Friends,
This morning I read an interesting but sad story in the newspaper (online.) If are curious, you can find it here – Mark Madoff story.
The story was about Bernie Madoff’s oldest child, Mark. You’ll remember that Bernie was a crook, the organizer of a Ponzi scheme, and it is estimated that he schemed away about $68 billion of other people’s money. Bernie is in prison here in NC and will be for 150 more years.
But the story I saw was about Bernie’s son, Mark, and the choice he made to take his own life last week. Here’s part of the story as it appeared in the online edition of the paper:
Last Friday, the publisher of a promising real estate newsletter called Sonar Report rose before dawn, scoured the news to gather items for that day’s edition and, at 9:04 a.m., sent it out to his e-mail subscribers.
Less than 24 hours after sending his e-mail, he hanged himself in his downtown Manhattan apartment, leaving behind a life of burdens and blessings.
The blessings appeared to be sustaining him, even on that final day, according to those closest to him. They recall a man who was patiently building a new business, talking regularly with close friends, spending time with his wife and four children and, even in the last hours of his life, walking his dog, an affectionate Labradoodle.
But behind that screen, the burdens of life as Bernie Madoff’s son — the continuing suspicion from the public, the harsh accusations in numerous lawsuits, and his exile from the world of Wall Street — were steadily becoming unsustainable.
This is so very sad. Mark took his life on the second anniversary of his father’s arrest. Many of his friends had worried about him but thought he was doing so much better. In this Bernie Madoff saga, how many victims are there? Mark left a wife and four children, all victims. Ruth, Bernie’s wife of 50 years and Mark’s mother, has been called the ‘loneliest woman in New York City.’ She has been ostracized by the public, shunned by her friends and wounded by rumors of Bernie’s extra marital affairs. Even though she’s become a very wealthy woman over the years, I’d say she’s a victim, too. Four of his relatives who have reaped benefits from Bernie’s business dealings have been named in legal suits thus far. These suits will drag on for years and years in court. And, let’s not forget, Bernie Madoff lost $68 billion of other people’s money - maybe thousands of people. Certainly they are victims.
This makes me wonder, How much bad can one person do? But, on second thought, I don’t think I really want to know.
This afternoon I hope to complete a message about the Good News of Christmas as I focus specifically on Simeon and Anna’s faithfulness. With the article from the newspaper in one hand and the witness of Scripture in the other, a flipside to my previous question has emerged…How much good can one person do?
Perhaps a better way to ask this question is, How much good can God accomplish in the life of one willing person?
You know, some of us probably know people like Mark Madoff and his family. We know people burdened with sins of their own. And these sins are upon them like a heavy dead weight. We also know people dealing with the consequences of someone else’s sins. Sometimes this even seems worse. We know people who right now look at their circumstances and can’t see a way ahead.
Let me remind you, God wants to use you to bless these people today. God wants you to encourage them and remind them that there is hope. God wants you to live lives of faith and dependence on him. God wants you to keep your promises and tell the truth. God wants you to embrace his Good News. And God plans to use your faithfulness to help accomplish his purposes. This is a promise of Scripture and a mission of the church.
On Christmas Eve we’ll hear these words in worship and they will remind us of God’s faithfulness and love. They also testify to the willingness of those who received God’s gifts and were called to follow despite their fears:
In the quiet of the night
A woman gives birth:
A personal act of faith;
Accepting God’s charge upon her.
In the quiet of the night
A husband becomes a father:
A personal act of faith;
Accepting God’s charge upon him.
In the quiet of the night
A baby breathes the air:
A personal act of sacrifice;
God steps out of the divine into the mundane
For us.
Will you look for God’s work in the world? Will you listen to the lives of your neighbors? Will you step out in faith and follow God in faithfulness? This is the life of a disciple.
Blessings,
Ande Myers
