The Great Cloud of Witnesses
Dedicated to Stan Musial and all of the great people who are in the cloud of witnesses in my life.
Hebrews 12:2
All of us were guided, shaped, influenced by a great cloud of witnesses, people from the past, many of whom may be gone but who played a major role in our lives. Remembering them and thanking God for them is not only good for the soul but reminds to be among another great cloud of witnesses who are blessed to guide, help, shape and influence other’s lives.
Introduction…
- “Once dubbed baseball’s Perfect Knight, the greatest Cardinal of them all played his entire career with quiet brilliance and boundless goodwill. Today the Man remains a vibrant, vital part of baseball in St. Louis and a model of grace for the game”. (Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010 p49)
As I was growing up Stan Musial was my favorite ballplayer. Although I grew up in Senator’s territory and followed the Senators to a lesser degree, I was a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. My dad had grown up in southern Illinois and it was only natural that I followed him and a long standing Chance family tradition of being a died in the wool Cardinal fan.
As noted in the August issue of Sport’s Illustrated, Stan Musial was not only one of the greatest players to ever play the game but he was as special a human being as they come. In terms of baseball only Hank Aaron had more total bases than Musial. Using Bill James’s formula only Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds created more runs. He made the big leagues in 1941 at age 20. He retired after 22 seasons with seven batting crowns. He had a lifetime .331 average. He signed autographs without fail and actually like the fans and related to them in ways young kids could only imagine today. He loved people and was a humble man who made a huge impact on the game of baseball and in people’s lives. He had un-dying grip on the hearts of all Cardinal fans. “Stan Musial,” his teammate Bob Gibson says, “is the nicest man I ever met in baseball.” He has lived a life of small kindnesses, quiet dignity and absolute professionalism. His greatness was the bold stuff of action heroes of today but of constant, consistent, faithful presence in the lives of countless fans.
To my knowledge there has never been a best-selling biography of Stan Musial. There has never been a movie about his life. There are few legendary stories about him. Recently, ESPN called him “perhaps the most underrated athlete ever”. He wasn’t a showboat. He took seriously being a role model in kid’s lives. He played the game like he loved game – and he did love the game. Once, after getting a big raise for a successful season he had a terrible season and he went to management and asked for and got a cut in salary – “I didn’t perform” he said.
Somewhere in the dusty boxes of my childhood memorabilia I still have the old AM radio I laid awake at night and listened to Cardinal ballgames; the one with the hole in the top of it, where I banged it with my hand so many times to get the reception to come in better. One of my prized possessions is a Stan Musial autographed baseball that Amy gave to me much later in life.
Stan Musial was not only one of the great ballplayers of all time but he played a huge role in being an inspiration and guide in my early life. He inspired me, he showed me something of what it meant to be a man, he never knew me yet he was a role model in my young life.
The Bible talks about a great cloud of witnesses who are always with us, always shaping us, always having a beautiful presence in our lives, even long after they are gone or we have moved on and are in a different place.
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12,1-2 NIV)
Theme: All of us were guided, shaped, influenced by a great cloud of witnesses, people from the past, many of whom may be gone but who played a major role in our lives. Remembering them and thanking God for them is not only good for the soul but reminds to be among another great cloud of witnesses who are blessed to guide, help, shape and influence other’s lives.
I. Remembering some of those who have meant so much to me in my own life.
· Ewell & Evelyn Arrasmith in the Bethel Church
On the last Sunday of July, 1968 I began my ministry in Christ. I knew nothing about ministry; I knew little about the Bible, even less about the church and absolutely nothing about church politics. At only a few weeks away from turning the ripe old age of 22 I suddenly became the minister of a small little rural church in far away Bethel, Kentucky. I would begin graduate school in a month but and little by little begin to learn both the art and the science of ministry. My seminary (LTS) would play an immensely important role in my spiritual and professional development but the wonderful people of the Bethel Christian Church would take an equally important role. They took a young, green “minister to be” and helped guide, shape, lead and work with me until little by little I began understanding more and more of what it meant to be a minister in chaotic times of the late 60’s.
Some of the men and lots of the ladies were patient, forgiving, always guiding, always helping, always standing up for me as I learned about what it meant to be a minister.
Evelyn and Ewell Arrasmith were like grandparents, taking the young preacher and his wife under their wing. I remember one time I had the wonderful idea of putting a flag pole in the front of the church yard, right there on Highway 11, where all the world would see that we were a faithful and patriotic church supporting our country. It was at the height of the Vietnam War and I thought there could be nothing controversial about putting a flag pole up. Boy, was I wrong. After running into a storm of head shaking and resistance (little did I know that nothing was ever done without months and months and months of discussion) I was flustered and wondered if you can’t put up a flag pole how you could possibly do anything of real substance and change. Did I say “change”? How was I supposed to know that “change” and “Bethel” didn’t go in the same paragraph? I’ll never forget going down to talk with Mr. Ewell about it. I sat down on the back steps of the beautiful old Arrasmith house on Wilson Avenue feeling dejected, frustrated, and angry. By the time I got up and left to go back to the parsonage a patient and gentle old Kentucky farmer had schooled me on the art of change and the beauty of patience in achieving our goals. We never did put up a flag pole. After a few weeks of pondering it I decided it was such a great idea after all and the world went on just fine.
