March 27, 2016
I am writing this
today, on Easter Sunday. Yes, most of the Christian world celebrates this day
in honor of Jesus’ resurrection. Though
there is something strangely ironic about Easter to me now, I remember when I
was young, how I so looked forward to Easter. I looked forward to it because
from a young boy’s perspective, my perspective, it seemed to me like the whole
world was happy about Jesus. My world was very small compared to reality. Yet,
in the city in which I grew up, Lynwood, California, it surely appeared true.
With the coming of Easter came many good things in our local community and
especially in our home.
Our home had two
parents, Jack and Marge Read, and five children. Laine was the only girl and the oldest, and
the four boys were Steve, Dean, Jeff and Greg. Good thing that Laine was
oldest. What’s a girl to do with four brothers to continually pester her?
Fortunately, her age, height and her wit commanded a certain respect. Somehow,
we all managed to get along most of the time. Most certainly our dad’s old
fashioned theory of child education and his methods of discipline had a lot to
do with that. Yet, in spite of his corporal punishment practices, he valued
most an ability to reason with his children.
However, our family’s
greatest asset lived just over a ways and across the street. My dad’s parents
were Walt and Vera Read. Grandma (or Gram) and Grandpa is what we called them.
Even my dad called them that. And they were his parents!
And you better believe
that we all depended on them, and that was true especially for me. I cannot
begin to tell you how many times or in how many different ways Gram or Grandpa
helped sustain us and hold us together as a family. Our mom did not drive, and
dad was a lineman, usually working far distances away, so he was not home
during the day.
It was mostly left to
Gram who willingly transported us to the many and various types of things five
unique children might be involved in. Sports teams, music programs, boy scouts,
school functions, etc. Surely, some of you know the blessings of grandparents
nearby?
What does this have to
do with Easter? Well, it was one of the few times when our home engaged in
something religious together. You see, there was no practice of religion in the
home of my parents. I did not learn about the love of Jesus from them. It was
from my grandma where I first learned that Jesus loves me. Dad had no real use
for religion or church. And though my mom was Roman Catholic, she kept her
religion private and rarely went to church, except sometimes at Easter. And
sometimes at Easter my sister and brothers went to church too.
But as for me, I
regularly attended church with my grandparents. It seemed to me to be the best
part of the week, to spend Sunday’s with
Grandma and Grandpa and go to church and learn about Jesus. Yes, it was at the
Methodist Church of my Grandparents where I learned that Jesus loves me. God
gave me that gift when I was just a young boy.
So, imagine for
yourself what it must have been like for me, growing up in my non-religious
family to have all of us come together on Easter Sunday and celebrate a
religious holiday in honor of Jesus. And after we got home from Church, we
would venture over to Grandma’s house and eat together our Easter dinner. Yes,
even my dad was there. And I was happy. Somehow, I imagined that even my dad
who was so indifferent to Christianity loved Jesus.
Today, I am blessed to
be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. Now I know even more so, that God is love.
I have never lost that gift from Jesus. And now even more so, I celebrate the
death and the resurrection of our LORD. Not just on Easter Sunday, but
everyday. However, there are still special days of celebration to which I look
forward as I once did to Easter Sunday. And those special days happen every
week in the Seventh-day Sabbath.
And there is more. For,
Jesus gave us, His Church, a brand new religious ritual called Communion.
Yesterday was a double blessing for me as we celebrated Communion in the
Griffin Seventh-day Adventist Church on the Lord’s Sabbath Day. This coming
Sabbath, April 2 will be another double blessing as we will celebrate Communion
in the Thomaston First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Joy of joys for me!
During this religious
season of Easter, how much more appropriate then it is to celebrate Communion
on the Sabbath Day. We create new memories from the blessings of what God has
done and is doing in our lives. I also take time to remember those who are
sick, some suffering from cancer in both of these churches. Please remember
them all in prayer. For we all are family now.
Even more than what
good I had growing up in my biological earthly family, we, the saints are all
His family. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We share a common faith and
a common hope. Even the Blessed hope that Jesus will come! Then all the saints,
both dead and living will be caught up together with Jesus, the Father and all
the holy angels. Soon, we will all eat together the greatest meal of all time, when
we eat that Communion meal new with Jesus and the Father in heaven.
Even so, I pray, come
Lord Jesus. Amen.
