Last Call?

Today I attended a memorial for a godly servant of God, Ron Hill. I know Ron from Emmaus, his wife Betty was my sponsor. Her mom attended my church, so I’ve known them for 30+ years.

Family and friends crowded into the church pews with people standing in the back. Ron’s family, colleagues and pastor had no trouble sharing glowing eulogies of such a servant to the community. He had served as a volunteer fire fighter and EMT trainer, as well as multiple positions at his home church.

At the end, they issued his Last Call. In my decades of ministry and funerals I had not previously experienced this tradition. It dissolved me into a puddle of tears.

A uniformed fire fighter walked to the front of the church and turned on his dispatch radio. A clear voice summoned all the county responders to listen. Then she said, “Calling Crew Captain Ron Hill.” A deafening silence followed. She repeated the call a second time. Another earth shattering silence.

Then her voice returned saying, “Last call for Crew Captain Ron Hill. October 24, 2018. Rest In Peace.”

Reading these words cannot adequately portray the impact as they filled the sanctuary bursting with loved ones then the silence returned.

Last call for Ron’s earthly responsibility.

And yet another call had come, that voice of love, calling him home. A first call? Not really, because that Voice has called Ron many times, calling him to love Christ, calling him to serve in ways a dispatcher would never know. And yet not a last call either, for the conversation between Ron and the voice of his Savior will continue. Ron had been listening to those calls for years and following those instructions.

And so when this call came, he answered. And now lives in the Presence of God which requires no dispatch or mediator.

Yes, Ron, as the dispatcher said, Rest In Peace. Enter into the joy of your true Master.

Politics Isn't Perfection

 Years ago our family visited Sequoia National Park and viewed the giant redwoods there, so wide.
This month we walked through Muir Woods National Monument, showcasing coastal redwoods, think: TALL.

While there we heard an amazing Ranger talk from Ranger Dan, and I've heard a lot over the years, about the founding of Muir Woods. This forest has never been milled, chiefly because of its location and geography, a large hill making it hard for primitive wagon transport to carry out trees. Natural limits protected it for centuries.

In 1905 William Kent spent $45,000, the equivalent of 1.26 million today, to purchase this forest and conserve its beauty. His wife Elizabeth Thatcher Kent, a committed suffragist, was not convinced the effort was worthwhile. He said it was worth his entire fortune to preserve.

The following year San Francisco suffered an earthquake and fire which destroyed the majority of the city. In their efforts to rebuild, the huge trees so close by seemed the perfect solution. The city sued Kent via eminent domain to take the land. Kent sees that he can’t win this fight, so he gives the land to the federal government. Teddy Roosevelt makes the space national monument. A national park designation requires the approval of Congress, but a president can create a national monument. The woods are saved!

Roosevelt wanted to name the space Kent Woods. I've never heard of this man, but he certainly deserved these woods he fought single-handedly to preserve to be named after him. However Kent insisted the woods be named after his friend John Muir, the father of the conservation movement. He thought it improper to name it after himself, as if he were purchasing a legacy for himself. So his name slides into obscurity, except when park visitors stop to listen to Ranger Dan.

Here's the twist in the story. William Kent ran for political office on an anti-immigration stand. For many people today, someone so pro-environment would attract their vote, but they would be put off by his stand against immigration. Others would want to vote for his anti-immigration stand, but be frustrated that he championed public lands and conservation.

Years later in 1945 when the United Nations delegation met in the United States to organize, they visited Muir Woods.  They honored the memory of Frankin Roosevelt, who had died a month before, and who believed that the principles of conserving natural resources contributed to world peace.

Few politicians agree fully with our preferences, we have to make hard choices. I am grateful for the
choices William Kent made to preserve such a beautiful place as Muir Woods, where the very air breathes peace.

Stuck in the Middle

Part of my calling in life lies in diplomacy. I often find myself in the middle of situations, sometimes between individuals, sometimes in an organization, or some combination thereof. Typically I have a personal opinion about who seems more in the right or wrong, but I also see both sides of the situation, even if I don't agree.

In personal situations this can cause some real angst, especially when called upon to support one or the other exclusively. But what I have learned from this is that even when we don't agree with someone, it is possible to at least see their side and understand their point of view.

Having that kind of empathy helps us to humanize those we cannot agree with. We can love and admire people who we distinctly disagree with on every basic opinion imaginable. We can respect people who have a different viewpoint, even if we cannot honor their choices.

Imagine how God must feel. We pray sometimes silly prayers for a basketball game as if we expect God to play favorites over who wins. But even with more grave matters, we as believers often pray at cross purposes from our brothers and sisters, an extreme example being any civil war throughout the centuries. Yet God sees the whole picture, knows what is best for all, and acts accordingly, which will suit someone's but not everyone's prayers.

Perhaps the best advantage of being stuck in the middle lies in being able to pray for both sides with honest neutrality, and trusting God will do what's best.

Our country once again faces an election. Good people will vote for both "sides." I have my own opinions about how that should turn out. I hope that people can see the other side. And I hope people find it worth voting, to at least participate in this civic duty. It's a simple action that gives us agency. And praying helps too, even if God has a whole other idea than we can imagine.