Unbelievable Scars
A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the burning house. The boy’s cries for help were heard above the crackling of the blaze. No one seemed to know what to do, for the front of the house was a mass of flames.
Suddenly a stranger rushed from the crowd and circled to the back where he spotted an iron pipe that reached an upstairs window. He disappeared for a minute, then reappeared with the boy in his arms. Amid the cheers of the crowd, he climbed down the hot pipe as the boy hung around his neck.
Weeks later a public hearing was held in the town hall to determine in whose custody the boy would be placed. Each person wanting the boy was allowed to speak briefly. The first man said, “I have a big farm. Everybody needs animals, a good work ethic, and to be outdoors.” The second man told of the advantages he could provide. “I’m a teacher. I have a large library. He would get a phenomenal education.” Finally, the richest man in the community said, “I’m wealthy. I could give the boy everything mentioned tonight: farm, education, and more, including money and travel. I’d like him in my home.”
The chairman asked, “Would anyone else like to say a word?” From the backseat rose a stranger who had slipped in unnoticed. As he walked toward the front, deep suffering showed on his face. Reaching the front of the room, he stood directly in front of the little boy. Slowly the stranger removed his hands from his pockets. A gasp went up from the crowd. The little boy, whose eyes had been focused on the floor until now, looked up. The man’s hands were terribly scarred. Suddenly the boy emitted a cry of recognition. Here was the man who had saved his life. His hands were scarred from climbing up and down the hot pipe. With a leap, the boy threw himself around the stranger’s neck and held on for life. The farmer rose and left. The teacher, too. Then the rich man. Everyone departed, leaving the boy and his rescuer who had won him without a word.
Unbelievable Scars speak more effectively than any words.
I have heard it said many times, “No one likes scars.” Yet, I beg to differ. As followers of Christ, we know all about life-giving scars, and often who scars are representative of—"Survivors”. People who have been through something hard, something difficult, something painful, something, often, tragic. Today we sit here as Christians with those words ‘He is Risen’ still freshly etched on our minds. Now, we have passed the second Sunday of Easter, which happened to be April 11th this year, or 4-1-1. And… ‘The 4-1-1’ is exactly what Christ was giving his disciples in last week’s scripture-- Information and truth--- because to the ‘Doubting Thomas’s’, the would-be-us’s, ‘seeing is believing. Christ shows his scars that His disciples may believe. That unbelievers might believe.
Today we continue with an account from the book of Luke where the depiction of the arrival of Jesus is much the same:
Luke 24:36-48
New International Version
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
In Luke’s account, much like John’s account last week, there is still a lingering air about, probably much like the lingering air in my house this weekend, it stinks, it came with an attitude, and it came with disbelief—probably a product of the pancake breakfast. Okay, gross, but true! And… I am getting off track… The direction I was headed with the disbelief and attitude is that “I will believe it when I see it!” type-stinkin’ attitude. Like Thomas, we, too, are a ‘proof-is-in-the-pudding’, people. We disbelieve much!
About a week ago I sat at a friend’s house enjoying the Jazz Game. It was much-needed refreshment, as downtime is my world is scarce. Thank you, Marcie! As we watched commercials, which included much of the latest and greatest of new technology, including cars driving themselves, we wondered if the self-driving car gets into an accident, who gets the ticket? Think about it…
“Crunch!”
“Officer, I swear to you, that was not me!”
And, really, my point here is not for us to wonder who would be ticketed, but to think about the fact we literally have self-driving cars! SELF-DRIVING CARS! Unbelievable!
Then there was the commercial that shows a would-be robber trying to steal a bike off the back of a car. This real-life scenario shows the Vivint camera on the house whistle at the unsuspecting burglar, it startles him and away he flees—mission aborted. I mean, who would have ever thought technology would evolve to this? A mere 50-years ago, for many, today’s technology is unbelievable. Heck, sometimes I still find it unbelievable. Here we are today, living in this ever-evolving world that can be quite magnificent at times, and quite troubling at other times. A world that provides so much yet can take a lot out of us. This life is a journey through contrast. Without the bad, we don’t know good. Without the dark, we do not understand light. We have faith, we doubt. And, out of the doom and gloom, hardship and sacrifice, out of darkness and death… come this beautiful healing, this light and love, and these Unbelievable Scars!
Today my scarred friends, I talk to you. Because you, my scarred friends, you have a place! Jesus’ UNBELIEVABLE SCARS gave every single one of us a place. He overcame darkness and death for you, for me, for all of us. You have gifts! You have a purpose! You deserve love and you were created to love. Stop doubting, believe, and you will be blessed. This 4-1-1 was right from the mouth of Jesus himself who said, “…blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believed.”
Unbelievable Scars speak more effectively than any words.
