Hello,
This is a story that I wrote a long time ago (when I was in seminary!) based on Romans 6:2, one of the readings from this past Sunday. If you want to see me in action telling this story, here’s the link …the story begins at 18:45)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRnZqTjzPUg
One day a young boy was playing in his backyard, when he looked over at a small tree, maybe 10 feet tall, and it appeared that the bark on the trunk of the tree was moving. As he went closer, he saw that the bark of the tree wasn’t moving at all, but the trunk had become main street for a parade of caterpillars making their way to the branches. He was amazed at the beauty of these uniformly decked out caterpillars, crawling in perfect rhythm up the trunk, just like a marching band. He sat there for hours taking in the sight, and imagining the tune they might have been playing.
After they had all reached the branches he watched them all take their place on their own leaves, and seemingly tired out from their parade, each of them settled on their leaf as if it were a mattress, and slowly spun itself into what looked like a sleeping bag.
Day after day, he would go out to that tree to see what would become of these resting band members. And then one day, he noticed movement going on inside these sleeping bags. Restless stirring and shaking. He took a close look and there right before his eyes, the sleeping bags began to open, and he was startled by what emerged. Not a furry caterpillar, but a graceful and beautiful butterfly. One by one they emerged from their rest, and each one of them uniformly dressed in a far more spectacular uniform than before. Before long the tree was fluttering with these transformed creatures, and the little boy stood there in amazement as the butterflies dried their glistening wings in the warm sun.
He reached out to touch one of them, but as his hand drew near, with a flap of their wings they all took off into the sky, in a parade far more awesome then their parade before. As they flew into the sky, the little boy’s heart filled with joy watching them soar, and imagining the new song that they were playing.
When the band of butterflies left his sight, he turned his gaze back onto the tree, and he noticed that there on one of the branches was one lone butterfly that remained behind. He took a close look at it, and it seemed to be exactly like all of its band members that had taken off. It’s wings were solid. But instead of flapping them, this butterfly kept its wings motionless as it walked back and forth along the branch. As it walked, its wings caught the breeze and its walk was labored and awkward. Back and forth this butterfly that did not fly walked along the branch, and with each passing its journey was slower and more trying, until finally a gust of wind caught hold of its wings, and it tumbled to the ground.
The butterfly lay there on the ground, so tired and exhausted from its trek. It did not move. So, the little boy reached down to pick up the butterfly that would not fly. He cradled it in his hands, and judged it to be as perfectly reassembled as the rest of the band of butterflies. And with sadness in his heart, he brought the butterfly that would not fly to his face and he said to it, “How can you, a butterfly, live like a caterpillar?”
Hear these words from the Apostle Paul, “How can you who have died to sin keep on living in it?"
“How can you, a butterfly, live like a caterpillar?”
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (GGAP)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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