GET  FOUND  KID

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Get Found Kid!”

FAVORITE STORY

One of my favorite stories  - that today’s gospel triggers for me – is found in Robert Fulghum’s Book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.

If you haven’t read that book – or any of Robert Fulghum’s books – hint, hint, great Christmas gifts for those you love.

I have five of his books – one of which is autographed for me. I have read his books over and over again. I had told my niece Margie’s husband about Robert Fulghman. Next he spotted that Fulghum was giving a talk and book signing in Phoenix, Arizona – so Jerry went to hear him.

After the talk, Jerry went up to him  with two books with the same title to be signed.

Robert Fulghum - with pen in hand said, “Who’s this second copy for?” 

My nephew-in-law, Jerry,  said, “For my Uncle Andy. He’s a priest and he loves your stuff.”

Fulghum looks up and says, “A priest? He likes my stuff? You know I’m a Unitarian Minister.”

Jerry says, “Yep and my Uncle Andy loves your stuff.”

GET FOUND KID

The story I want to report on goes something like this.

Fulghum is in his house. He can hear kids outside playing one of their favorite games: “Hide and Seek”.

He asks his readers, “When you were a kid, did you ever have a kid in your neighborhood who always hid so well, nobody could find him?”

He answers his own question by saying, “We’d all get mad and give up – because we couldn’t find this kid.

After a while this kid would show up – all mad – because we gave up trying to find him.

We’d say he wasn’t playing the game the way you’re supposed to play it. “There’s hiding and there’s finding.”

He’d yell back, “It’s hide-and-seek - not hide-and-give up.”

And we’d yell back about who made the rules and who cared about who anyway.

Well, in this story, there’s a kid in his yard – well hidden under some leaves. He’s been there a long time. He hears the other kids yelling after him. They can’t find him and everyone else is found.

Fulghum says he thought about going to the base and telling the kids where the lost kid was.

Finally he yells out the window, “GET FOUND, KID!”

Fulghum adds that I scared him so bad that he probably wet his pants and ran home to tell his mother.

Fulghum then adds a message about a man in his neighborhood – a doctor. He had terminal cancer and didn’t tell his family or friends – because he didn’t want them to suffer.

“So he kept his secret.”

When he died everyone said how brave he was to bear his suffering in silence…. “But privately his family and friends were angry because he didn’t tell them. He didn’t say he needed them and their strength. And it hurt that he didn’t say good-bye.”

CONCLUSION

Take what you need to take out of that story.

That last message might be the best take out.

In the light of today’s gospel, hear Jesus the Good Shepherd searching for you. Hear God screaming out, “Get Found Kid.”

Maybe our best prayer is simply, “Baa, Baa, Bal,” as the old Whittenpoof song goes. But make it loud.

“We're poor little lambs who have lost our way. Baa, baa, baa. Doomed from here to eternity. Lord have mercy on such as we. Baa, Baa, Baa.”