It’s Not Just a Cold
Psalm 90: 12-17
MARK 10: 17-31
October 13, 2024
Yesterday afternoon I was engaged in a battle … I was TREEVENANT, the mighty Pokémon character who uses its roots to connect with other trees and monitors every corner of the forest. It was an intense battle with Dax who took on some other POKÉMON character whose name … well let’s just say I cannot remember hardly any of the 1025 Pokémon names that exist other than PIKACHU. I proudly possess a PIKACHU t-shirt by the way. TREEVENANT, my character yesterday, is Pokémon number 709. Ryan, my son-in-law joined the battle on Dax’s side and I am not sure if he even took on a POKÉMON name, which might seem unfair since I was being bombarded with all sorts of stuff … at the very least I should be aware of his POKÉMON weaknesses.
Earlier in the day … it was a visit to Chucky Cheese woohoo … Barnes and Noble where Dax found their collection of rubberized miniature dinosaurs and he called to his Babu, that’s me … to get on the floor and guess what … battle as we pulled the toys off the shelf. Some lunch … Trader Joe’s … a car ride back with Dax’s little hand slipping into mine because Dax insists that Babu sits in the back seat with him. I surprised Dax when I stepped out of the bathroom in my PIRATE Halloween costume fully knowing Dax is going to be a pirate this year … and guess what … we battled as pirates.
The second Saturday in the month of October. Memory creating time with Dax … and, who knows what POKÉMON I will be next time and as the sun set, I drove home.
Since last October … the second Saturday in October each year will always be significant to me. I am not sure how many of you have dates that are significant but … I do.
And, then after the hour plus drive back home I sat down to watch my hockey team and the phone rang. I saw who it was … and I did not want to answer. INSPIRA MEDICAL CENTER. Brittni was the voice I heard … can I come to the ER? It was the second Saturday in October yesterday, and I have memories … but can I come to the ER, now … now not later? Tyler was barking in the background … not sure if that was encouragement to go or an attempt to keep me home but into the darkness I went.
Scripture TELLS us, “LORD, TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS so that we can have a wise heart … let Your glory be seen!”
I hurried into the hospital … greeting security … asking what room ALBERT COLNA was in and I headed to ER room 11… it was Déjà vu all over again … the second Saturday in October in the evening. As always I checked with Brittni at the nurse’s station before opening the door to the unknown. I knew Mr. COLNA had died. I now knew his wife, his daughter and two grandchildren were waiting for me, a perfect stranger from some church, intruding in their grieving midst. And, then I met Anna, Al’s wife… he preferred Al. Janet his daughter who was totally heartbroken and shocked that her dad was taken at age 90 unexpectedly on this evening when he was just on the phone with her earlier in the day. His cancer never impacting their daily interactions. And at the end of the room were Jamie and Dave, the grand children looking shocked and confused. I could sense that Dave was special like Megan and he liked that my name was Dave like his but he said he didn’t know what he would do without his pop-pop. Especially when the Eagles played Dave’s Cowboys. As I knelt next to Anna with my arm around her shoulder she told me a little bit about their 66 years together. Janet wept quietly holding her dad’s hand and stroking his face. I felt Jamie occasionally touching my shoulder as I held her grandmother.
We prayed … I stayed … I took out my oil and anointed Al “in the name of the Father … and of the Son … and of the Holy Spirit.” Dave said to me more than asked, “Pop pop is no longer hurting, right Dave? And, they all said they never expected this to be their reality on the second Saturday of October … so I told them about my second Saturday of October in the year 2023 that placed me in an ER room just down the hall from where Al breathed his last breath last night.
Last September and October I had a continuous hacking cough. I said it was nothing. NO big deal. I ignored my shortness of breath. Of course, I had not been to a doctor in ages and as a man, as an Irish-German man … as a Taurus male … basically as a stubborn man I knew I could take care of me. Some of you told me to get a Z-pack or do something. Close friends and family nagged but on the second Saturday of October in 2023 it was raining … I was supposed to be heading to Toms River to play with Dax … battle with him … take on POKÉMON characters with him but Colleen said don’t come … Dax is not in the mood but ‘dad, why don’t you stop at an Urgent Care to take care of your cough.” Donna said … “go to urgent care to take care of your cough.” Friends I talked to on the phone that day said, “go to Urgent Care …” well you get the idea so I agreed on my way back to West Deptford I would make a quick stop at a Washington Township Urgent Care … get a Z-pack … and follow directions to get rid of my cough.
“Fill us full every morning with your faithful love Lord … so we can rejoice and celebrate our whole life long.”
