A Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ @Emmaus -
An Open Letter to my Grandchildren.
Dear Miranda, Oliver, Eowyn and all future progeny with which I have been gifted by the LORD -
Grace, Mercy and Peace from our Heavenly Father, our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ and Their Holy Spirit. Amen.
I write this particular letter to some of you with my life’s end being not too far over the horizon, and to others, well it comes from beyond the grave, from my eternal Home - Heaven.
Some of you I knew well, some not as much as I would have liked to and others not at all. No matter which group you find yourself in - whether you remember me or not or didn’t even meet me [and only know of some resemblance you have to me, because a great-grandparent of yours sees that uncanny similarity in the crinkled photo you’ve been shown of me from many decades ago] know this…
I prayed for you.
No, not everyday. Anyone who tells you that, well he or she is not being as honest with you as you might think, or like. But I did, and stil do, pray for you. For some of you, you might wonder how that’s even possible, since some, if not many, of you weren’t even born yet. Ha! Even your grandparents weren't born yet! Well, let’s just say, I prayed for the possibility of you.
That is one reason I write to you today. The second? I guess this time of year always has me looking back at the Decembers of my youth and younger years and it usually involves two things - my faith and my family.
Family - going to Mamaw Smith’s appartement on CHRISTmas Eve and marveling at the delicious smells emanating from her tiny kitchen; receiving the ubiquitous argyle socks of blue, black and brown; coming home after midnight to get in bed for a restless sleep for what seemed a year until CHRISTmas morning; relatives from out of town; sitting around my parents large, kitchen table visiting, drinking coffee, having a slice of pumpkin pie [made by my Aunt Barbara, of course!]; laughter - lots of belly-busting, tears inducing laughter; CHRISTmas morning, around the tree, opening gifts, spying my Papaw Smith just sitting there watching and smiling, while I naively wondered how he could possibly be that happy just looking on; heading to Meema and Peepa’s house later in the morning, opening more gifts, eating lunch around their modest, yellow, formica table with the leaves in and the mismatched chairs [burnt-orange kitchen, green lawn, brown organ bench and a blue, fuzzy, makeup chair that swiveled and was desperately fought for by my brother and me; heading home in the snow to explore the new toys and await the family’s arrival for supper, games and eggnog; having my own children - Jason and Bonnie-Joy - and discovering the source of Papaw’s smile and enjoyment of just watching my kids on CHRISTmas morning.
Faith - getting out of school and the bus rides to Saint Paul’s to practice for the Lutheran Memorial School Children’s CHRISTmas Service [not program - thank you Mrs. Brutcher!]; being in awe of that sanctuary’s immense space, large altar, and a pulpit with a roof; practicing songs and hymns and recitations of Holy Scripture prophesying the birth of the Christ-child; after that Service, receiving those glorious, soft, sugar sprinkled candies that were a once a year treat; CHRISTmas Eve Service at Emmaus; the two trees - one decorated with white and gold Chrismons, the other with red ribbons and apples; as I grew older the single tree with Chrismons beside the pulpit; the banner with a profile of Baby Jesus in the manger and the legs of the manger outlined in such a way making a cross visible; the white candles in the chimneys in front of the windows all around the church; the entire Advent wreath in all of its glowing glory, one purple taper half spent, a second slightly less so, a rose candle a little taller still and another purple more stately than the rest in its height; the large Christ-candle in the middle with its Chi-Rho and manger on the front, and that we had the exact same candle at home in our advent wreath - a gift to our family from Nancy and Larry Hoffschneider [my 7th and 8th grade teachers, respectively]; my Mom and Aunt Barbara playing pre-service music on the organ; listening to [and later as an adult singing in] the choir; sitting on the “wrong side” of the church [we were always northsiders on Sundays!]; sitting next to my Papaw Smith [a treat since he lived in El Paso]; closing out the service with the singing of Silent Night in the glow of all of the handheld candles and the church lights out, one obligatory verse in German, a nod to our Lutheran heritage; even as a teenager, getting teary-eyed in that moment thinking of how much GOD loves me, to send His Son - Jesus to save me, it waasn’t lost on me, at a very young age, the reason Jesus was in the stable that first CHRISTmas night.
And that’s the point of this letter - Jesus. All of the waxing poetic and fond memories above - both family and faith - is about the love of my GOD for me and is tarnished without Him. For in each reflection, on both lists, is a blessing from my heavenly Father - ALL from GOD above, ALL because He loves me.
Lest we forget, and many in my time have, you cannot spell CHRISTmas without the word “Christ.” Yes, all sorts of people manage to do all of the family stuff without Him and may even seem happy. But there is no true happiness without Christ. I cannot adequately explain how that is, I wish I could. It must be experienced by you. You must give your heart over to GOD to truly understand this. But I promise you, once you do, you will have instantaneous understanding and appreciation for what I write to you today.
My prayers have been, and continue to be, for you to be faithful. My reasoning is for your welfare, both on earth and for all eternity. But if I’m honest, there’s another reason too - I miss you and want to see [or in some cases meet] you. Know that I love you and continue to pray for you.
Oh, you should see what CHRISTmas in Heaven is like! The sounds, the smells, the sights are just too marvelous to describe! Nothing on earth compares! Remember, Jesus came on CHRISTmas to live and die for you! I must be off, He is going to begin reading His story of when He was born! My Dad is saving me a seat! Merry CHRISTmas!!!
Love,
Papaw
It is a privilege to be your pastor.
‘Living Out Christ-Centered Lives’ -
Pastor Ray
“Behold! The Lamb of GOD Who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1.29
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