Sermons
Cancer Sucks
Gracious God-we give you thanks for all that has been, is now and will be-in your name we
pray. Amen.
It started Friday in the radiation dressing room.
I was just finishing up my treatment when another woman about my age-walked in to get
changed for her session. I'd seen her before so I asked her how many treatments she'd had
so far. "This is my fifteenth. I'm half-way through." "What about you?"
"This is the end of my first week."
"Well," she said, "It wears you out after awhile. But I guess getting up early and going
anywhere for six weeks would get tiring. But at least I didn't have to do chemo," she said,
flipping her shoulder length red hair.
"Me either. What type of cancer did you have?"
"Ductal Carcinoma"
"Me too."
Then she said, smiling, "The good type of cancer."
I said, "Well I guess if you're gonna get cancer."
"Yeah," she said, "I feel so lucky."
And she meant it.
A few minutes later, pulling out of the garage-two of the hospital security guards were
standing in the street singing a gospel duet,
"Yes," they sang, "He is Great-O Lord he is."
And I waved and said, "Come on-come on-sing it now."
They smiled and laughed and sang even louder-much to the delight of the construction
workers taking a breakfast break on the other side of the street.
Then I pulled onto the mid-way there by the U of C and stopped at a light.
A young man-- pulled up next to me in a beat up old car.
I glanced his way and smiled. He looked back with a huge grin on his face and asked, "How
are you today?"
And I said, "I'm alright-what about you."
"I'm doing good."
And that was it.
I just started crying---because it hit me-thinking about how lucky I am.
What with the cancer and all I had really forgotten about the reality of my life.
Don't get me wrong. Cancer sucks and anyone of us in the room who has had it will tell you
to do your very best to avoid it.
It takes a toll-physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Yes indeed-let me say it again. Cancer Sucks. BUT-I realized as I drove back down
Lakeshore Drive---my life is okay.
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Several months ago-on "This American life"-Ira Glass interviewed a couple-a husband and
wife-and the husband said he really wished that he had realized how wonderful his life was-
before his wife got leukemia.
After she was diagnosed-there never really seemed to be time for that sort of thing anymore.
And he realized that their life really had been great, yet they were so caught up in - wrestling
with the mundane details - that they never grasped before it all began to change how
wonderful it had been.
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So my friends----How's your life?
Of course there are countless things we'd want different.
Bosses we'd change, jobs we'd quit, families we'd like to redesignÖbut all of that aside, really
how is your life?
Do you have any idea how great a squid Thai salad can taste-or a banana chocolate
milkshake-a cold glass of water-with the condensation dripping on your hand-a stack of
pancakes, fluffy, hot, sweet with liquid maple sugar.
What about the end of a long walk-with more than 8000 people-walking 60 miles
from Kenosha to Chicago to raise hope and money and conquer despair.
Have you noticed that?
What about your life do you notice? Have you taken in the peaceful quiet of an early
morning-before the summer heat is turned on.
Or what about the simple relief of watching your baby finally fall asleep-arm over his head-
little tummy going up and down.
Or have you seen the excitement of fellow travelers in the airport-not the ones who fly all
the time and see it as little more than an prolonged trip in traffic-but the other folks-usually
with gray hair-or the little ones-the five year olds- usually being met by people with gray hair.
Have you ever gotten close enough to smell the scent of joy, the whiff of anticipation that
slides off their backs? How's your life-really how is it?
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It occurred to me-in the car-on Friday morning as I cruised up Lakeshore Drive-
finishing my first week of radiation therapy that gratitude-was what it was all about.
That gratitude was one of those overlooked emotions in my life.
In spite of all the stuff I have to complain about-and believe me-it best if I don't get started-
in spite of all that stuff---there is also-as it pitched over my head and tossed me in its
aftermath-a wave of emotion of thankfulness that surrounded me, encompassed me and for
a moment plugged all the holes and smoothed all the scabs. Gratitude.
The apostle Paul says in his 6th chapter to the good people in Rome,
"Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God, so we too might walk in
newness of life."
--So we too might walk in the newness of life.What exactly does the "Newness of life look
like-what's it feel like-
My friends every single day-God is calling us-and we have the chance to respond-every
single day-God is calling us "to walk in the newness of life."
The quickest way I know to get there-is to begin by noticing just how blessed are lives are
now. It's a hell of a thing to miss out on all of that---to look a blessing in the eye and blink.
To take the blessings of our lives and miss them.
Jesus Christ invites us-to walk into the newness of life.
May we do this day-today-now. My experience is that it makes all the difference in the world.
Amen.