Epiphany IV
February 1, 2009
Mark 1:21‐28
Here is a story I told last weekend at the Vestry retreat at Camp Allen. I heard it a long time ago from James Forbes who was, at the time, the Senior Pastor at Riverside Church in New York City. James Forbes’ grandfather spent his entire life in a rural county in North Carolina. I may have misremembered this, but I believe he said that his grandfather had never been outside the county where he was born. I don’t know what he did to earn a living, but his vocation and his life’s work was beautifying the world he lived in. He planted flowers. In his spare time and on his days off he planted flowers. He planted them along the sidewalks in town and in the medians of the highways outside of town. Everywhere he could, whenever he could, he planted flowers. As the years went by, his efforts began to have an effect. One year’s planting built on the previous until, bit by bit, the beauty was clearly visible. On grandfather’s eightieth birthday, the mayor of the county seat declared it James Forbes Grandfather’s Day. He didn’t say James Forbes, of course, but I can’t remember his grandfather’s name. It was a grand celebration in the traditions of the small town south twenty or thirty years ago. There was barbeque – pork with vinegar based sauce – and there were bands and games and parades. Everyone turned out to pay tribute to this man. The highlight of the day was a surprise to grandfather. The barbeque was located in an open area, a park, beside the runway of the small, private air field. At the appointed hour it was announced that grandfather was going to be given a ride in a small private plane so that he could have a bird’s eye view of what he had done. James Forbes said that he could tell that his grandfather wasn’t at all sure this was such a good idea. At eighty, he had never been in a plane in his life. He stiffened up, and it was clear that resistance was coming, maybe even refusal. James Forbes went over to him and took him by the elbow and spoke softly in his ear: “Granddaddy, you’ve got to do this. Everybody is watching, and people have gone to a lot of trouble. You can’t disappoint them.” He gently but firmly led him to the waiting plane and helped him get in and get buckled up. The plane took off and made a wide circle at low altitude. It took maybe ten or fifteen minutes. When the plane landed and rolled to a stop, James Forbes went running to the door and helped his grandfather out. He said his eyes were as big as saucers, and he didn’t say a word. “Well, how was it, Granddaddy? James Forbes asked. What was it like?” “Well, to tell you the truth, son,” his grandfather replied, “I never did put my full weight down on it.” I understand completely, and I’m sure he was telling the truth. There are a lot of times and places where I don’t put my full weight down.