Good morning and welcome to September. I hope that you are enjoying your Labor Day weekend. I also hope that you plan to catch the service on Sunday in person if you are in town or on line if you are out wandering around. Pastor Edwin will continue our series in 2 Thessalonians.
You are likely not aware of it, but there is a battle of epic proportions going on at my house. No, it is not between Michelle and I. Nope, it doesn’t have to do with Marcus. Rather, it is for the deck on the back of our townhome. I like to go out there sometimes around sunset and enjoy the scenery. The clouds have been spectacular on a few evenings. Plus, there are typically planes that fly across the sky. There are also birds flying from tree to tree and also soaring about. It is a nice place to hand out for a few minutes disconnected from texts, emails, etc. Unfortunately, that slice of paradise was interrupted last week. While I was enjoying the tranquility of the evening, I heard a new sound. The sound of something large buzzing about. I quickly checked the sky to see if it was a B-52. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a plane. Rather it was a giant bee moving at the speed of light and it was not happy that I was on my deck. I first saw it flying around a tree that is about 20 feet away. And then, in a blink of an eye, it was buzzing around my head. Having been stung by a variety of bees, wasps and hornets in my life, I was not looking forward to that again. I quickly retreated to the safety of my house and peered through the windows to assess the situation. Since I didn’t see it flying around anymore, I went back outside to check things out. Out of nowhere, I was strafed by this menace. It did a couple of intense fly-bys and then literally crashed into me. I quickly retreated once again to develop a game plan. After some research, we determined it was likely a male carpenter bee protecting what it believes to be his territory. A couple of articles said it also probably wouldn’t sting you but would act very aggressively to frighten you off. Well, it had accomplished that. We also found an article that said to take a gray plastic bag and fill it will other plastic sacks. When you hang it up outside the bee might think it is a hornet’s nest and they are afraid of them (as we all should be). So far, I have only had a chance to be out there a couple of times for a few minutes, but since you are reading this, I have lived to tell this tale. Of course, now I have to worry about something more frightening than a swarm of these flying monsters – the HOA. I am sure it is a violation of some code to have a trash sack hanging from your deck. I will probably get summonsed to the next HOA meeting and be verbally and physically assaulted. Oh well, until then I will try to enjoy the solitude of my 8’ x 10’ oasis.
After I had lived through this harrowing experience, I read a story about a man that had a real near-death experience with a swarm of bees. Apparently, he was helping a friend cut down some large limbs. He harnessed himself to a tree and starting cutting. Unfortunately, in the process, he disturbed a huge nest of bees. Suddenly he was swarmed by them and could do nothing to defend himself. They said he was literally covered head to toe with thousands of bees. When the paramedics got there they said he was still conscious and crying out for help. When they got him to the hospital, they had to put him into a medically induced coma. They believe he was stung as many as 20,000 times! Not only that, but he also ingested 30 bees in the process. Amazingly, they were bringing him out of the coma this weekend and they expect him to recover. I cannot even imagine how painful and frightening that situation would have been. It would have been absolutely horrific.
As I thought about my encounter with the bee robbing me of the joy of using the deck, I thought about this poor guy. Yes, I was annoyed that I couldn’t sit outside for a couple of evenings. I wasn’t thrilled with the possibility of getting stung. I felt that I had plenty of others things to work on, and figuring out what to do with the overly aggressive bee was just another thing to figure out. And then I read the story about the guy that was attacked and almost died. It kind of puts things in perspective. But isn’t that how it usually is? Petty things can often bother us in this life. We sometimes make a bigger deal out of things that we should. And then, we get a reality check. Many times, it is in the form of learning about someone else that has it far worse than we do. It is a good reminder for me, and maybe for you as well, to enjoy each day as best we can. In the words of Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t worry, be happy.” (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun).
25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life spanby worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of Godand his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)
17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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