Sunday, August 11, 2019 – Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16; 1 Corinthians13:13
Sarah Laughed
"Sarah laughed." (Wikimedia Illustration)
In the biblical story when Sarah is told that she will bear a child, she laughs (Gen: 18:11ff.). Well, she is old and barren. Some have thought that Sarah was making fun of the messengers. But a feminine reading of that text would account for her laughter as joy that she is a woman again—she rejoices in being alive. To be barren meant no hope, like a dried-up stream bed when the water is gone.
Hope is about the future and our perspective on it. With the Hebrew writer we would say, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” Without faith, hope is empty. Hope is an elusive term. The character played by Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption reminds his friend Andy, “In this place, hope is a very dangerous thing.” As a lifer who is denied parole each time it comes up, he has watched others driven to despair. I have watched determined persons hope against hope, but at some point realism must enter in.
Roger Miller has a little song that contains the lyrics, “You can’t roller-skate in a buffalo herd— (or go fishing in a watermelon patch) -- but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to. All you have to do is put your mind to it…and do it.”
I try to be a writer. I write every day—just have to put my mind to it. What if it isn’t good enough? Well, I lower my expectations and say for an old guy like me that is still pretty good.
Faith, hope, and love, these three, and the greatest of these is love. This kind of love is our willingness to believe in another, perhaps at times to believe for another. Parents can see potential in children who are having a difficult time seeing any good thing. It is a bit like Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine, who never lost faith in her son, despite his spending many years as a philanderer. History credits his conversion happened when he wandered into Ambrose of Milan’s church and, upon hearing Ambrose’s sermon, changed his life. True story, but I still credit his mom who believed in him and for him during those prodigal years.
As a student I spent a summer in what was then called The Terrell State Hospital for the Insane (Terrell, Texas). The wards were full of folks who were simply stored there with little hope of recovery, including my maternal grandmother. This was before the advent of miracle drugs that would do wonders. I did my Clinical Pastoral Education there. One of the programs involved getting the patients out of that place for different social events. One evening, we loaded the old bus with clients and went to see the musical film South Pacific. In one scene the hero of the story belts out the lyrics, “I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope, I can’t get it out of my heart.” The next day, a woman named Mary who seldom responded or spoke was singing those lyrics. And wherever you saw Mary after that for a while, she was “stuck like a dope with a thing called hope.” And Mary learned to smile again, even if she did about drive some of us nuts. She seemed hopeful.
Always there abides faith, hope and love, these three, and according to Paul, if we get the third one right – love – the other stuff will fall into place. I still would not recommend rollerskating in a buffalo herd — but we can be happy if we put our minds to it.
And by the way, Sarah gave birth to that baby – and the story of our faith continued with all of its ups and downs. That is just the way the life of faith happens to be. And we indeed can be happy if we choose to be.
Dear God, life is not easy, and sometimes we feel driven to despair. But deep within we find the spark that lights the fire of faith and hope is born. Create within each of us the courage to seek the renewal of our minds as well as our hearts through Christ our lord. Amen.
The Rev. Bill Cotton of Des Moines is a retired clergy member of the Iowa Annual Conference, Together with friends and colleagues, he produces the weekly newsletter "MEMO for Those Who Preach," delivered by email.