Bent, But Not Broken
Rev Weldon Bares
October 12, 2020
Unbelievable.
Not one, but two hurricanes. Back to back. It all seems like a bad dream, but we know it’s not. It is all too real: the blue tarps, the debris everywhere, the downed trees, no electricity in many areas, no Internet.
Feelings of exhaustion, anxiety, frustration. It’s all very, very real.
Saint Andrew Barton was a Scottish sailor from Leith, a port town north of Edinburgh, in the 1500's. He became famous as a pirate, making raids against Portuguese ships. He was killed in battle and is remembered in folk songs from Scotland and England.
He is the subject of an English folk song entitled “Sir Andrew Barton.” In the ballad, Sir Barton says, "I am hurt, but I am not slain. I’ll lie me down and bleed awhile, and then I'll rise and fight again."
I saw a billboard in town the other day that said, “Bent, but not broken.”
May that be true for our church and our community. We are bent, but not broken.
The Apostle Paul said, “We are often troubled, but not crushed. Sometimes in doubt, but never in despair. There are many enemies, but we are never without a friend, and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.” (II Corinthians 4: 8-9)
Today, let’s say along with a tough old pirate from the 16th century, “I am hurt, but I am not slain. I will lie down and bleed awhile, and then rise and fight again.” We are bent, but not destroyed.
May God give each one of us this day an extra touch of strength.
Not one, but two hurricanes. Back to back. It all seems like a bad dream, but we know it’s not. It is all too real: the blue tarps, the debris everywhere, the downed trees, no electricity in many areas, no Internet.
Feelings of exhaustion, anxiety, frustration. It’s all very, very real.
Saint Andrew Barton was a Scottish sailor from Leith, a port town north of Edinburgh, in the 1500's. He became famous as a pirate, making raids against Portuguese ships. He was killed in battle and is remembered in folk songs from Scotland and England.
He is the subject of an English folk song entitled “Sir Andrew Barton.” In the ballad, Sir Barton says, "I am hurt, but I am not slain. I’ll lie me down and bleed awhile, and then I'll rise and fight again."
I saw a billboard in town the other day that said, “Bent, but not broken.”
May that be true for our church and our community. We are bent, but not broken.
The Apostle Paul said, “We are often troubled, but not crushed. Sometimes in doubt, but never in despair. There are many enemies, but we are never without a friend, and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.” (II Corinthians 4: 8-9)
Today, let’s say along with a tough old pirate from the 16th century, “I am hurt, but I am not slain. I will lie down and bleed awhile, and then rise and fight again.” We are bent, but not destroyed.
May God give each one of us this day an extra touch of strength.