I went to The Urgent Care. Thankfully no wait, was x-rayed and some blood was taken. Then the doc came back into the exam room … and shocked me by asking, “Which ER do you want to go to? Jefferson’s or Inspira’s? And, do you want us to call you an ambulance?” ER? Ambulance? Heck no, I just drove 40 minutes to get to your Urgent Care and then I began one of the most difficult drives of my life to Inspira … walked into the ER … was spotted by a doc I know and he asked who I was coming to see and I said weakly and probably sadly “me.” He told the receptionist … “Put him in triage NOW!”
It was the second Saturday in October and I was in the ER eventually heading upstairs … not leaving before I had two stents placed into an artery … leaving with a collective of doctors one of whom discovered that I have prostate cancer that had progressed a lot more than if I had been going to a doctor regularly before that SECOND SATURDAY IN OCTOBER 2023.
And, to think I thought all I had was a cold when truthfully, I had a major heart condition that might have killed me before 2024 arrived and I had a cancer if left untreated might have resulted in a painful existence and death.
So, friends how strong is your faith this morning? When you say you are a believer in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit how are you actually applying that faith into your life or do you sort of chuckle and say to yourself … I don’t have to do anything more than go to church … perhaps only occasionally go to church but the rest of the stuff like paying attention to Jesus’ teaching … nah some day. I am in control … I have my priorities that override God’s stuff …
And, Jesus told the wealthy man lovingly saying, “You are lacking one thing for eternal life. Go, sell what you have and give the money TO THE POOR. Then you will have your treasure in heaven. And, come … follow me.” We know the rest of the story … the man was dismayed and saddened but apparently chose himself over an eternal life with God or even a God-connection here in this life. Jesus reflecting, “It will be very hard for the wealthy to enter God’s kingdom.”
I fully intended someday to go back to a doctor. But, my blood pressure was excellent … and all of you saw my energy level in church each week … until the SECOND SATURDAY IN OCTOBER arrived. I was in control before I discovered that I wasn’t but thank goodness, I found the truth before it was too late … It had to be a ‘Dave decision’ because even though my friends and family were telling me the answer, I did not want to change but a stormy day pulled me back to a safe place. I went to URGENT CARE.
I would argue that in the 21st Century we all have so much stuff … personal investments in things and items of the world that we each might be pushing God aside with ease. We know fewer people attend church, some folks never see a need to pause to worship, sing hymns, pray, hear Scripture but do you wonder what percentage of church-attending folks really care or want to know what Jesus had to say about how they should live their lives?
So, if you met Jesus along Crown Point Road today or as you walked around your block would you be curious and ask Him, “What must I do to obtain eternal life?” Does eternal life even concern you? Does having a life here with hope, peace, and a personal reality that senses God matter?
Obviously, I want each of you in church today and those watching online to understand that each of us as individuals needs that personal relationship with God. Yes, this is a pretty awesome church, but we are a collective who do good … God loves us individually and wants … actually expects us to return that love back to God. God even gave us Jesus Christ to teach us God’s expectations and then offers the Holy Spirit to nudge us in God’s direction, but we have to accept the fact that we can’t do it alone.
The psalmist reminds us about life … life is short and fragile … and perhaps we all too often forget that we really are not in control of our life’s numbered days. God offers us something special that the world never can produce but we have to make that choice.
So, today’s challenge friends on this the third Sunday of October comes down to each of you as individuals. Are you first willing to accept the truth that you don’t have all the answers and that God is real, God is loving, and God is out there for each of us providing answers on living life through Scripture … you know still waters … Jesus’ love … directives for investing our time not in what the world wants but through the love of neighbors and the love of God that God expects. Are you willing to spend some time to look in the mirror? Your mirror and then to bow down to God?
Don’t waste your days … the rich man in Mark’s Gospel was overly invested in his stuff … the Psalm reminds us to number our days, which if we do that perhaps then we will be more loving and ready to take on God’s challenges. What things in this life are keeping you from God? Are you storing treasures in heaven or trying to hoard a few more earthly priorities that push God aside?
The call of Jesus cannot be more clear … FOLLOW HIM … and when you FOLLOW HIM then you and I can sense God’s love and we can rejoice as the psalmist teaches and celebrate our whole life long! Let God’s kindness be all over each of you today and tomorrow.
And, together last night we closed the door on Al … I had to open it once because Janet needed to go in one more time to kiss her dad’s face. As Al’s family walked down the hall … Brittni and I paused to look at this grieving family before she moved onto the next ER patient, and I hurried to walk out into the fresh air with the family reminding them to treasure his memories.
It was the second Saturday of October in the evening in the ER at Inspira Medical Center … I certainly hope this does not become an annual tradition for me but I am alive because I went to that ER last October and I am alive in faith because of my God. AMEN