Today’s Scripture Reading (June 30,
2014): Psalm 126
On February
25, 2010, Andrew Koenig was found dead, hanging from a tree in Stanley Park,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is thought that Andrew had been hanging
in the tree for over a week before his family and friends finally discovered
his body. Andrew was 41 years old at the time of his suicide. His family begged
for time to grieve without being disturbed by curious members of the press or their
many fans. I am a big fan of Star Trek (all the incarnations of Gene Roddenberry’s
vision) and so, as happens with movies and T.V. shows that we adopt as our own,
I felt like I had somehow grown up with Walter Koenig, Andrew’s dad, who had
played Pavel Checkov on the original Star Trek series. So when Andrew died,
although I recognize that this seems so impossible, I believe that there were
millions of Star Trek fans of which I am one that somehow felt the loss – even though
none of us had ever met the Koenig family, mysteriously we were able to stand
with the family in their pain.
On February
14, 2010, Andrew Koenig died. For whatever reason, Andrew in that moment ceased
to believe that life was worth the pain that our living always brings with it.
There is a concept in financial investing that markets fluctuate, and sometimes
the markets go into a downturn and investors lose money in a matter of moments.
But the loss of money in a market downturn is only a theoretical loss until the
moment in which we sell the stock. Only with act of selling do we make the losses
real. In so many ways, life seems to mirror the stock market. There are ups and
downs to life, there are gains and losses, but the losses are only theoretical
unless we decide to sell during that moment of loss. And that was the tragedy
of the death of Andrew Koenig, he sold in the moment of his losses and in that action
he made his losses real.
The Psalmist
stands on the ending side of the Babylonian Exile. And in his mind he saw these
people – or more likely the parents of these people - who had been removed from
Israel. In that moment there was great pain and great anguish because the
people had lost much. But they had left Israel with a seed. It didn’t count for
much, it was inconsequential when it was compared with the pain, but on this
day as the exiles were being released to go back home with the full blessings
and support of the king, the seed had bloomed and had become a harvest.
I am sure
that there were some who had cashed in their losses early on in the exile, those
who had missed what it was that God was going to do because their pain was too
great and they could not conceive of the blessing that could be at the end of
this road. That is a great tragedy. When we give up, the seed that has been
planted inside of us is not given the chance to grow into the harvest. For that
moment we have to wait, enduring the pain and loss and making sure that are
losses remain only theoretical – losses that if we are faithful will one day be
overcome with a substantial harvest.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 5
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