Monday, October 22, 2001
Monday, October 22, 2001
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
Some people make the same mistake with sin that these sailors nearly made with the
polar
bear. They begin feeding it--a little at a time without thinking through the
consequences. "It says
something about our times," writes Willard D. Ferrell, "that we rarely use the word
SINFUL
except to describe a really good dessert."
(Proverbs 14:34
NRSV)
In 1939, a coast guard vessel was cruising the Canadian Arctic when the men spotted
a polar
bear stranded on an ice floe. It was quite a novelty for the seamen, who threw the bear
salami,
peanut butter, and chocolate bars. Then they ran out of the food. Unfortunately, the
polar bear
hadn't run out of appetite, so he proceeded to board their vessel. The men on ship
were terrified
and opened the fire hoses on the bear. The polar bear loved it and raised his paws in
the air to
get the water under his armpits. We don't know how they did it, but eventually they
forced the
polar bear to return to his ice pad--but not before teaching these seamen a horrifying
lesson
about feeding polar bears.
Dear Jesus, yes, there is sin in my life and in my world. Please forgive me and help me
to root out
sin in my community. Amen.
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