What a magnificent day today has been! It's almost the middle of December, and I was riding the Ural through town, picking up groceries, visiting a friend, and exulting in the azure skies above. It was 55 degrees in Western New York! I suppose I should be grudgingly acquiescing to the global warming folks, but after last year's winter, I'm not ready to concede quite yet. But I am ready to take full advantage of the beautiful weather. Yesterday I finished up my earthmoving project for pastor Joe, and when I finally got home this afternoon, I called my daughter to see if Gemma could come over to help me work on the grandfather clock. She's almost four, and has been a big help varnishing the woodwork. I didn't even have to redo too much of it.
Second Friday of the month means the kids are all here for dinner and an evening of fun. Tonight it was Christmas caroling in town. You don't see much of that any more, so it was particularly satisfying to go door to door with nine grandkids who were enthusiastic about singing for our neighbors.
Earlier I was reflecting on the Apostles' Creed. In my meditations I've gotten as far as Jesus' resurrection from the dead, the very heart of the Gospel. It is this doctrine that sets Christian faith apart from any other. Other religions may speak of the immortality of the soul, of nirvana or some other equally disembodied state. Only Christianity speaks of the resurrection of the body; the personal and identifiable individual living eternally in a body that will never fade or perish. I watched our grandchildren and Linda singing, from little four year old Gemma to seventeen year old Alex and (ahem) year old Linda. When we are young, lithe, and full of energy, our mortality rarely intrudes upon our consciousness. At my age, I'm quite aware of it, and am thankful tonight for a body able to enjoy the feel of the wind on my face as I ride, for eyes to see the beauty around me, and ears to hear my grandchildren singing praises to the birth of Christ. And I am grateful that because of Jesus' resurrection, I shall some day rise too. That good that I've experienced here in this life will be multiplied in both magnitude and extent. That is Good News indeed!
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