Thursday, February 6, 2025
Isaiah 55: 6-9
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Henri Nouwen tells the story of visiting a friend, Trevor, in a mental hospital near Toronto. Trevor was a handicapped resident at Daybreak, the community for retarded and severely dependent people where Nouwen worked. He had been sent to the mental facility for a complete evaluation. Nouwen called the hospital administrator and informed him he was coming.
The administrator was amazed that a world-famous author, a professor from Notre Dame and later at Yale, was coming to visit a mentally retarded patient who couldn’t even read. He asked if some ministers from the area and hospital staff members could share lunch with Nouwen. Henri agreed and arrived to find a large group waiting to welcome him. Trevor was nowhere to be seen.
“I came to visit Trevor,” he said. “Where can I find him?”
“You can be with him after lunch,” the administrator responded.
Nouwen was stunned.
“Didn’t you invite him to the lunch,” he asked.
“No,” the administrator responded. “That’s impossible. Staff and patients can’t have lunch together. Anyway, we’ve reserved the Golden Room for this occasion, and no patient has ever been allowed in that room. It’s for staff only.”
Nouwen reacted almost without thinking.
“I’ll only have lunch with you all when Trevor can be there too,” he said. “Trevor and I are close friends. I came here for him, and I’m sure he would love to join us.”
Staff members whispered hurriedly, the administrator among them, and finally Nouwen was told he could bring Trevor to the Golden Room. He found Trevor wandering the hospital grounds looking for flowers, something he did endlessly at the Daybreak Community. When he saw Nouwen, his face lit up.
“Henri,” he said, “here are some flowers for you.”
They went together to the Golden Room, where tables were beautifully set and a side table contained an assortment of drinks. Trevor chose a Coke, and the two joined the others at their table. Nouwen noticed that many of the people in the room didn’t know each other. They were busily making small talk, getting acquainted, and the atmosphere was generally solemn.
Suddenly Trevor stood up, lifted his glass of Coke, and said with a loud voice and a big smile: “Ladies and gentlemen…. A toast!” Conversations stopped, and everyone turned to Trevor with anxious faces. Nouwen knew what they were thinking: “What is this mental patient going to do. Better be careful.”
But Trevor had no worries. He issued a command. “Lift your glasses,” he said.
Everyone obeyed, and then, as if it were the most obvious thing to do, he started to sing:
“When you’re happy and you know it, lift your cup.
“When you’re happy and you know it, lift your cup.
“When you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
“When you’re happy and you know it, lift your cup.”
As he sang, people’s faces relaxed, and they started to smile. Soon a few joined in and very soon everyone was standing, singing loudly.
In just a moment, Trevor had changed the mood, brought strangers together, made everyone feel at home. His beautiful smile and fearless joy had broken down walls between patients and staff and had created a happy family of caring people. His unique blessing set the tone for a joyful and fruitful meeting.
Nouwen told the story as part of a reflection on communion, and he summed it up this way:
“The cup of sorrow and joy had become the cup of blessings.
“Many people,” he wrote, “feel cursed – cursed by God with illnesses, losses, handicaps, and misfortunes. They believe their cup doesn’t carry any blessings.”
God, we learn, would turn the world upside down. There at the very bottom, now standing atop all else, we would find joy.
Hymn of the day: On Eagle’s Wings. Online at Rossford UMC - Media.
Rev. Lawrence Keeler
Sun Feb 09 | · 9:15am | |
Adult Bible Study | ||
Sun Feb 09 | · 10:30am | |
Sun Feb 09 | · 11:30am | |
Meets in the Parlor | ||
Thu Feb 13 | · 7:30pm | |
Sun Feb 16 | · 9:15am | |
Adult Bible Study | ||
Sun Feb 16 | · 10:30am | |
Sun Feb 16 | · 11:30am | |
Meets in the Parlor | ||
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