One Drop
T Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ T
One drop. One tiny drop is all it takes to change a life. For a tiny premature baby, one drop provides the nourishment and strength to live another day. Drop by drop, this little child grows stronger. Drop by drop she not only survives but thrives. There is a reason Jesus calls us His “little children.” He nourishes us in the same way.
An anonymous skeptic once said “What else is there to make life tolerable? We stand on the shore of an ocean, crying into the night, and in the emptiness sometimes a voice answers out of the darkness. But it is the voice of one drowning… I often wonder how they endure it.”1 Unhappiness and despair in the face of trials is just human nature. Our tears seem like just one drop in an ocean of fear and anxiety. It’s no accident that we describe a life without Jesus as “empty,” because that is exactly what it is – what Dr. Carl Jung called “a neurosis of emptiness.” How do you feel when circumstances turn against you in an instant? When the tears have dried, how do you describe that hollow feeling in your gut? It only takes one drop to fill that void.
St. James writes: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”2 Patient endurance. Sounds like good advice, but as soon as it leaves your ears it’s as dry and empty as if a single drop of rain fell on that fruit and evaporated. The stress continues to build in us.
Psychologists say 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects dues to stress (sounds like that should be higher, doesn’t it?), and 70-90% of all visits to our primary-care doctors are for stress related complaints. Stress has been linked to all the leading causes of death. On an average workday an estimated one million employees call off due to stress issues.3 What is the number one cause of stress in America? What causes you to stress out? The real number one cause of stress is sin and guilt for sin. One little drop received in faith can make this anxious sickness endurable patiently. The struggles continue, our trials do not magically end, but true peace is found in that single drop.
An artist made an engraving called “The Knight, the Devil, and Death.” In it is pictured a knight riding through a darkened forest path at night. To each side we see creatures lurking to attack and devour him, but the knight takes no notice. His eyes are focused on the light of home, and he is protected by his armor. Paul writes: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”4 We are the knight clothed in the strong armor of God, and the light of home is Christ, who shed His blood to cover us in His righteousness and His light burns away the shadows of sin lurking in our hearts and minds as well as the evils in the darkened forest of our lives.
We on the other hand often miss this and turn to just one drop of juicy gossip; just one drop of anger to release our pain unto others; just one drop of alcohol to cover our pain; just one drop of belittling or criticizing another in the guise of “being helpful” to make us feel superior, just one drop of whatever sugar makes the bitterness go down and make us feel better. This never works, it just leaves us feeling empty and wanting more.
Secure in the confidence of forgiveness for the sake of Jesus Christ we can cast aside our anxious misgivings and worry. Focused on our eternal reward we can begin to turn toward others who share our anxieties and be of comfort to them. The writer to the Hebrews encourages us: “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”6
Being of service to our neighbor is the Holy Spirit’s fruit, watered by that mighty single drop into a crop of tremendous reward. Most will not see the benefit to others from the fruit we bear. Sometimes, when we do, the result can inspire us to recall God’s Word and Sacraments and return to Him to receive reinforcements for our armor and patient endurance. One drop purchased for you the helmet of salvation.
Early in the first Iraq war, a soldier awoke in a hospital bed.7 Or so he was told, because he was blind. He had been shot in the back of the head during combat by a tiny teardrop of hardened metal. That bullet should have taken his life, or at the very least left him completely paralyzed. He was wearing an Advanced Combat Helmet made of specially hand-laid layers of Kevlar, one of the strongest fibers on earth. The helmet that saved him wasn’t his, it was provided for him, just like the helmet of salvation is gifted to us.
The helmet saved his life and stopped the bullet, but the impact blinded him temporarily. Eventually he left the hospital and his vision returned with time. He then returned home. Like all soldiers, he was thoroughly acquainted with his equipment. Inside the helmet, under the padding, was a permanent label. It was a type of serial number that gave the date, time, location, molding press, and operator that made his helmet. He arranged a tour of that facility. He learned one drop of Kevlar can spin countless feet of useful fibers. He also got to meet the woman who built the helmet that saved his life. He was incredibly joyous to meet her - but it was she whose life was impacted dramatically.
Her job was very stressful. Each helmet-maker had to follow a painstaking procedure to lay out pre-cut sheets of Kevlar in a very exact pattern to ensure the helmet would be bulletproof. Shift after shift, day after day, for year after year she tediously produced helmets, never giving thought to the men they protected. Now, she never thinks of her job as stressful or mundane again. She patiently endures the routine. The constant attention to detail every minute of every day is now no longer a burden, but a life lived in joyful service protecting others.
How much more does our Father in heaven protect us with the helmet of salvation won for us by His Son? How much more joyfully can we go about our vocations knowing we are secure in the full armor of God. Protected and guided by the strength and light of Christ, peacefully rest in the knowledge that Jesus abundantly provides for all we need in this body and life. When we grow impatient, anxiety and stress and sinful behavior begin to build once again, and we cry “O LORD—how long?”8 Jesus replies: “I have reconciled myself to all things, making peace by the blood of my cross.”9 Peace be to you. To conquer our sin and cover us in His armor if there had been only one drop of His precious blood it would have been enough, but He instead covers us with a cleansing waterfall of forgiveness. Amen.
T May the peace which passes understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus T
Kήρυξον τὸν λόγον
11500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Books, 2000. p.104-105.
2James 5:7–8 (ESV).
3Morgan, Robert J. Preacher's Sourcebook of Creative Sermon Illustrations. Nashville, Tenn: Thomas Nelson, 2007. p.713.
4Ephesians 6:13 (ESV).
5Psalm 51:2, 12.
6Hebrews 10:35–36 (ESV).
7This story was told to me by Bill O’Hara of Mine Safety Appliance, who was an eyewitness to this remarkable event.
8Psalm 6:3.
9Paraphrase, cf. Colossians 1:20.