enough money to travel to Japan.” “That is too bad,” the man said. He walked back to his seat and then returned with a binder filled with business cards. Dana reports that there were over two dozen business cards for different businesses naming Mr. George Ishiyama as CEO or Founder. The businesses were diverse: salt mining, construction, paper mills, etc. Dana and Patricia did not know whether to be impressed or concerned.
Mr. Ishiyama selected a card and wrote his phone number on the back. “If you are ever in Japan,” he said, “call me.” It was an offer of hospitality. But why? Why would a man strike up a conversation with two people he had never met and offer to show them hospitality they had not requested? Dana and Patricia did not know what to think. Looking back, Patricia says that she figured it was an easy offer to make, since the couple was not likely to take him up on it. The gesture was a grand one, but really, these were just empty words.
Dana and Patricia continued on their journey. Although they had very little money, they managed to enjoy themselves for several weeks in some memorable locations. Then, they found themselves with a layover in Tokyo. And their clever plan to see the world on a shoestring failed. Northwest Airlines was changing over to a new computer system. And on the day that change occurred, as Dana and Patricia were awaiting their next flight, their carefully planned itinerary was deleted from the system. They had no outbound flight. They were told that the problem could be remedied, but that they would have to wait three days. Between them, they had $130 U.S. dollars. A bowl of noodles in the airport cost $30. There was no way they could afford shelter and food for three days, and they weren’t certain that the airport would allow them to live in the terminal over the weekend.
When the truth of their situation hit home, Patricia, weary from traveling and fearful of their fate in this foreign country, sat amongst the luggage, put her head down and cried. Dana, the groom, kicked into survival mode and tried to find some way to salvage this honeymoon he thought he had so carefully planned. He paced the airport terminal, and as he did so, he put his hand in his pocket. There he found the card that Mr. Ishiyama had given him.
“Surely he didn’t mean anything to come of this,” he thought. “But I’m just that desperate.” He placed a call to the number he had been given. When a woman answered in Japanese at the other end of the line, Dana gave her his name. “Oh, yes, Mr. James,” she said. “Mr. Ishiyama has been expecting your call. I’ll put you through.” Dana was shocked. But when Mr. Ishiyama came on the line, Dana explained his situation.
“Do you have enough money for a taxi into town?” Mr. Ishiyama asked. Dana honestly had no idea how much that would cost, but he said he did. Mr. Ishiyama gave Dana the name of a hotel and asked him to meet him there. In truth, Dana and Patricia did not even have enough money for the taxi, but they were able to find a shuttle bus that delivered them to the door of the hotel. As they stepped off the bus, two employees of the hotel came forward to escort them and their luggage to a room. Dana gave them his credit card, but they waved it away. “Mr. Ishiyama will be here shortly,” they said. “Please, freshen up.”
What a bizarre situation! Here are two young people, stranded in Tokyo. It is the mid-eighties. There are no cell phones, no Internet - none of their friends or family know where they are. They barely have enough money left to buy one meal in this expensive town. And here they are “freshening up” in a five-star hotel as the guests of a man they don’t know and barely even met! When they got the call that Mr. Ishiyama was downstairs, they left their room. Both Dana and Patricia admit that they were frankly terrified. Raised in urban Chicago, Dana feared the worst. What had he gotten himself and his bride into? What did this man want from them? Nobody would give a stranger such elaborate accommodations. Nobody would be so gracious to two people he met on a plane! Surely, there must be an ulterior motive. Perhaps a very unpleasant one. In the elevator, Dana actually told Patricia that if things went south, he would attack Mr. Ishiyama. In that event, Patricia was to run, screaming loudly, and not look back.
They met Mr. Ishiyama in the restaurant. They were highly nervous, but they made pleasantries. Then Mr. Ishiyama told them his story. When I was a child, he said, my family lived in Los Angeles. I was 20 years old when my family, and all our neighbors, were sent to an internment camp in Wyoming after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. We were taken from our homes, our businesses, our comforts, and we were forced to put our lives on hold. It was a terrible time. The people in the town near our camp were not kind to us. Except one family. There was a young African-American couple who lived near the camp. He was a postal carrier. They treated us as neighbors and allowed our children to play with their children. They treated us as human.”
“I have never forgotten their kindness. When I saw you two on the plane, I was reminded of this couple. I cannot repay them for what they did for me and my family. But I can share this story with you. Mr. Ishiyama reached in his pocket and then took Dana’s hand. He put into his hand a huge was of Japanese yen. “Enjoy your honeymoon,” he said.
Patricia started to cry. Here they were, in a scary and uncertain position, and this man, who they did not even know, was giving them a solution to their problems. They had been desperate, but they had also been suspicious and fearful. But here was only love and kindness and generosity for a fellow traveler in need.
[Heard on "The Story" from American Public Media: http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_873_Unexpected_Honeymoon.mp3/view]
This was the situation that Dana James found himself in during his honeymoon journey twenty years ago. Dana and Patricia James were young, they were in love, and they had high expectations of what life had to offer them. Patricia was a student in law school. Dana worked for Northwest Airlines. They had very little money, but Dana was determined that he and Patricia would enjoy an unforgettable honeymoon.
Because he worked for an airlines, Dana was able to get very cheap first-class airline tickets and generous discounts at hotels. Although his personal finances were extremely restricted, he planned a five-star honeymoon trip to the far East for himself and Patricia. This would be a trip of a lifetime, and they would be able to travel on a shoestring! He and Patricia even figured they could conserve their money by skipping a few meals here and there and rely on enjoying the dining on-board the airplane. With very little money in their pockets, they set out with high expectations.
