By Pastor R
I hope you are finding that the Sabbath is meant to be delightful. I heard about the beach balls bouncing and the cameras flashing last Sunday. You are allowed to have fun on the Sabbath. If you don’t believe me, come this Saturday February 26th to our western rodeo from 2 to 6 p.m. and you will see what I mean. It is good for the soul to laugh. It is good for the soul to form community and friendships.
While you were learning about play last weekend, I was down in southwest Florida with my daughter Betsy visiting my mother, her grandmother, Ruth. It had been a long time since Betsy and I had taken a trip together and it had been since her wedding nineteen months ago that we had seen Ruth.
Ruth was very active in our church in the early days. She would travel up from the Washington D.C. area with us and often stay in our home. She knew most of the founding mothers and fathers of the church and she loved to worship with us. On Sunday morning, she asked me if I would like to go to church with her, I said yes. She said “Let’s go to Charles Stanley’s church.”
This last Sunday Charles Stanley asked his son Andy to preach. So we sat there listening to the choir, the soloist and the sermon. It was a powerful one hour presentation. As we talked about what we had just heard, I had an epiphany.
I knew my mom was raised in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. She still makes great biscuits and chipped beef gravy. I knew my mom attended a Cranberry Baptist Church when she was living there and loved her Sunday School teacher. I knew my Mom went once a year to the revival held at the church. But I did not know much at all about her faith growing up.
Since my dad was in the navy, they had been stationed at bases all over the world. We grew up going once in a while to the base chapel. I never heard my parents speak of their faith. But the one thing my Mom did was to watch Billy Graham whenever there was a televised crusade. She would always invite me to watch Billy preach and to listen to the choir and soloist sing.
So here is my epiphany. Charles Stanley and Billy Graham are two preachers who take my Mom back to the roots of her faith. She said, when the program was over, “you know Jesus is my best friend, I can talk to him anytime.” I was deeply blessed to hear my mother’s confession of her faith at an hour when there are plenty of things not good with her health. I delighted in my mother on my Sabbath, persevering in the midst of adversity, holding onto her faith when the end may not be far away.
Betsy, Grandma Ruth and I would have several adventures including having coffee downtown, venturing out to the community pool, seeing the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico and making chipped beef gravy and biscuits. My favorite moment, however, was hearing from her lips her hope.
