SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2007
THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
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Dear Friends in Our Lord Jesus:

One of the most important questions we will ever ask is this: What is God’s will for me, right here and right now? Far too often we ask this question quickly or flippantly, not weighing its impact in the light of what God is doing all around us. And far too often we formulate our actions based on what we “feel,” not on what God is constantly revealing to us through His written Word, through His appointed teachers and elders, and through His faithful followers around us.

Perhaps the most tragic example of how religious “feelings” can mislead God’s people occurred in the year 1212 AD, when massive groups of people in France and Germany believed that God was raising up an army of children to sail to the Holy Land to do battle with the Muslims, who were in control of the Mideast.

Two shepherd boys led this disastrous crusade -- Nicholas in Germany and Stephen in France. Independently of each other, two groups of several thousand children (perhaps even tens of thousands) headed to the port of Marseilles in Southern France to board ships to Israel. These children, and their parents, believed that the “infidels” would immediately see the innocence and serenity of the children and willingly lay down their arms and turn over the land.

This horrible event became the greatest disaster of the Crusade period (1095 to 1291 AD). While all seven of the major Crusades were dramatic failures, the Children’s Crusade was the worst. Hundreds of children died attempting to cross the Alps. Most who made it to the French port city were sold into slavery or prostitution. Two ships perished in storms. Five ships went to Egypt, where the children were sold into slavery. And the few who made it to Israel were instantly carried away into captivity. The historical records are sketchy, but one account said that young Nicholas of Germany led an army of 20,000, while Stephen led an army of 30,000.

Ironically, their battle cry was “Deus vult,” God wills it.

In the final analysis, we simply cannot impose our will, our intentions, and our religious feelings on God. No matter how hard we try, we cannot shape God’s plan into our own plans. What we CAN do is to surrender our will, our lives, our intentions, and our plans into His hands, and to await the quickening and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in our lives to accomplish His purposes, not ours.

-- The Very Rev. Dr. Steve Sellers +