Ewell and Evelyn would become one of many of the great cloud of witnesses in my life. Ewell’s gone now, I miss him a lot but yet he is always with me.
· Irene and Herschal Thornsburg in Bethel, Johnny Fox in Augusta would later join this great cloud of witnesses who are always with me, always in my heart, always inspiring me, always helping to heal the hurts and sorrows of life, always teaching me about love and forgiveness and patience and joy.
· In our own church the list of people in the great cloud of witnesses is immense. Jean & Winnie Hockman , Virginia Hammes, Harriet Ashmore, Hal Rummel, Ralph Hockman to name just a few are among the people who have played an immense role in my life. How fortunate I am to have known and shared the journey of life with these and lots of others who are always with me, always in my heart, continuing to inspire me and show me something of what I can and ought to be.
Of course, not all of the people who have helped shape my life and walked with me on this long, incredulous journey have come from within the church. Johnny Wade was a stone mason and construction friend who lived across the street. I’ll never forget his iconic wit, his ready smile and his love of life. I can still get a tickle laughing at his goofy jokes, or smiling as I remember at his not too shabby singing of country songs of the 50’s and his presence is ever with me.
Dan Watkins from the world of Scouting passed away a year and a half ago but I’ll love him and his irreverent, loud, sometimes outrageous persona. Once, when I pointed out to Dan that some of his email (on NCAC official email programs no less) could leave him vulnerable to criticism for improper use of company email he bellowed, “The heck with em – if they don’t like my jokes just tell me and I’ll take them off my list”.
My first “boss” was a huge old Civil Engineer named Charlie Menard and I’ll never forget some of our sagas pre ministry days when I l was a junior grunt on the survey team with Charlie and Don and Norm.
· Most of them (not all of them) are gone now. A great cloud of witnesses indeed. There are others; lots of others; too numerous to name them all.
II. There are always people in all of our lives who influence us in good ways, who show us something of what can only be described as Christ like, of people who guide us, influence us, love us for who we are, aren’t trying to always remake us but always making it possible for us to be so much more. Peter speaks of them as “that great cloud of witnesses”.
· They are always with us – long after they are “gone” from this old world.
· Who are they in they your life?
· How did they influence you?
· Think of them. Remember them. See them. Hear their voices, see their faces.
· Remember the place they occupied in your life, close your eyes, and think of them. Then thank God for them. You are blessed.
III. More than just celebrating who the people are in our cloud of witnesses it’s important for us to remember that God calls each of us to be in the cloud for others. He invites us to share deeply and personally in the lives of others. He wants us to influence, shape, guide, inspire and, plays a role in the lives of others as well.
· Seems funny that he chooses someone like us doesn’t it? We’re not perfect. We’re not even all that good. Yet, it seemed funny to the people who were in the great cloud of witnesses in your life too.
· God uses the unlikely, the “not most likely to be selected” by the committee choosing.
· God invites all of us alike to play a role in the lives of others, each our own way.
· God wants us to be in the great cloud of witnesses. He will bless us when we answer his call.
· Not in a “saintly” way or artificial way, not by being super religious or superficially churchey but by just being ourselves and letting Him work through us.
· It’s not like an acting role. We can’t “read for the part” and then fill some kind of artificial role in the lives of others. We simply have to be ourselves. We can have a great role in the lives of others by simply living daily with them, by loving them, by inspiring them, by walking with them through the ups and downs of their daily lives. Funny thing is, we become a part of the great cloud of witnesses by stepping outside of our own selfish needs, our own wants and simply entering the daily business of sharing life fully with one another.
· God is calling every one of us to have a positive, helpful, encouraging, supportive place in the lives of those with whom we are honored to share life with today.
Closing…
As the years have passed I think more and more of the people, who have shaped me, guided me and loved me along the way. Sometimes I feel more than a little embarrassed that I didn’t thank them properly and even let them know how much they meant to me. Yet, I don’t get melancholy or self loathing about it because they weren’t playing a role to be recognized or applauded. They were simply living their life, naturally and wonderfully intersecting with and leaving their presence with me as I led my life.
I’ve never met Stan Musial in person. He wouldn’t know me if he were with us today. He has no idea of how inspiring, how important, how significant he was to a young boy growing up 800 miles away who never even saw a Cardinals game in person until long after Stan was retired from the playing field. I wonder who is in the great cloud of witnesses for Stan? His mother? His father? Aunts, uncles, other family? I wonder.
So it often is…we never know whose life we have influenced, or who would think of us as being in their great cloud of witnesses.
Whenever I go back to Bethel and stand in the back of the sanctuary there is a feeling of awesome sacredness in my heart. I stand and I remember. I see and I smell. Suddenly the room comes alive with my memories of who sat where, of what each person looked like and how they impacted my life. The same could be said of here. We stand on holy ground. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who though gone and some of whom are still very much with us cheer us on for what remains of the race that is not yet complete.
Both remember those who are in your own cloud of witnesses and renew your commitment to being ever present in the lives of those you are privileged to share life with today.
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12,1-2 NIV)