Friday, August 23, 2002
Friday, August 23, 2002
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to
keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.
When he entered the seventh grade, the first day, he walked into the school and somebody
said, "What class are you in?" He said, "The seventh grade." The other kid said, "Seven-one
or seven-two or seven-three?" Kramer said he didn't know. His new friend told him that
seven-one was for the smart kids, seven-two for the average kids and seven-three for the
dumb kids. Kramer walked into seven-two. When his name wasn't on the blackboard, he said
to himself, You big dummy, you ought to know better. And he went to seven-three. When his
name wasn't there, either, he finally went to seven-one, which was where he was supposed to
go in the first place. He began to suspect that maybe he wasn't really stupid.
But the fear that big meant dumb never really left him, and a couple of years ago, it came
home to him in a striking way. He was eating dinner with Willie Davis, another former Packer,
in Los Angeles, and Wilt Chamberlain came into the restaurant and walked over to their table
to say hello to Willie. As Kramer was introduced, he stared up at Chamberlain--this incredible
physical specimen, seven-foot-one, and the thought shot through his mind: Boy, this guy must
REALLY be stupid!
He couldn't believe it. He saw his attitude for what it was--blind prejudice. And, he found out
that Wilt Chamberlain is large, living proof that the prejudice was false. Wilt is a very intelligent,
sensitive and witty man.
No matter what prejudices we have, and we all have prejudices, God can heal us and
unburden us.
(1
Timothy 5.21
NRSV)
Jerry Kramer was an outstanding lineman for the Green Bay Packers. Ever since he was a
kid, bigger and stronger than almost all the other kids, he has lived with the fear that people
thought he was dumb. Worse yet was the fear that he really was dumb.
Lord Jesus, take away my blindness, so that I may see my sisters and brothers as you do.
Amen.
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