Stories

Every Lent, your beloved Christ Church invites parishioners to write a story, share an article, a poem, or a prayer for our Lenten Meditation Booklet. The story may be about your personal faith journey; it could be an experience you may have had, or your loved one may have had or anything that invoked a sense of awe and wonder. Whenever I make my pitch, I typically say something like this ‘Everyone has a story to tell.’ I offer this pitch with all conviction because I believe that each of us has a story to tell. My pitch was probably inspired by Dostoevsky, who once said, “But how could you live and have no story to tell?”

Stories not only connect us to the divine but also to each other, providing a window through which we can see ourselves in each other. In my mind, life becomes a little more tolerable if we can see ourselves in each other-the ability to do that makes it easier for us to accept the other’s mistakes and foibles.

The challenge, whenever we are invited to write about our own personal experience, whether it is related to faith or not, sends us into some kind of frenzy because we immediately assume that we need to have something spectacular to share or something extraordinary must have happened to us, or people are interested in only the magical moments of our lives. But that is absolutely not the case. The stories can be as simple and life-giving as any story of which you can think.

For me, every story is life-giving because it opens my mind, heart, and eyes to learning.

This past Sunday, Sara Kirkpatrick shared a picture of Dr. Sonnie Hereford and his son. They took this picture on the sidewalk in Huntsville, Alabama, in September 1963. This was when Dr. Sonnie was trying to enroll his son in an all-white school. About 50 years later, both father and son returned to the same sidewalk, the same spot where they had taken a picture, and took another picture. A sweet moment for a father and son to share a bond that has held them together over all these years.

As you can tell, Sara was not part of the story, and when she shared it with me, I became interested in a story that defined the culture of segregation and racism in the South.

A couple of days ago, Jan DeBoissiere, who is helping at the office so Yetti can take some time off, shared a story about a hat that she has been wearing. She asked if I knew how she got the hat. ‘Share the story.” I said. She narrated an incident in which she was in line at the grocery store cash register.

It turned out that the couple in front of her, who were paying for their groceries, were having difficulty because the card kept being declined. The couple decided to take one item off. But Jan decided to pay for it. In thanksgiving for her kindness, the woman went to her car and brought a hat, which she gave to Jan. Jan wears the heart in thanksgiving for the couple she did not know but whom she helped at the grocery store.

This is not a sort of a feel-good kind of story, absolutely not. It is a story that tells of a genuine attempt at a reciprocal love that springs solely from the desire to do right by others. The couple did not know Jan, and Jan did not know them.

But it feels good to know that there are people willing to offer help. Even more important is the recognition that gratitude rewards itself. And for those who are grateful, even for the smallest of gifts, a simple thank you is never enough.

Don Sawyer and I have a monthly lunch at Panera Bread. We get together over sandwiches and talk about all sorts of things. A day ago, he told me a story about going to lunch with another parishioner and a friend. The parishioner had some coupons with him, and when it was time to pay, he pulled them out. But it turned out that he needed to spend a little over $4 more before he could use the coupons. The parishioner asked his friend if he was interested in stomach bombers. And so, they ordered a stomach bomber.

Out of curiosity, I asked, “And what is a stomach bomber?” “A stomach bomber is a dessert,” Don responded. “And what kind of dessert did they get?” I asked. “Bread pudding.” This conversation led to a much deeper discussion about eating habits and the value of eating well - especially as we age.

I believe that each of us has had an encounter or has gone through some experience that has had an impact on us. I believe ever deeply that each of us has seen God’s hand actively manifested in our lives, in the lives of the people we know and love, and even among strangers.

Ann Barnes and Paula Rees can fill pages with stories about our refugee families. Ann shares all the heartbreaking stories of losing food stamps, financial support, and potential healthcare coverage, and of the dire personal circumstances of our families. But then, in the same breath, Ann will remind you that there are still good people around those people who make life a little less challenging for our refugee siblings.

Ann’s stories simply remind me of the gift of holding on to hope. That in the face of the daunting challenges of the people we serve, we may be tempted to give up on the human enterprise, give up on each other, and give up on ourselves. But no! We cannot give up because we still have good people around who believe in being good.

In addition to these stories and your personal stories, you will also hear stories from Cathy Whitaker and her crew, who support the Kindness Pantry and Lake Elkhorn Middle School. You will also hear from Duane Smith and Phil Wright talk about the Men of Christ Church mission to highlight the plight of foster children. You will hear Jenn Atkins and her Sunday School team talk about our children. You will hear of Pam Foreman talk about her Altar Guild team; you will hear of Kathy Lyon and her Lay Eucharistic Ministry team, which takes the Eucharist to homebound parishioners.

The point here is that there are lots of stories that abound here at Christ Church and in our lives, and these stories enrich our lives in ways we can never imagine. Our goal is to share these stories, for it is in sharing them that we get a sense of the extent to which God is working in all our lives.

A few days ago, I reminded a good friend that if God has opened the door for you to walk through, do not close that door and try to open a window. The window might be too small for you.

Walk through the door, and don’t forget to tell a story about how God opened the door and helped you through it. 

Manny+