On their outbound flight, Dana and Patricia settled comfortably into their first-class seats for the lengthy journey. They noticed a diminutive Japanese gentleman seated near them. During the course of the flight, the gentleman came to their seats and struck up a conversation with them. He asked where they were going and they told him their itinerary. “Oh,” he said, “you are not traveling to Japan?” “We would like to very much,” Patricia replied. “My mother is in fact Japanese and my father is African-American. But we do not have enough money to travel to Japan.” “That is too bad,” the man said. He walked back to his seat and then returned with a binder filled with business cards. Dana reports that there were over two dozen business cards for different businesses naming Mr. George Ishiyama as CEO or Founder. The businesses were diverse: salt mining, construction, paper mills, etc. Dana and Patricia did not know whether to be impressed or concerned.
Mr. Ishiyama selected a card and wrote his phone number on the back. “If you are ever in Japan,” he said, “call me.” It was an offer of hospitality. But why? Why would a man strike up a conversation with two people he had never met and offer to show them hospitality they had not requested? Dana and Patricia did not know what to think. Looking back, Patricia says that she figured it was an easy offer to make, since the couple was not likely to take him up on it. The gesture was a grand one, but really, these were just empty words.
Dana and Patricia continued on their journey. Although they had very little money, they managed to enjoy themselves for several weeks in some memorable locations. Then, they found themselves with a layover in Tokyo. And their clever plan to see the world on a shoestring failed. Northwest Airlines was changing over to a new computer system. And on the day that change occurred, as Dana and Patricia were awaiting their next flight, their carefully planned itinerary was deleted from the system. They had no outbound flight. They were told that the problem could be remedied, but that they would have to wait three days. Between them, they had $130 U.S. dollars. A bowl of noodles in the airport cost $30. There was no way they could afford shelter and food for three days, and they weren’t certain that the airport would allow them to live in the terminal over the weekend.
When the truth of their situation hit home, Patricia, weary from traveling and fearful of their fate in this foreign country, sat amongst the luggage, put her head down and cried. Dana, the groom, kicked into survival mode and tried to find some way to salvage this honeymoon he thought he had so carefully planned. He paced the airport terminal, and as he did so, he put his hand in his pocket. There he found the card that Mr. Ishiyama had given him.
“Surely he didn’t mean anything to come of this,” he thought. “But I’m just that desperate.” He placed a call to the number he had been given. When a woman answered in Japanese at the other end of the line, Dana gave her his name. “Oh, yes, Mr. James,” she said. “Mr. Ishiyama has been expecting your call. I’ll put you through.” Dana was shocked. But when Mr. Ishiyama came on the line, Dana explained his situation.
“Do you have enough money for a taxi into town?” Mr. Ishiyama asked. Dana honestly had no idea how much that would cost, but he said he did. Mr. Ishiyama gave Dana the name of a hotel and asked him to meet him there. In truth, Dana and Patricia did not even have enough money for the taxi, but they were able to find a shuttle bus that delivered them to the door of the hotel. As they stepped off the bus, two employees of the hotel came forward to escort them and their luggage to a room. Dana gave them his credit card, but they waved it away. “Mr. Ishiyama will be here shortly,” they said. “Please, freshen up.”
What a bizarre situation! Here are two young people, stranded in Tokyo. It is the mid-eighties. There are no cell phones, no Internet - none of their friends or family know where they are. They barely have enough money left to buy one meal in this expensive town. And here they are “freshening up” in a five-star hotel as the guests of a man they don’t know and barely even met! When they got the call that Mr. Ishiyama was downstairs, they left their room. Both Dana and Patricia admit that they were frankly terrified. Raised in urban Chicago, Dana feared the worst. What had he gotten himself and his bride into? What did this man want from them? Nobody would give a stranger such elaborate accommodations. Nobody would be so gracious to two people he met on a plane! Surely, there must be an ulterior motive. Perhaps a very unpleasant one. In the elevator, Dana actually told Patricia that if things went south, he would attack Mr. Ishiyama. In that event, Patricia was to run, screaming loudly, and not look back.
They met Mr. Ishiyama in the restaurant. They were highly nervous, but they made pleasantries. Then Mr. Ishiyama told them his story. When I was a child, he said, my family lived in Los Angeles. I was 20 years old when my family, and all our neighbors, were sent to an internment camp in Wyoming after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. We were taken from our homes, our businesses, our comforts, and we were forced to put our lives on hold. It was a terrible time. The people in the town near our camp were not kind to us. Except one family. There was a young African-American couple who lived near the camp. He was a postal carrier. They treated us as neighbors and allowed our children to play with their children. They treated us as human.”
“I have never forgotten their kindness. When I saw you two on the plane, I was reminded of this couple. I cannot repay them for what they did for me and my family. But I can share this story with you. Mr. Ishiyama reached in his pocket and then took Dana’s hand. He put into his hand a huge was of Japanese yen. “Enjoy your honeymoon,” he said.
Patricia started to cry. Here they were, in a scary and uncertain position, and this man, who they did not even know, was giving them a solution to their problems. They had been desperate, but they had also been suspicious and fearful. But here was only love and kindness and generosity for a fellow traveler in need.
[Heard on "The Story" from American Public Media: http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_873_Unexpected_Honeymoon.mp3/view]
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