Attentive to God and Ready for Baseball

When I arrived home Thursday evening it was several minutes past 6 o’clock. Normally, when I arrive home during the work week at such an hour I enjoy watching the local and national news. Kay was preparing supper and I as I prepared to turn on the television, the phone rang. Three grandsons were on the other end (Keeler, Braydon and Miles) inviting me to join them at the Beaufort Middle School baseball field. It had been a long day. Their invitation reminded of the years Lillian, Liesle, Laura and Sam, all four children were still living at home. I’d walk in the front door ready to slump in my living room chair, read the newspaper and watch the news. All the kids would come running, showing me this and showing me that, ready to shoot basketball in the driveway or throw a baseball in the front yard. I remember Kay saying, “Steve, your their father and all they want is a little bit of your attention.” She was right.

So, last night I didn’t sit in my living room chair, pick up the paper or watch the news. Instead, with Kay cooking in the kitchen, I joined three grandsons at the baseball field. It had been a year since I wore a mitt or thrown a baseball. It took a few minutes to warm up. I was somewhat surprised I could even throw with any accuracy. Keeler was the first up to bat. He sprayed my pitches to left, center and right field. Wee Willie Keeler loves baseball and always ready to play even if it’s in the rain. (You might want to “Google” the name “Wee Willie Keeler.” What you find might surprise you. You’ll learn why I, too, love baseball and why it’s in my veins.)

Fourteen year old Braydon was the next up. I whizzed two fast balls past him. He swung at both and missed. 0-2 in the count, pride was on the line. The last thing Braydon wanted was to have his grandfather strike him out. Before the next pitch, I looked to the heavens and I said, “Lord, it;s a good day when a man nearly 68 years old can still hum a baseball.” I grabbed the baseball by the seams and went into my windup. Braydon looked intense. He had his bat cocked, ready for the pitch. He slammed it into left field. I was a happy man though. I had used a strategy implemented by a southpaw I used to catch in high school. He was scouted by several major league teams and eventually played college ball somewhere in Georgia. Doug Robinson threw hard and he intimidated batters. Every game he started by hitting the first two or three batters with pitches traveling well over 90 miles an hour. He was a wildman but batters were scared. I hit Braydon twice before the two strikes. No longer intimidated, he hit a pitch to the fence in left field.

And then it was Miles’ turn. He walked with confidence to home plate, bat in hand, and hit just about everything I threw. Pitch after pitch after pitch, just like Keeler and Braydon. Miles loves to hit pitches right up the middle. I just did get the glove up on one hit. Whew! It came hard. I was delighted that I still had some of my old reflexes. Miles’ hit might have put me in the hospital if I hadn’t gotten my glove up fast enough. Sometimes it’s okay to be lucky!

In Eugene Peterson’s book titled “Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity” he writes, “The biblical fact is that there are no successful churches. There are, instead, communities of sinners, gathered before God week after week in towns and villages all over the world. The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them. In these communities of sinners, one of these sinners is called pastor and given a designated responsibility in the community. The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God. (page 2)

As I write, I’ve paid attention to the news as it comes across the screen of my smartphone. Non-essential workers in New York ordered to say home and residents of Illinois ordered to shelter in place beginning tomorrow. Most experts believe we still have a three week period in front of us where there will additional orders for shelter in place. Applications for unemployment are on the rise. There is discussion about mortgage companies possibly delaying house payments for up to a year. Medical facilities complain of short supplies. You get the picture. All of this is unprecedented in our time.

Somehow, we’ve got to do our best taking care of ourselves while at the same time, working from home, doing some of the normal things of life like throwing a baseball, cutting the lawn, folding the laundry, washing the dishes, walking the dog, washing the car. But most of all, we want to remain attentive to God who is at work behind the scenes in ways that as of today we may not see or comprehend. Healing a man born blind, Jesus told his disciples that night is coming. Well, night is here. What do we do? Jesus also said, “I am the light of the world.” Attentive to God, tackling the ordinary affairs of everyday life, may we not allow the coronavirus to cause panic or fear. Instead, let us remember that Jesus is the light of the world. As the dark shadows of the virus surround us, may we keep our focus on the light of Christ that chases away the darkness as we pray for our scientists, medical and health care providers, government agencies and our civic leaders working hard to chase this pestilence out of our lives. Amen and Amen.

Now, if you will excuse me. The telephone is ringing and I think it might be three grandsons on the other end. I’ve got to change clothes and find my baseball glove. In Christ. +
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Steve Keeler, Pastor