There’s an old saying that there are three types of people, those who make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who say what happened?
Where do you fall?
Where do I fall?
Where do we fall as a community?
Where do we fall as followers of Christ?
These are good questions to be asking ourselves. We do not have time to worry about what other people think about us. THAT IS NONE OF OUR BUSINESS. It is distracting to our mission of making things happen. The real focus is: Are we working to love ALL our neighbors as ourselves? Are we out there getting our hands dirty? Are we being of service? Are we giving back to our community? Do we have balance in our lives? Are we willing to be vulnerable? Are we sharing our unbelievable scars?
One of my favorite quotes is, “There are no such things as victims, only survivors!” Now if you really think about this quote it has everything to do with mentality. We can all find something to be a victim about if we want. Am I right? I recently watched a guest speaker talk to a group of gentlemen battling addiction at the Thompson Recovery House. The speaker’s name was Shad. Shad was the pilot in a plane crash near Moon Lake outside of Duchesne. Amazingly, all six of the people in the plane crash survived. But, as you can imagine, there were Unbelievable Scars. Shad was paralyzed from the waist down. Saying life got hard would be an understatement. Imagine having to put on a rubber glove to go the bathroom. Imagine the depression that comes with not being able to do the things you once could. Imagine what the daily grind must be like for him. Yet, Shad does the ‘impossible’. Shad battles through the Unbelievable Scars. He is walking. He is pushing the limits. About a week after watching this motivational video, I show up to a HIIT class at the gym. Shad is going to the same class. James, whom most of you know as the addict II Athlete Coach, leads the class which is a brutal prison-style hour-long workout called “But… did you die yet.” Now imagine me working out across from Shad. I have zero good excuses to quit-- unless I do actually die. I could tell Shad sticks to a favorite mantra here at Kingsbury, “Never give up!” Shad gives praise to his parents for his determination, his drive, and his willpower. He said as a child saying the words “I can’t” at home would be worse than saying the f-word! Shad does not see a life rot with disabilities, he sees a life with an abundance of abilities… and possibilities.
Unbelievable Scars speak more effectively than any words.
So, what can you make happen? What can we make happen? I challenge us each today set intentions aiming to always be a doer, always be a giver, always be of service, always feeding value into others, and always promoting well-being. As Christians, we are called to love and we are called to service.
We are reminded of this call in Isaiah 41:9-10:
I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
God holding us with that hand of righteousness is quite the adventure. Servanthood is a lot of hard work! Yet Servanthood is a lot of fun, too! It comes with such great blessings. Yesterday I was interviewed as an applicant trying to obtain church ‘Tributary funds.’ As I talked about Kingsbury Community UCC, I realized the radical connectedness we have as a church. It is exciting. Something people should want to be a part of! You know you are doing the work of Christ when you are reaching the oppressed, the marginalized, to those who are underserved. I look at our engagement in the community with the Jail Postcard Ministry, the Mini Food Pantry, the recovery community (on so many levels), and the list goes on... I love watching this church live the words,
“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”
And, I have said it before, welcome cannot just be words we hang on the building or that we put on our doormats. WELCOME MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A FEELING! And those words ‘you are welcome here’ are NEVER to be followed by ‘UNLESS’…
2 Samuel 9:8 David is restoring land to Mephibosheth, a servant who replies,
"…What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"
Have you ever felt like that? Less than, beaten down, the ‘dead dog’ undeserving of restoration? The world will do that to you. It will beat you down. It will scar you. The good news is Christ loves us. Christ suffered unbelievably for us. Through Christ, we all can be restored. You are welcome here, period! Nobody should be made to feel less than, not good enough, or feel that there is no space for them-- for that is the work of Satan. The enemy thrives when we devalue others.
I watched this excellent film on Netflix called ‘The Dawn Wall’ which depicts the story of Tommy Caldwell’s life. As a kid, Tommy’s father took him on all sorts of crazy adventures. The kind where his father was changing his diaper in a snow cave at three years old. Then, a mere few years later, Tommy was already dangling between two cliffs by a rope. This adventure-type is likely the kind in today’s world that would get you reported for child endangerment.
Around the age of 18 Tommy showed up to snowbird for a climbing event and as an amateur ends up blowing away the competition. Tommy had a gift for climbing. As Tommy’s climbing career took off, he fell in love with a girl named Beth who was arguably one of the best female climbers in the world. Life was a dream, and in August of 2000, they found themselves on the adventure of a lifetime, climbing in Krygyzstan with a couple friends. One day, while climbing, they were posted up in their basecamp when suddenly they hear bullets whizzing by their heads, hitting the rocks around them. When they looked down, they realize they are being waved down by four armed rebels. Scared for their lives they comply. For 6 days, Tommy, Beth and their two friends are ushered around, hidden in rock crevices and other discrete places, shielded from the Kyrgyzstan army. After witnessing one of their assailants blow off someone’s head, things became even more frightening.
