HE COMES AS ONE UNKNOWN

January 2, 2005

Texts – Jeremiah 31: 15 - 17

John 1: 10 - 18

            “He comes to us as One unknown, without a name ... as of old, by the lakeside, He came to those who knew Him not.  He speaks to us the same word (he spoke to them): ‘Follow me!’ and sets before us the tasks which He has to fulfill in our time.  He commands ...  And to those who obey ..., whether they be wise or simple, He ... reveals Himself in the toils, the conflicts, (and) the sufferings which they ... pass through in His fellowship.  It is an ineffable mystery (that we) only learn, through our own experience (of following Him), Who He (truly) is.”

            The words belong to Albert Schweitzer (The Quest for the Historical Jesus, p. 401; 1906).  He penned them almost one hundred years ago when he was just 31 years of age.  They are, to me, profoundly true.

            “He comes to us as One Unknown ...”  That is not the way most of the world sees it.  Indeed, if there is anybody almost all of us think we know something about it is Jesus.  We have just finished retelling and rehearsing the story of his birth.  You can recite many of the details of his life as well as I.  How then can we say, “He comes to us as One Unknown”?

            Allow me to talk about what has happened in my life this past week.  Much to my surprise and wonder, I do believe Schweitzer’s words have come true again.  Last Sunday morning I shared with you in this service the news that a massive tsunami had struck southern Asia and that the village of our friends, Senega and James Premkumar, had been especially hard hit.  Two days ago, I received by email the following account of what actually happened.  It is long but I want to share it with you –

                        At 10 a.m. children were playing on the seashore.  Mothers were in the kitchen involved in preparing lunch for the family.  Men were in a post-Christmas mood, sitting and gossiping on their house verandas.  Old men and women were yet to get up from their bed.  In a fraction of a second, the coastal town of Colachel was under water. 

                        Bodies were strewn everywhere.  Hundreds and hundreds of children, women and old men were found bleeding and gasping with half-life.  (The) tsunami had struck.  Everything was over.  Many of the victims were fighting for life because of drowning followed by severe pulmonary edema, ... head injuries and a variety of fractures and shock.  All the private hospitals were immediately locked and closed and the doctors ran away for safety.  Even the Government hospital of Colachel did not have sufficient facility or infrastructure to handle these emergency cases . . .

                        It was (the) James Hospital, a multi-specialty 100 bed hospital at Colachel which, with lightning speed, rose to the occasion ....  because service delayed is service denied ....  Until now (the report continues), James Hospital has treated nearly 2,500 victims of the tsunami, (and) the entire expenditure of the treatment (has been) borne by Dr. James Premkumar, the managing director of the Hospital . . .  (an amount) which far exceeds his financial capacity as a single person.  Excepting for those hundreds of victims who were brought already dead, all those who were rushed to this hospital with little life were saved by the abundant grace of God.  But for the brisk and lifesaving action of James Hospital, the mortalities on that day at Colachel would have been more than double ....

                        Since that Sunday morning (the report says), all the doctors and nurses have been working non-stop, 24 hours without a break or leave.  More over, more than one half of the victims who were brought to James Hospital dead and alive were devoid of clothing on that day.  Their clothes had been washed off and swallowed by the sea.  Many were (simply) lying naked.  Therefore, the clothing of the doctors, sarees of Dr. Senega and all the nurses and staff of the hospital, were used to cover the wounded victims and bodies.  Many infants who were gasping and fighting for life were rescued and brought here.  They had lost their parents.  They were resuscitated by (the) James Hospital medical team and were looked after in (the) nursery by midwives.  The joy of the relatives of these children knew no bounds when they came to the Hospital in search of these lost babies. 

                        Since Sunday morning, thousands and thousands of people have come and continue to come for free vaccines and preventive measures . . .   At the moment, James Hospital is functioning both as a refugee camp and a high-tech emergency care hospital. [“Some of the Life Saving Emergency Services to the Tsunami Victims Rendered by the James Hospital, Colachel – A Cursory Glance”]

            It is a heart-wrenching story (isn’t it?), but it is only half of the story.  The other half involves you and me and many, many others.  I say that because, as you know, a small group of us have been planning for months now to journey to the village of Colachel to visit with Senega and Prem.  When the tsunami struck, my first reaction was – We can’t go now.  I just couldn’t imagine taking anyone into such a disaster area, and I couldn’t conceive of asking our friends to host us during such a terrible time. 

            I came into the office on Monday morning and shared my pessimism with Wendy.  I also gave her several articles from the Indian news media describing Colachel’s tragedy.  Then I went up to my office to call Prem and tell him of my decision.  He was respectful of my reasoning but pleaded with me to reconsider.  “Even if no one else is willing to come, Bob,” he said, “we need you to come.”  I told him I would think about it and talk with the others in our group.  When I got off the phone, Wendy told me there was a reporter from the Burlington Free Press who wanted to speak to me.  “How could that be?” I asked, and she confessed she’d been a little busy at her own desk inviting the media to consider doing an article on Colachel. 

            Well, you know what happened – the Free Press article led to several television news stories, and that has led to an outpouring of prayer and compassion.  What was on Monday morning a $2,000 gift to support the work of the James Hospital in Colachel had grown by Friday morning to be a $23,000 gift.  This morning it is stands at $33,600.  Along with the money have come messages from East Hardwick and Dummerston, from Montpelier and Ludlow and Middlebury.  “My family prays for all the victims,” one note says, “but feels helpless in terms of tangible relief.  Thank you for helping us help our ‘Family in Christ’ in India.”  Others read:  “Thanks for enabling us to make a donation . . .  Thank you for ‘representing’ us . . .  Bless you and all in your congregation for your help in Colachel . . .  Our prayers and good wishes go with you.”

            Finally, this note from James Premkumar arrived on New Year’s Eve.  “Please greet your family and thank all our friends of the Vermont Church . . .  If our humble services (have been) of little use in this situation, then the entire credit goes to you and our friends from the First Congregational Church because . . . the James Hospital would not have been what it is but for you!  We have the feeling that you are with us always.”

            “He comes to us as One Unknown ...” Albert Schweitzer said.  The Gospel of John says,

“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.  He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.  But to all who received, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” [John 1: 10-12]

This week I believe He has come again into the hearts of many, calling us to follow, to reach out, to offer ourselves and our gifts for His service.  “It is an ineffable mystery,” as Schweitzer put it, “(that we) only learn, through our own experience (of following Him), Who He (truly) is.”  Today, we know again that this One is the Christ, the Spirit of the Living God, reaching out to bring rest for the weary, and a love that is willing to go on loving no matter what comes.  Amen.