Sermon: Who’s Not Here?
April 27, 2014 – Who’s Not Here? from John Knox Kirk on Vimeo.
A sermon preached at John Knox Kirk of Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27, 2014.
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
and John 20: 19-29
I was fortunate to take some classes in Seminary with
Church Historian Martin Marty,
and he tells a story about a summer day when he was eight years old—
a day when one of those GRAND MIRACLES of childhood happened:
A watermelon truck overturned, right in front of his house!
The uninjured driver jumped out to watch …. hopelessly
as SCORES of neighborhood children from everywhere
RACED to the scene of that blessed event
and DOVE into the spilled cargo
for a sticky, sweet, tasty picnic on the pavement.
…Right in front of his house!
That was the GOOD news.
The BAD news was that Martin Marty…was OUT OF TOWN that day,
visiting his grandmother.
He missed it—he never saw the overturned truck,
never took part in the sticky, glorious feast.
…Alas, LIFE is like that sometimes: We are where the action ISN’T.
While the LUCKY ONES are there to catch the bouncing watermelons,
–we are MILES away—playing gin rummy with grandma.
Such is the story of Thomas.