Hebrews 12 1 – 3
I wonder how many of us have had invites to School re-unions. You know the sort, Class of 1960 school reunion or the Church Youth Group are holding a reunion for all the ex-members!!! You want to go to see all your old chums, see how they look now compared with 40 years or so ago. What they’ve achieved, if they married, if they are well travelled or haven’t moved far from their hometowns. At the same time part of you is saying “Oh! No that’s not for me. They will have done so much more than me.”
The other day I read of a similar re-union but this was of a group of people who had been part of a young Church about 50 years ago. They had been invited to gather to celebrate a special occasion with a Christian minister. It was the 51st anniversary of the beginning of his time at their church. Some twenty plus years later he had moved on. Many of them had kept in touch, both with him and each other. Some had stayed at the church the whole time, others hadn’t.
He was now eighty-five. Still lively in mind and faith, and straight in body -although maybe just a bit stiff. His sense of humour was still intact and he was even preaching regularly.
The writer goes on to say, the afternoon was warm with sun, memory and matured friendship. The air was full of “Do you remember….”. Creased, dog-eared black and white photographs had been resurrected for the day. They showed young, un-creased faces smiling out of yesterday’s fashions.
It was wonderful to read how each person had been profoundly influenced by this one man. Each life had gone its own course. Some had been very successful in this world’s terms, others not so. Many treasured happy relationships, a few were tinged with sadness, even tragedy.
I wonder how that minister felt, seeing all those people again, seeing them all together. Did he feel successful? Maybe pride, or what? Then I thought what really mattered was his life. He’d lived it faithfully, consistently. At times I’m sure he must have been criticised sometimes misunderstood. But he’d preached his vision of the truth, he stayed true to his faith. His influence, the values he’d lived out could been seen in the lives of the people around him that afternoon.
The one and only reunion I attended was some 15/20 years ago now, a group of giggly schoolgirls turned into not so giggly mature women, but still excited and at the same time apprehensive. I have to be honest I didn’t recognise everyone. But we shared the joys and tears, we laughed at the things we did in those days gone by. We remembered our school days the games we were made to do, we remembered the nights we were allowed to go to the ‘pictures’ (noticed I said pictures and not cinema), the boys we all sought to impress, we remembered our church and the Youth club, the outings we shared as teenagers. We promised to keep in touch, sadly we have not all kept our promise. What I ask myself is, have I fulfilled my vision? Have I done all in my power to run with determination the race that was set for me?
Verse 2 of Hebrew 12 says:
“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from the beginning to the end.“
Today brings a new beginning – a new start – what is done cannot be un-done but fortunately we are loved not only by our family but by God.
God’s Blessings
Betty Bentham