H. Michael Brewer
Crescent Springs Presbyterian Church
November 7, 2004
FAITHFUL FEET
Psalm 25:1-12
Do you remember the scene from Alice in Wonderland when Alice meets the Cheshire Cat at
a crossroads? Alice asks the cat which road she should take. The cat answers, “That all depends on
where you’re going.” Alice says, “I don’t know where I’m going.” And the cat says, “Then it doesn’t
matter which road you take.”
Does it matter? We Christians think so. We believe existence has a purpose. Life is going
somewhere. You and I have a destiny and a destination. Which means it makes all the difference in
the world whether we choose the path that leads us toward God or some path that leads us away.
“Make me to know your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths,” that’s the prayer of the Psalmist
and it’s still a good prayer after all these centuries.
My niece Katie Lynn visited us last weekend. After church, I invited Katie to walk home with me.
We rambled a bit on the way and wandered down the trail in the city park. Katie didn’t know where
we were, but as long as she stayed with me there was no fear of her getting lost. But Katie has the
makings of a strong-willed young lady. At one point in the park, I said, “Katie, we need to go this
way.” She said, “No, I like that way better.” I told her, “I’m going this way, but if you really want to
go that way, you can.”
So we parted. I kept Katie within earshot, and it wasn’t long before I heard her yell, “Uncle
Mike, these are sticker bushes!”
I called back, “Yeah, I know.”
“Uncle Mike, I’m stuck! I can’t get out!”
It’s a good feeling to be right once in a while, and to be able to rescue someone who’s counting
on you! Katie’s Sunday clothes survived unscathed, and maybe she came a little closer to knowing
that life is a journey, and we have a guide who will lead us on the right path if we’re willing to follow.
Life is going somewhere, and God knows where even when we don’t. The prophets and the wisdom
teachers of Israel preach that the secret of a life well lived is to stay on the right path. “All the paths of
the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Jesus picked up that same idea, and said to his followers, “I am the Way,” that is, “I am the
Road, the Journey; I am the Right Path.” Before there was such a word as Christian, those who
believed in Jesus were called the “followers of the Way.”
Maybe you know the word “saunter.” It means to stroll about in a leisurely, rambling fashion. The
word actually comes from the French phrase “sainte terre” which means “holy land.” In the Middle
Ages many people wandered through Europe, begging for help, and claiming to pilgrims on their way
to the Holy Land. Most of those would-be pilgrims never actually made the long, strenuous trip to the
Holy Land, they just talked about going there while they sauntered around, looking pious and eating
hand-outs.
The point is fairly obvious, I hope. You and I are faced with a fundamental decision in life. Are we
going somewhere or nowhere? Are we seeking the Kingdom of God or simply sauntering about? Are
we walking in the way of Jesus Christ or simply ambling down some trail of least resistance?
There is a wonderful parable I learned from Native American storyteller bill Miller. It seems
there was a boy who heard the voice of the whippoorwill one night and went out to find where he
was singing. He had to walk quite a ways through a big field, because the song of the whippoorwill
carried so well in the wind he sounded much closer then he really was. And on the way the boy found
a well-worn trail, so he stayed on it for a while. Sitting in the middle of the trail was coyote, and
coyote was singing too.
Coyote turned and saw the boy and he said, “Why are you following me?”
The boy was frightened and said, “Well, the trail you made happened to be a short and easy way
through this field.”
Then coyote asked “If you’re not following me, then why are you here?”
“I heard the beautiful song of the whippoorwill and wanted to watch him sing.”
“Well do you not think my songs are beautiful?” asked coyote.
“Oh”, said the boy, “they’re good but I hear you all the time. I much prefer the songs of the
whippoorwill”
This made coyote furious and he was jealous of the whippoorwill's song. He said “Listen to my
night song you might like this one.” And he pulled back his head and yodeled out a tune.
The boy covered his ears and politely said, “Thank you for the song, but I must be going now.”
Coyote said, “I can show you a short cut to the whippoorwill, boy, and where he sings is just over
there.”
Pointing his claw, coyote smiled out of the side of his mouth. The boy paused and looked around.
He knew the night was passing fast so he agreed to follow coyote. But coyote's trail was rough and
rocky. And the boy fell in quite a few gopher holes along the way.
Coyote turned around and laughed and he yelled to the boy. “We’re almost there. Hurry up!”
Coyote was at a full trot but the boy had just fallen again and hurt his knee. And by the time he got
to the place where the whippoorwill had been singing all night, it was morning. Whippoorwill was
gone. And so was coyote, in fact he could hear coyote's songs in another field.
So the boy turned and headed for home, skinned up, mosquito bitten, and covered with burrs.
And it was many summers later when the boy became a wiser man, and he realized there are no
shortcuts to one’s true calling.
I have nothing heavy-handed to add, no profound interpretation to extract. Both the psalm and
the story speak for themselves. If it matters to you where you’re going, then it also matters what path
you take. No matter how convincing coyote might be, no matter how attractive the easy path may
appear, there is no shortcut to our true calling, and Christ is the only guide who can lead us to the
eternal song that beckons our hearts.
Soli Deo Gloria!