There’s a Peanuts cartoon where Lucy demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over? Asks Linus. “These five fingers,’ says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” What channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”

The church is like that in a sense. Individually we have gifts – there are small things each of us can do to show God’s love. But together, our small actions add up! When we get organized, our time and money and energy multiply.  Together, we form not a weapon to inflict damage, but an instrument of God’s healing and redemption and peace.

Let us pray: Loving God, we want to be healthy and whole.  We want to live deeply in tune with you and your people. And, we want to use the gifts you have given us to make this world a better place. So we give our lives to you again this day. Show us how we can serve you as individuals and as a community of faith. We pray today especially for those who are hurting deeply. Bind up their wounds and restore their body, mind, and soul. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A friend once passed onto me the story of the Cherokee’s right of passage from a boy to a man. A father took his boy into the forest, blindfold him, and left him alone. The boy was required to sit on a stump all night without removing the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shone through it, The boy could not cry out for help. However, once he survived the night, he would be considered a man by his tribe.

Of course, naturally terrified, the boy could hear all kinds of noises. He knew that wild beasts must surely be all around him. The wind blew through the trees, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. Finally, after a long scary night, the sun appeared and the boy removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father was sitting on the stump next to him.  He had been there the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

There are times for each of us in life when we must survive the darkness of night. We face illness and loss, heartache, and suffering. However, the truth is, we are never alone either.

There is an old African proverb, No matter how dark the night, the dawn will always break. The proverb is true. It is also true that God is with us – not only in the morning dawn – but also in the night.

Let us pray:  God of Hope, we pray today for those who find themselves in the darkness of night. We pray for those who have recently lost loved ones, and for those who are in the midst of illness or depression. We also pray for those who might be in harm’s way – especially women and men in the military who are currently deployed. And we lift up the families who await them back home. We ask that whatever the situation, they would know your comforting presence, and your healing grace. May they also be assured by the promises of the gospel, that with you all things are possible, things will change and the dawn will break. We pray in the name of the Light of the World. Amen.

When I was right out of seminary in my first call, a wise elder came to see me and ask about my prayer life. I was honest and told him I try to fit it wherever I can. He challenged me on that, “You know,” he said, “we’re all given the same amount of time every day – 24 hours. Are you going to choose to have your life rooted in Christ? Or, is your life going to be centered on Joe: Joe’s worries, Joe’s problems, Joe’s ideas? Even if you choose to center it on (your job) the church, the church’s worries, the church’s problems, the church’s ideas – you are still missing the point. I’m not talking about adding one more thing to your life, Joe. I’m talking about a center and a ground for everything. If the Lord doesn’t get first priority in your life, then what are you saying to us about what’s important in our lives?

At first, I was kind of mad. The more I thought about it, the angrier I felt. But I realized I was angry – because he was right.

Here are the questions he raised for me: Do you want to hear God’s voice? Do you want to have God’s healing and guidance at the heart of who you are? Do you want a sense of integrity between your faith and your life? If so, then you need to make time to be still and to listen.

Let us pray: O God, we do want you at the heart and center of our lives. Help us to make space in our lives to share our burdens, to listen for your guidance, and to be filled with your peace.  Amen.

I was recently reading something about Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen related to using the technique of art therapy for people who have experienced great loss. Apparently, she spent some time helping a twenty-four-year-old young man who had to have one of his legs amputated to stop the spread of bone cancer. This young man was angry and bitter. For a long time, he couldn’t seem to look beyond his disability.

Eventually, Dr. Remen was able to help him come to grips with his emotions and to let go of his disappointment. As he recovered, she also encouraged him to reach out and help others – to turn from an inward self-centered focus – to an outward focus. He began to visit others with physical disabilities and to share his own story with them.

One day this young man visited a young woman who had just been operated on for breast cancer. She was suffering from deep depression. Her room was silent, except for some music playing by her bed. He couldn’t seem to get through to her in his usual manner, so he tried something different. He suddenly took off his artificial leg and began dancing around the room on his one good leg. The woman began laughing. She said, “Ok if you can dance, I can sing.”  And she did.

About a year after the young man’s turnaround, he sat down with Dr. Remen to wrap up his therapy. At one point, they looked over the artwork and discussed how his views of life had changed. One picture expressed it beautifully. The young man, when asked to draw a picture of his body, had at first drawn a vase with an ugly, jagged crack running down the middle. This crack represented all the anger, and bitterness he felt after he lost his leg. He had seen himself as broken and therefore useless.

But now as the young man looked at the picture, he knew it no longer represented how he felt. He took a yellow crayon and drew vibrant yellow streamers pouring from the crack in the vase. Then he explained, “You see here, where it is broken, this is where the light shines through.”

Friend of Dial Hope, I don’t know all of the brokenness and hurt that you may be feeling today. But I do know this: that every one of you has been through difficult moments in life.  You have felt this brokenness.

The promise of the gospel, however, is that we worship a God who brings light out of darkness; hope out of despair. And so often what we find is that when we turn back to help others, it is precisely through our past heartache and brokenness and even failures that God’s light shines the brightest.

Let us pray: God of Grace, help us to trust you with our need. And empower us to help others. As we have been blessed, so may we be a blessing. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Today’s message was written by Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

Friend of Dial Hope, do you sometimes feel like your problems are so overwhelming that you can barely keep your head above water? In the Bible, God tells you to cast “all your care upon him,” knowing he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

One of the most dramatic examples in the Bible of casting yourself upon God is Peter’s attempt to walk on water. It was liquid pavement beneath his feet. When Jesus bid Peter to come to him, Peter quickly stepped out of the boat, and, with his eyes on the Lord, he began to walk. But then he looked around at the heavy seas. Terrified, he began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Immediately, Jesus was beside Peter. And, arm in arm, they walked on the water to the boat. Like Peter, if you get your eyes off your source and onto your impossible situation, you’re sunk. But, if you keep your eyes on Jesus and walk arm in arm with him, you’ll be safe…because Jesus specializes in meeting human needs. Whatever is over your head in the way of problems is already under his feet. It’s in his control! Remember: “Cast all your anxiety, your care on him, because he cares for you.” (l Peter 5:7)

Let us pray: God of love, who came into the world clothed in our garment of flesh and who willingly gave yourself to the cross, clothe us in your Spirit that persons will recognize you in us and receive your great gift of unconditional love and amazing grace. We remember today and this week the men and women serving our country in Afghanistan and Iraq. Surround them with your presence and give them Christ-confidence.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.