God's Love Archives - Ayden United Methodist Church

It all happened so fast. One day, they seemed perfectly happy, obviously in love. The next . . . one was gone! And then, mysteriously, the other was gone as well. Flash and Bang, the two snails I had recently purchased for my pond, were nowhere to be found. I was frantic.
These two snails were just right for the task of keeping the pond clean, and I shelled out $5.00 each for them. They took to the pond right away, moving about to eat whatever the fish left them. I should have known when I found them locked in a snail embrace that they could never be content with my mere fishpond. Perhaps they resented being moved from the pet store like so much freight. In any event, they were soon ex-cargo.
I called the pet store owner to see if snails were prone to leave the pond. He assured me that these were not land snails and that they would soon die in the heat if they left the water. Gently, he speculated that some bird may have committed fowl play and made off with them. Or perhaps a neighborhood cat (of which there are several suspects) may have made a grab for them. He inquired whether my pond was sufficiently unkempt for them to have enough to eat. (Of course it was! Why else would I need snails?)
Finally, he really didn’t have an explanation for the missing snails. I told him I was considering putting posters around the neighborhood, but could I get them up fast enough? For days my whole family was looking through the yard for a shell or a slime trail, anything that would explain what had happened to Flash and Bang. But the search dragged to a crawl. How could they know how much I missed them? I could send a snail mail, but where?
Then suddenly, a shell! Just inches from the pond, there it was! I knew in a flash it was Flash! And then, bang! Just inches away, it was Bang! Like Adam & Eve in the garden, they hid under a plant. Apparently, Bang had made his/her escape on a dark and stormy night. Flash set off to find his/her true loves. (Snails have both genders, so this is not some PC speculation.) But were they alive? Back to the pond they went. They were gone in a flash, and bang! They were still in loves!
For now, they seem content to go about sucking up slime and, not infrequently, playing “Footsie” with each other. I have noticed some baby snails creeping about. Could it be? Perhaps a snail’’s pace isn’t so slow after all.
Now if I, in my limited way, could be so concerned for a couple of snails, how much more is God concerned about us when we go astray? Jesus’ story of the Good Shepherd, who goes in search of the lost sheep, shows intent. But for Jesus to die so that we might live goes way beyond shepherding. How amazing that each one of us is so valued that God would make that sacrifice. Yet we want to crawl off in our own little shell and hide under the bushes. We think that their shade will protect us forever.
In our quest to be ourselves, we blunder into danger. God sees where our paths lead before we do. By grace, God looks for us before we look for God. Some of us would rather die than be found. Some of us do. But for those who reach out for help, God is there in a flash. And bang! Life is worth living again.

Rev. Dennis P. Levin

Bishop Ricardo Pereira Diaz of the Methodist Church of Cuba was our special guest at Annual Conference He told us this story.

One of his pastors was on his way from one poor, rural church to another church. He was riding his donkey on a lonely road at night. The moon was full and after a while, he came upon a cow. The preacher sensed God telling him, “Go preach to the cow.”

“No, Lord, I can’t preach to a cow.” he said.

But he heard God speaking; “Go preach to the cow.” The pastor looked around and saw he was alone. So he got down off his donkey and said, “Cow, you must repent! You must stop sinning and give your life to Jesus.” The cow ignored him and continued to graze.

“Oh well,” said the pastor, “at least no one saw me.” He got back on his donkey and continued down the road.

The next day, he stood before the congregation in the church to which he was traveling the night before. A man stood up in the back of the church, pointed a finger at him and said, “You’re the man who preached to the cow!” The preacher was shocked to have been discovered.

The man went on, “I was a thief. I was hiding behind the cow. I was there to steal that cow. I heard what you said to the cow, and I decided to stop stealing and to give my heart to Jesus. So here I am.”

I love that story. It reminds me that sermon preparation has a lot more to do with being faithful to the Gospel than it does with getting inside the heads of the congregation. How, after all, do you make the gospel relevant to a cow? Telling the story is my responsibility, hearing the story is up to the congregation and the Holy Spirit. You never know who is really listening or what God wants them to hear. Any Children’s Church will convince you of that.

Too often we assume that a person isn’t interested in our sharing the Good News. Yet if God wants us to speak up, its a sin to stay silent. God knows what the person is ready to hear and will give you the words to say. But we tell ourselves that a person really isn’t interested in our church, or that they will be offended if we talk religion or share our faith experiences. So we keep silent, convincing ourselves that we have been “sensitive.”

Our mission as Christians is to make disciples for Jesus Christ. If Jesus had been more “sensitive,” there would not have been a Calvary. Sure, some people really were offended, but they weren’t the only listeners. Others understood and accepted his message. At some point, they were bold enough to pass it on. Finally, someone passed it on to you. Now its your turn. Yes, to the person least likely to receive it. Yes, to the person who is a stranger. Yes, to the person you are most likely to offend, or who has offended you. It may seem like utter nonsense, but even if God tells you to preach to a cow…who knows?

Rev. Dennis P. Levin

Flash and Bang

Dairy Beloved

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