  The Old Tree and the Mule  

 ~by Bishop Jerry Ogles, Anglican Orthodox Church, April 10, 2001 (prepared 24 years ago)

 "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set" Proverbs 22:28

 This past Sunday I lingered on the lawn of my second church (Union Presbyterian Church) in Ozark,
Alabama, to chat with the older members. 

This church is very traditional and old fashioned. Most of the members exceed the age of 65 years.
 The church itself is almost two hundred years old. It was organized by
Scottish people who immigrated there in the 1830's from Argura, Scotland.
 As I surveyed the lush, green Alabama surroundings, I noticed a huge
tree near the edge of the church-yard which seemed to be ancient.
 When I remarked on the antiquity of the tree, an elderly lady told me
this interesting story about it:
 "When this lady was a small girl (about 6o years ago) horse-drawn
conveyances were still quite common in the rural South. In those days, the
lady told me, there was an older man who rode his mule-drawn surrey to
church every Sunday. He would tie the mule to the old tree - which seemed to
the woman to have been of similar appearance even those many years ago.
 After several years of driving to church and tying the mule to the
tree, the old man Failed to attend services one Sunday. The old mule, however, did not forget. He appeared at church at the appointed time and went to his accustomed place of peace and safety in the cool shade of the old tree. After service, when the men of the church attempted to take hold of the mule and deliver him home, he would not hear of it. The mule went berserk and would not leave
this familiar place.  Every time the attempt was made to move the mule, he would wildly
resist so that no one dared go near him. The mule insisted, after all those many years of standing under the tree, in remaining this last time and making his final stand under the old tree. 

Finally, in desperation, a rifle was brought and the mule was killed.
 I realize this is a sad story to tell. It is sad because of the mule's
attachment to the one thing in his life that never changed and, in the last
moments of his life, he refused to move from it. But this story is also
inspiring because we are reminded that there are anchors in our lives which
never change, which remain steady and unyielding to the demands of a fickle
world.
 We, from our youth, have learned of the ancient Rock which does not
move. We have been taught to build our lives upon It and, when the rains and
floods descend, our building thereon will remain fixed and weather the
storms of life. That Rock of Ages followed after the Children of Israel as
they wandered in the wilderness. And that Rock and Fortress abides with us
daily as we are challenged by change and uncertainty. Yet, that Rock remains
steady, strong and unchangeable in the face of the storm.
 Perhaps we can learn from the sad story of the mule - that some things
are worth the dying rather than to move from them. The Holy Scriptures, the
Love of God, the Love of family and Country are all things worthy of our
immovable devotion. During these uncertain times of spiritual and social
decadence, shall we be blown about by every wind of doctrine? or shall we
stand on the Rock and Fortress which is Christ?