Be Strong, Be Courageous, Be Faithful
I Kings 2:1-4
May 28, 2006
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing takes place today. The Indianapolis 500 has been a Memorial Weekend tradition ever since 1911 with the exception of a few years during wartime when it wasn’t run.
I will be the first to admit to you that I am not a race fan. I know some of you are. My brother-in-law Todd is a great NASCAR fan and sees a couple of races a year. My father-in law likes racing. I have friends who like racing. My daughter likes racing – I’m not sure she would say that, but that is my conclusion after hearing about her latest speeding ticket.
I remember when I was a kid growing up. My dad would usually find something to do out in the backyard or in the garage during the race. He would take a radio out and plug it in so he could listen to the race as it progressed through the afternoon. The great IndyCar racing names of my youth were guys like Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt, Bobby and Al Unser, Mario Andretti, and Roger Ward.
I have a new favorite on the racing circuit…Danica Patrick who placed fourth last year and starts this year’s race in 10 place on the inside of the 4th row. I really love to see women compete with the best and not only hold their own, but do better than anyone ever expects.
In 1912, a driver by the name of Ralph DePalma held the lead for 198 laps. On the final lap of the race, he had an eight lap lead and was a sure winner…or so everyone supposed. No one is exactly sure what happened…he either had an oil leak or broke a piston…but whatever happened, he went dead on the back stretch of the final lap. He and his mechanic jumped out of the car – those were the days when your mechanic rode along with you – and pushed it for more than a mile to the finish line. During their desperate attempt at victory, Joe Dawson passed them to win and DePalma was disqualified. Apparently a car has to be running under its own power in order to win. There’s always a catch, isn’t there? In 1915, DePalma actually won the race even though a connecting rod broke and he had to coast across the finish line.
I’m talking about racing today because it is Memorial Day and we are remembering those who have crossed the finish line of life and have entered life triumphant and eternal. It is difficult to prove where and when this holiday really began. A number of cities across the United States claim to be the place where the first Memorial Day celebrations were held. But it was officially declared a holiday in 1868 by General John Logan, Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Many states in the south refused to recognize the day until we began to honor the dead in all wars, not just the Civil War.
Although we remember our military dead today, we also recall all of our loved ones who have passed on or in the words of King David in the text for today, have gone “the way of all the earth.”
Have you ever wondered what these deceased people would say to us if they had the chance? What do you suppose their counsel to us would be if they could rise from the grave for just a few minutes? What advise would they share with us?
Sometimes people in the last throes of the dying process have very profound things to say. John Newton, a former slave trader turned Presbyterian minister and author of that famous hymn “Amazing Grace” said upon nearing his death, “I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon.”
Other times, they don’t say too much. Lady Nancy Astor, the first woman member of the British Parliament who lived from 1879 to 1964, woke up for just a moment from her deathbed to see her entire family surrounding her. She looked around and said, “Am I dying or is this my birthday?”
The very last words of P.T. Barnum were, “How were the receipts today in Madison Square Garden?”
Just before he died, Pancho Villa said to a friend, “Don’t let it end this way. Tell them I said something.”
Marie Antoinette, on the way to her death said, “Pardon me sir” after she stepped on the toe of her executioner.
King David had some advice for his son Solomon as he lay dying. When his time drew near, he charged his son Solomon with these words: be strong, be courageous, and be faithful. Sounds like pretty good advice to me; advice that still resonates a few thousand years later.
Be strong. This sounds like something we tell out sons, doesn’t it. Be strong. Stay tough. Hang in there. Don’t give up. But it is good advice for all of us, regardless of gender.
Sometimes, life just breaks down. Ralph DePalma found that out on the back stretch of his 200th lap down at the Brickyard. He was going along at a great speed and had everyone else so far behind him that they had no chance of catching him. But then, his car failed him and he had to get out and push.
Let’s face it, human life is not for the faint of heart. You never know when things will fall apart. You never know when your well laid plans will unravel. You never know when your own mistakes will catch up with you. Stuff happens in life. Sometimes it is unexpected. Most often it is unwelcome. It causes us to reach outside our comfort zones and find new ways of coping, surviving, winning.
