Holston Devotional Series | September 30, 2019

September 30, 2019

by Karen Woods

Certified Lay Minister (LM) of Christ UMC (Knoxville, TN)

Tennessee Valley District

A couple of days ago, I witnessed a young man perform an act of kindness that moved those who were present to tears. It was a simple act, but the circumstances under which it occurred made it extraordinary.

You see, for the majority of the week, the young man had been in a courtroom as his father stood trial. The first day of court, they learned that they really didn’t have enough time to get somewhere, order and eat their food, and get back in the allotted time for lunch. So, it was decided we should “trial tailgate”. The next day, we gathered at the car for our tailgate lunch of sandwiches, chips and drinks (thanks to the guy we were there to support). This worked well for a couple of days even though it was hot, and we didn’t really have a place to sit.

By the end of the week, we knew that lunch was usually about 12:30. There was a pizza place nearby, so the plan was to order the pizzas, and then they would be ready by the time we walked over at the break. We would be in the air conditioning and have a slice of pie.

We broke a little early for lunch, and one of the guys called to order the pizza. By the time we got outside, he said “they don’t have room for us...” The words hung in the air like a thick cloud, and I was reminded of another time when there had not been room.

Now what to do? We hadn’t packed the cooler. Some of us had noticed a sandwich shop the day before, so the kids and their mother headed in that direction while a couple of us stayed back with the man who had just been on the stand. This allowed him a little time to breathe before eating. At this point, once again, we were gathered around the car under a tree.

A woman sat on a bench nearby. She didn’t get on the trolley or look up as it passed. She didn’t have anything with her. She just sat there.

After awhile, we start looking at the time because lunch hadn’t arrived. A phone call revealed that our group had to go to a second shop to get our food. They were almost back to us.

Sure enough, they walked up. We spread the take out containers of steak sandwiches, kettle chips/mashed potatoes, and drinks on the hood of the car and began to eat. Oh, they tasted good.

The man returning to the stand said he couldn’t eat. We each encouraged him to at least take a bite, but he refused.

We began to gather our trash, and in the center of the hood sat the remaining sandwich and chips. The young man looked to his father and asked, “are you sure you don’t want it”? Dad says “no, I can’t”.

“Should I just give it to her”, he asked.

Dad turned and saw the woman still sitting on the bench, her back to us, and nodded yes. Quickly, he swallowed the lump in his throat as tears glistened in his eyes.

We watched as the young man picked up the container and walked over to the woman. He said, “would you like this?”

She looked up to him, paused, and then took the container. I couldn’t hear if she said anything, and I haven’t asked.

As I turned from the scene, the young man’s mother was wiping away tears, and a hush had fallen over us.

For what you have done for the least of these my brethren, you have done unto me. Mathew 25:40.

This young man had sat with his family and friends and listened as the prosecution and their witnesses laid out their case against his father. He muttered his objections to the accounts and accusations or would shake his head. He and his siblings would have taken the stand to defend their dad, who had steadfastly professed his innocence.

The children along with many others have asked how could someone make these accusations? How could it have gotten this far?

David asked the same thing in Psalm 62:3-4

How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence, they take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.

It’s hard to explain what drives people to do the things they do, but if we have faith and believe Psalm 62, we will be victorious in the end.

Verse 2 states: “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.” NRSV.

I grew up with the King James Version, and in a trial situation, the wording seems more appropriate, “he is my defence (defense); I shall not be greatly shaken.”

By the time this is published, the jury will have returned a verdict.

It is our hope that the defense will prevail, but we have to prepare ourselves that it could go either way.

Verse 8 states, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

The vision of the woman flooded back into my mind. Her sitting on the bench with her back to us, her hand reaching out, her taking her time as she ate the chips and then starting on the sandwich.

The vision of a young man, in the midst of very difficult week, thinking she might be hungry.

As we left the courtroom Friday and made our way back to the car, there, on the bench, sat the empty container.

Lord,
Thank you for the opportunity to see You through the actions of this young man. It was You who made sure there was “no room for us”. It was Your hand that guided us back to the car. It was You who moved a young man to reach out to another one of your children. I am grateful to be able to tell the story and pray that it will touch others as it touched me.
Amen.