DUKE’S RAMBLINGS

October 4, 2007

 

Dear Workers in the Vineyard,

Last Friday, Mark Smith and I headed up to the mountains for a day of trout fishing. It was a great day – great weather – great company – lousy fishing. You can see the effects of the drought when you get in those mountain streams. It didn’t mean there weren’t some pools with trout in them. In fact I could see the trout. I could cast my fly in front of them. My dropper (the nymph below the fly) actually bumped some of them in the nose. But they wouldn’t touch it. Still we got 14 fish between us, all of which were small.

But what really caught my attention was when Mark crossed the Watauga and got up on this big rock to cast into this pool. I was on the other side of the stream. Suddenly Mark said, “Do you hear that rattle?” I couldn’t hear a thing because of the sound of the stream. “It sounds like a baby rattle?” But Mark couldn’t see a thing. We figured Mark had disturbed a rattle snake beneath that big rock. It is a might disconcerting though when you can’t see the snake but only hear it. Mark very quietly came back the way he had come and crossed the stream over to where I was.

Later that afternoon I was going in a wooded area rather than cross over the slick rocks in the stream. The leaves have already started to fall. I thought to myself, if there is copperhead down in these leaves I never would see it. He would have me before I had a clue. Then I thought back to the rattlesnake. At least you could hear him and know to back off. There was a gift to that rattling. If you paid attention to it then you wouldn’t get bit. If you didn’t pay attention, well you can’t say you weren’t warned. I’ll take that any day over a snake you can’t see but bites you.

Where do we hear the rattles in our world right now that if we pay attention too can prevent a lot of hurt down the way? Is what we are experiencing with the drought right now a rattle of global warming? What do we need to do as a society to prevent getting bit? What about our increase in health insurance. Do we really think this is going to go down? Is health care a right or a privilege? If it is a right don’t we need to find a way to make sure everyone is covered? Is the cost of health care a rattle that we need to listen too? What about the Iraq war? On that one haven’t we already been bitten? But aren’t there other rattles out that we need to listen too?

What about in our churches? What are the rattles we hear we need to pay attention too? If we continue on the path we are on does this lead to a good place or to getting snake bit? Or how about the people in our churches that we consider rattlesnakes? Could there be a blessing in being able to hear their rattles?

Yes, I’ll take a rattlesnake over a copperhead any day because at least I can hear them and adjust where I’m going before getting snake bit. How about you?

It was a good day even with small fish and rattlesnakes. Going trout fishing put me in a state of grace that lasted at least to Monday morning when I came in and begin to hear the rattles in this job. May we all pay attention to the rattles we hear.

Hope to see you next week at Duke Convocation. I’m going for Monday. I want to hear Wendell Berry who is going to remind us about the rattles in the environment right now.

As of last night I have only 32 Charge Conferences to go. 18 are done. As I’ve told people, with each charge conference my depression lifts a little more while Annette Harper’s depression increases with each report I bring back. Give Annette your sympathy. She does excellent work for us.

 

Peace,

Duke