Rob Zahn's Blog

So, I know I haven’t posted at all during internship. I apologize for that. I have made that decision because I feel I should keep a ‘low profile’. Since much of what I write can be viewed as controversial and I am on internship, I thought it would be best to just keep my mouth shut. However, today I heard a story that I could not ignore and wanted to post it here and let all of you respond to it accordingly.

In light of Act 11:1-18 this story was told to me. I most likely will get the details wrong, but the message will apply. The story:

The theologian William Barclay writes about a group of soldiers during World War II who had lost a friend in battle and wanted to give their fallen comrade a decent burial. So they found a church with a graveyard behind it, surrounded by a white fence. They found the parish priest and asked if their friend could be buried there in the church graveyard.

“Was he Catholic?” the priest inquired.

“No he was not,” answered the soldiers.

“I’m sorry, then,” said the priest. “Our graveyard is reserved for members of the holy church. But you can bury your friend outside the fence. I will see that the gravesite is cared for.”

“Thank you Father,” said the soldiers, and they proceeded to bury their friend just outside the graveyard on the other side of the fence.

When the war had finally ended, before the soldiers returned home, they decided to visit the gravesite of their friend. They remembered the location of the church – and the grave, just outside the fence. They searched for it, but couldn’t find it.Finally, they went to the priest to inquire as to its location.

“Sir, we cannot find our friend’s grave,” said the soldiers to the priest.

“Well,” answered the priest. “After you buried your fallen friend, it just didn’t seem right to me that he should be buried there, outside the fence.”

“So you moved his grave?” asked the soldiers.

“No,” said the priest. “I moved the fence.”

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There are many issues facing the church today, issues where lines are being drawn, borders are being fortified, and fences are being built. Like in the text, we place certain things, behaviors, and yes, even people on the ‘out side’ of the fence for all kinds of reasons. It seems to me, in light of this text, in light of the resurrection, in light of the Gospel, that no matter where we place these boundaries and borders, God, like the priest, moves them to a position of inclusion…whether we like it or not.

Ok…your turn…go!