This past week we have buried two great saints of
God. Troy “Buck” Cox and Velma
Beckley. Both had been around the block
more than a time or two. Buck was 84 and
Velma was 96! When I met them four years
ago I found them to be vibrant, encouragers of the faith, faithful to their
Lord and to His Church. Both died about
a week apart. I think in my mind I am
waiting for that next shoe to drop. After all, don’t deaths come in 3’s? Well, sometimes they do and sometimes they do
not. I am praying for the do not!
As I examine these great saints of God, I find that
they had many things in common but one thing among them all stands out: their great faith! I loved to hear their stories about how God
did amazing things in their lives and in the church. Great stories of amazing Sunday School attendance
and spiritual growth. There were great
stories of families that came to church and became a part of something really
real, sometimes with the encouragement of a pastor, sometimes without. But it was God that gave the increase! Faith seemed to ooze out of each account they
gave.
As time marched on, so did the people. The great Sunday School became a Bible
study. Because young people grow up,
they move up and out and on with their lives.
Seems like that happens a lot here in Carroll County. Families, once ripe with young children now
became “empty nesters”. Then the
unspeakable happened. One of the aged or
aging parents went to be with the Lord.
Time, always marching on, stops for no one.
Now we are faced with a dilemma. While we have the same vibrant people, they are
aging with time, and time can be a hindrance to growth. There are more white haired people than dark
haired people. (and some “no haired
people too!). We still love to hear the
stories. They are great reminders of
days gone by.
But where are the modern day Velma Beckleys? Who are today’s Buck Coxs? Who will step up and take their mantle
today? I have asked that question over a
hundred times since Tamie and I have ventured into the lives of the Carrollton
Bible Chapel. When I do ask, I get the
stories.
The stories are great, but unless we get a new rendition
of Velma and Buck, we are going to go the way of many churches today. We will bury our old saints until the last
story is told.
As I pondered this in reflection of these events of the
past two weeks, I came to a conclusion. It’s
not a question of time. I know many
people blame time for not being able to serve God. Jobs, sports, and families all take
time. The major difference between last
generation’s priorities and this generation’s priorities are the relevance of
those priorities.
It’s not a question of time. It’s a question of faith. The last generation was molded on faith. Their faith started as a seed in their
childhood and grew to be a mighty oak in their lives. People admired them from near and afar for
the great faith. Tom Brokaw, the retired
NBC news anchor, called them “The Greatest Generation”. Perhaps they were. Perhaps they are. Their mustard seed of faith made them the
mighty sequoias that generations will call “amazing”. I call them spiritual giants!
Today our faith has been robbed from our lives. No longer do we need faith to live. Need something? Use the credit card. Need more money? Turn your check into cash. There is no need to save money, that’s a
waste of time. Buy it now, pay it later
with the credit card. Our lives have
become the here and now not at all interested in the bye and bye.
Our faith has become…well, dinky.
It has never been given the opportunity to grow. It’s still a seed. Churches today have the same problem. Why go to a small church and help it grow
when there are mega churches that have already solved that problem and have
more programs to fit all of our needs. Married? There is a class for that. New convert?
Yes, we have a class for that.
Alcoholic? Abused drugs? Sexually
deviant? Yes we have classes and
programs to meet every one of those needs…
So people, especially younger people, flock to the mega
churches to get their religious fix for the week while the smaller churches
where there is more intimacy, more chance to water that small seed, interact
with someone who needs to see faith in action, are withering away with time.
It reveals much about our society today. Not only do we have instant gratification to
solve our material needs, we also have the same opportunity to solve our
spiritual needs. I can keep my dinky
faith without actually getting to know someone, or be able to spread my faith
because I am paying someone to do it for me.
There are consequences to those choices however:
There will be no more great stories of Sunday
School. There will be no more great
stories of redeeming families and friends and neighbors. There will be no more unless we decide that
we are going to water that dinky faith and make it into our own great
faith.
Watering the dinky faith will bring a harvest of
blessings to the like you won’t be able to tell them all in your lifetime. But it comes at a cost. It comes with investing time. Time in getting to know people. Time in getting involved in other people’s
lives. Time in reaching across the
hedges and giving a help up not a hand out.
But there’s that word again…Time.
There is going to come a time, if it hasn’t happened
already, that the old stories are going to become exactly that…old…
“I remember the time…”
yep, heard that one… “Do you remember…” yep, heard that one too… “But do
you know…” yes…yes…a hundred times yes, I can tell those stories in my
sleep.
Where are the new stories? Where are the new Velmas? The new Bucks? I hear all the time, “I would sure like to be
like her…” Well, its time to stop dreaming and put feet to your words. Come see me and we will give you a Sunday
School class. Or maybe a Bible
study. That doesn’t mean just reading
the curriculum each week. It’s investing
your time into that class or study.
Calling them.
Visiting them. Inviting
them. Reaching out to them. Maybe having them at your home for a dessert
night. Or a hot dog cookout. Or a pot luck dinner. Or an outdoor fire with smores. If you do all these things, you will begin to
accumulate YOUR own stories.
And when its your time for white hair or no hair, you
too will have stories of your own to tell and not just re-hashing someone else’s
dreams and adventures.
If you wait, you will NEVER do it. How much faith do you really have? I am guessing, if you are willing to sit and
do nothing, you have dinky faith.
You don’t believe God can do it again.
I am guessing
now. Don’t shoot the messenger. But unless we can take those of you who have
dinky faith and turn it into great faith, someday in the near future, we will
turn this building into a nice senior center.
We have nice parking, handicapped access, and enough kitchen facilities
to accommodate a nice group.
The worship center can be turned into a larger
fellowship hall where great games of bingo, checkers, and maybe even chess can
be played. And, while you are having
your afternoon snack, you can reminisce about those great stories about Velma,
Buck, Ruth, Tom, and the others who used to do great works.
I am sure you will remember them well.
