Sermon – Lent 5, by Rev. Ken Wratten
Fear of Calamity We continue our exploration of the Christian response to many of the fears that we face in life. This week we look closely at the personal and global, physical, emotional, and spiritual, calamities of our life. This is the time to rally our faith, to call on the Holy Spirit who lives in us, and refuse to allow this brand of fear from robbing us of the joy of today because of what might happen tomorrow. In this sermon I present the case that everything – everything – that happens in your life has spiritual significance.
What example can you share of a personal calamity or adversity that led you to an important learning?
When I was growing up in the 40’s we were poor moneywise, but I never really felt poor. However, when I was in 6th grade and beginning middle school it was the first time we had clubs. I joined a stamp club which I thoroughly enjoyed, because it seemed that other countries had much more beautiful stamps than we used in the USA. I also ordered stamps from a mail order stamp Company called the Mystic Stamp Company. They would send a selection of stamps and you could buy as few or as many as you liked and send the money and the stamps you didn’t want back to them. Well, I took one order to school to show the stamp group and calamity struck. At the end of the day the stamps were gone from my desk in homeroom and I reported it to the teacher. But no one seemed to be able to find them, I just had to suffer the loss. I was so afraid to go home that day. I did’nt have the money to pay for the missing stamps, but my older sister came to my rescue with a severe lecture and her hard earned money to cover the cost of the stamps. Then I had to pay her my very small allowance each week until the debt was paid. That took a very long time without any spending money. I never took any unpaid for stamps to school again. Lesson learned.