If I were ever going to say "Get Thee
behind me Satan" to anyone it would be Gayle Crowe, for his bulletin
articles continually provoke the sin of envy in me. His writing is
consistently graceful, seemingly effortless, and always incisive.
Gayle, who preaches for the Elmwood church in Lafayette, Indiana has
agreed to share a couple of his recent columns with us. Thanks, Gayle,
for sharing this "good stuff" with your colleagues!
Dan Williams
PREACHER STUFF RESOURCE EXCHANGE
College Avenue church of Christ
1817 N. College Avenue
El Dorado, Arkansas 71730
www.cacoc.org
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FRESH SPRINGS OF OPPORTUNITY
In Simply Christian, N. T. Wright tells a wonderful parable. Once upon
a time there was a dictator that ruled his country with an iron hand.
Everything was thought out and rationally decided.
This dictator noticed that the water sources around the country were
erratic. Fresh water springs located in inconvenient places would flow
gently one day and in torrents the next. The dictator decided on a
sensible, rational plan. The whole country would be paved over with
concrete so thick that no spring of water could ever penetrate it. All
the water the people needed would be brought courtesy of the
government through a complex system of pipes. Further, while he was at
it, the dictator decided to apply various chemicals to the water that
would make the people healthy. Everything was planned, regulated, and
controlled.
For many years the plan worked just fine. Occasionally the people would
look back wistfully at the days of bubbling streams and fresh springs.
But they got used to it and forgot the old way.
But then without warning, the springs that had gone on bubbling and
sparkling beneath the solid concrete could no longer be contained. In a
sudden explosion–like a volcano–the water burst through the concrete.
Muddy, dirty water shot into the air and took over streets, houses, and
businesses. Some of the townspeople were delighted–at long last they
could get water without depending on the government. But the leaders
were devastated that they could no longer control people’s lives like
they used to.
We are the citizens of that country. “The dictator is the philosophy
that has shaped our world for the past two or more centuries,
making most people materialists by default. And the water is what we
today call ‘spirituality,’ the hidden spring that bubbles up within
human hearts and human societies.”
Everywhere the word “spirituality” is heard. Angels in the media, New
Age mysticism, horoscopes, militant religionists of every stripe–our
world is a different place today. We can stand by, or we can take fresh
water to thirsty people around us. God has given us a brief window of
opportunity; how long will it last?
Gayle Crowe
Elmwood Church of Christ
Lafayette, IN