I want to pause for a moment, doesn’t this feel eerily familiar to evil lurking in our lives, it kidnaps us, it has us engulfed in fear, has us hiding in dark crevices, frightened out of our minds, and feeling sheltered from ‘Help’? Yet, ‘Help’ with a capital “H” pursues us in that darkness!
Back to the story, slowly the climbers’ captors begin to disappear. With only one kidnapper left Tommy knew this might be their only chance to survive. As they climbed a steep rock cliff, he pushed the remaining assailant off the rock cliff. Scarred from the devastating events, and scared for their lives, the four ran back into the arms of the Kyrgyzstan army where they were safe. Yet, as you can probably imagine, things were not the same after that.
As a distraction, Tommy turned to his lifelong go-to…climbing, climbing and more climbing. It was during this time Tommy would sustain a complete amputation of his left index finger while using a power saw during a woodworking project. An ‘Unbelievable Scar’ for the world-class climber. As life happened, the darkness loomed, telling Tommy there was no way he could ever be the technical climber he once was. The ‘El Capitan’ would tell Tommy the world does not always know best.
We will get back to El Capitan, but in the meanwhile, darkness continued to pick away at Tommy’s life, to pray on the trauma he endured, and reality was, his lack of life balance made it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. Beth filed for divorce. As it is so often in all our lives, darkness was persistent—always returning and ever-present. Aiming to destroy.
However, no matter what we endure life must go on. And, giving up was certainly not in Tommy’s blood. So, Tommy found a new climbing partner, Kevin Jorgeson. Tommy and Kevin set out on a real-life mission impossible. I told you I would get back to the El Capitan, and that is exactly the journey these two climbers would embark on. They chose the most improbable route up El Capitan, now known as “The Dawn Wall!” For 7 years they practiced the improbable ascent up the 3000-foot monolith. The dramatic climb, at times, felt impossible. Even giving up several times. But, the climb kept getting under their skin. And, for climbing their skin was a big deal! It comes down to the skin, literally. Tommy once said, “You try to climb as delicately as possible, pulling on holds lightly, so you don’t tear your skin. But the holds were often so sharp they would wear out our fingertips. We’d start bleeding and get cut. When that happens, you can’t hold on to these razor-sharp holds anymore, so you have to pay very close attention to the skin on your fingertips. We were eating things that we thought would fuel our skin, from the inside, and applying different lotions, and trimming our nails. We would take sandpaper and smooth off the little burrs on our skin so they wouldn’t catch and tear.”
During the climb, each section of the wall is known as a pitch. Once a climber reaches that pitch the next climber has to make it to the same place. Then they continue. However, when they got to pitch 15, it seemed to have Kevin’s number. Try as he might he could not make it through the pitch. He tried and tried. Wearing his fingers raw, until they were worn out, cracked, and bleeding. He took a few days off hoping his hands would heal. Mind you, this whole time they are literally sleeping on this rock wall. Isn‘t life sometimes like this, we are facing these huge walls, hanging on by our fingertips that have worn thin. Knowing there is something better up ahead. Yet, the struggle is real. Darkness again calls, reminding us it is too hard, and that we can’t do it. Kevin tried not to listen. He let his hands heal. But, after two days’ rest, he fails over and over. These razor-sharp holds continued to create Unbelievable Scars.
Kevin finally decided it would be best if Tommy went ahead. So, that is what Tommy did, he scaled the wall further and further upward. Through several pitches, he climbed. Soon, though, he started feeling uneasy-- like something was just not right. Seven years ago, they had set out as a team to complete the Dawn Wall at El Capitan. Now his partner was being left behind. He wanted Kevin to give it another try. Remember what I said about feeding value? Well, he fed value into Kevin. No man left behind. Kevin attempted pitch 15 again and the unthinkable happened. With a miraculous flying leap, he caught the wall, he had made the pitch! They would go on to finish their record-breaking ascent, the impossible climb, in 19 days. Persistence paid off. Friendship paid off. Unbelievable Scars paid off.
Unbelievable Scars speak more effectively than any words.
Do you know what El Capitan says to me? Do you know what Christ going to the cross says to me? It says no matter the ‘Unbelievable Scars’, life is ahead, “Nobody is left behind!”
As you go out into the world pay attention to ‘Unbelievable Scars’, listen to stories of those with unbelievable scars, and work to help promote them. Often, beneath those unbelievable scars we find stories of courage, strength, and love. As followers of Christ, may we never forget the Unbelievable Scars that represent an unbelievable love. Remembering to serve others diligently while working to feed value into everyone we meet! Finally, I leave you with those words Christ left his disciples with.
Peace be with you!
Amen