Back in April, there was a Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette story about a Leo High School tennis player who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease last winter. They told her that this year’s tennis season was over for her because her treatment could take anywhere from six months to a year. Three months later, even though her hair has all fallen out and she still is easily fatigued, she is back on the courts with a racket in her hand. She is a young lady who knows how to stay strong, not give up, and not give in to the voices of those who tell you that certain things are impossible.
Strength in human life requires character, certainty, integrity, and a belief in something greater than you. Such a strong person is one who can overcome adversity. Such a person is one who refuses to give up, even in the face of tremendous odds. Such a person will not be defeated. Such a person finds his or her worth, not in outside circumstances, but rather in one’s standing as a child of God.
The second piece of advice the dying King David gave to his son Solomon was, “be courageous.” David showed courage throughout his life as he fought for and won a kingdom. Ralph DePalma showed courage as he pushed his racecar for over a mile to the finish line.
Many of us are risk-averse. We go out of our way to protect ourselves against any and all perceived threats.
Now, I’m all for safety and I realize that accidents happen, but sometimes I think that we may go overboard in our quest to defeat any risk before it presents itself. I am also speaking as a parent who has never had a child badly injured. Perhaps if Matt or Chris or Dominique had received a serious injury, I would feel differently. But for goodness sakes. We dress our kids up in helmets, shin guards, knee pads, gloves, and goggles to go out riding their bikes. Perhaps we are giving them a false sense of security. Perhaps we are communicating to them that you can get through life without being hurt.
The problem is that, when we become so afraid of risk, we also strip ourselves of any chance of enjoyment. Of course there is a difference between courage and foolishness, but we can’t let fear dominate our lives.
One of the things I have been saying to folks around here is that the church has to develop and nurture an organizational climate in which we are not afraid to make mistakes. We need to give each other permission to make mistakes. Only by boldness and courage can we move into the future with any hope of reaching new populations for Jesus Christ.
Making mistakes means that we are not being content with sitting still. The only way to prevent mistakes is not to do anything. The key, it seems to me, is to trust God and be courageous enough to step out in faith. If we make mistakes…in programming, in personnel, in strategy, or in any number of other areas – we will learn from them and not make them again. But people who trust God cannot be afraid to step out and take a risk or two or three for the Kingdom.
I’ve been spending quite a lot of time lately with Dr. Mark Fenstermacher. You will remember Mark, I’m sure as the guest leader for our stewardship campaign a couple of years ago. He and I have been talking about this church; our present and our future. He has asked how this church can be encouraged to take on the high-risk, Biblically-based, and life-giving role of being a leader in the faith community. He wants to know if we are willing to endure the criticism and chaos that always results when leaders attempt to lead with courage, vision, and boldness.
Remember that King David said, “Be courageous.” He didn’t say, “Don’t be afraid.” There is a difference. Mark Twain was the one who said, “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.”
David didn’t say, “Act only when the way is clear before you.” He said, “Be courageous.” I don’t know who said this, but I read this quote just the other day. “Courage can’t see around corners, but goes around them anyway.” Courage is acting in the knowledge that God has the power and control of any situation, even failure. If failure comes, it is courage which learns and goes forward.
Finally King David told Solomon to, “…keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies…so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.” In other words, “be faithful.”
Granted, you may be strong and courageous without having faith in God…history is full of examples. But more often than not, such strength and courage is likely to be misplaced or misdirected. Strength and courage must be fortified, equipped, and prepared by the Word of God.
The world in which we live is not always an easy one to survive. Mistakes happen. Troubles come and go. Tragedy sometimes strikes. Misunderstanding comes along. Our own stubbornness or inabilities may serve to get us into more trouble than we can imagine. Sometimes it seems that the deck is stacked against us.
As we stand here on this Memorial Day, we wonder what our ancestors would say to us. We remember all of those men and women who have given their lives for the sake of this nation and this people, and wonder what their counsel would be to us. We think about all of the people who have gone on before us, and wonder what they would tell us if they could.
Perhaps, like King David, their advice would be to be strong, be courageous, and be faithful. Such people make it to the finish line and join the mighty cloud of witnesses, as spoken of in Hebrews chapter 12, who have already completed their race. My prayer is that we will be such a people.
