Reflections on Stewardship: PARACHUTES

A man was sitting in a restaurant having dinner with his wife.

From two tables over, another man walks over, points and exclaims, “You’re Captain Plumb!”

“Yessir,” the seated man replies, hesitantly.

“You’re a fighter pilot, flew jet fighters in Vietnam, got shot down off USS Kitty Hawk, parachuted into enemy hands, and spent 6 years as a P.O.W.!” he continued, excitedly.

“How do you know all this?” Captain Plumb asked.

The man smiled and said, “Because I packed your parachute”.

Captain Plumb jumped to his feet, speechless, and reached out a grateful hand.

The man grabbed his hand, pumped his arm and exclaimed, “I guess it worked!”

“I’ve said prayers of thanks for your very nimble fingers but I never thought I’d have the opportunity to express my gratitude in person. Do you keep track of all the parachutes you’ve packed? Do you know how many lives you’ve saved?” Captain Plumb asked.

The man responded, “I don’t keep track. It’s enough gratification for me just to know I’ve served.”

Charles Plumb went home that night and couldn’t sleep. He wandered around his house, got a glass of milk. All he kept thinking was, I travel all around the country talking about being a great hero. I was the top gun, the jet jockey zooming around the sky in an F4 Phantom at twice the speed of sound. But all those years ago there was a sailor, well below sea level on that aircraft carrier, standing at a long wooden table, weaving, shrouding and folding silk parachutes. In those moments, I could have cared less about some guy down in the hole. But a guy I never even thought about was the one who saved my life.

These days, the news of the world forces us to keep privilege at the forefront of our thoughts. Stories of misfortune from thousands of miles away bombard us, making us realize that we are truly privileged to not have to worry about where our next meal is coming from, to not feel unsafe in our community, to not live in a part of the world ravaged by war. But privilege also gives us the opportunity to do wonderfully positive things: to share, give of ourselves, and to change the imbalances that exist within our spheres. Privilege gives us the power to make small changes in our own lives that ripple positively into the lives of others. Sharing a portion of what’s been blessed unto us so that others might be blessed.

Do you remember every person who has packed the parachutes in your life? I suspect there are too many to think of, too many forgotten names, or names we will never ever know. Life is about the moments the parachute came through for us, every time, as we prayed for grace. God’s mercy, compassion and generosity shone upon us in all of those moments along the way, as we pray for it to continue to shine upon us now. He wants us to excel in generosity. So how is your parachute packing coming along?

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Please contact me with any questions about stewardship or if you are interested in joining the Stewardship Committee at roseg@cosepiscopal.org or x118.