Today’s gift…

Enough said.

As we made our way west to visit the kids, we chose to take the back roads across central Oregon.  We like back roads.  They get you away… away from the busy, crowded highways into places that you might just whoosh by on an interstate. They also get you away from ‘making good time.’.  Oh well, we have time. We’re on vacation.

We discovered places that are dry and and places that are wet… Wide, expansive  places and places that have things tightly packed…  Some were full of hard things and some filled with soft things…  We saw things from far away and some things up close… None of which we would have seen from the interstate. We like the back roads. They take you places at a pace that allows you see and appreciate things… Like these in the following slide show…

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Now that the summer travel season is upon us … Let’s review a bit before I give you today’s timely travel tip.

The Rules
1. Generally, the time traveled is less than or equal to the time stayed.
2. Always live in the time zone you are in.
3. Pack what you will use and use what you pack… ordinarily

How did we do today…?
#1- No problem for this trip. Today was a long stinkin’ day, but a good one!
#2- Maybe the rule should be embrace the time zone you are in. We left the house early this morning and after eight hours of travel arrived at our destination before noon! Love the time zones!
#3- Shouldn’t have a problem with this one unless the temp drops!

Now for a timely, travel tip. When staying at a motel, sometimes it’s hard to remember the room number. Do what we do. Associate the room number with its corresponding number in the gray Psalter Hymnal. For example, room 620 = “By the Sea of Crystal.” Today’s room number is ”When Moses Raised the Serpent Up.” If you want to know what the number is, I guess you’ll have to look it up.

It’s funny how things work out sometimes what with… the bloody nose… branting … “Who me? Sing with the choir.”… a big hug… I’m telling you, my mind is just spinning. I don’t know where to start, but I’ll try…

I really didn’t need to go, but I did and it’s a good thing! I like a good choir and the Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys, a great choir, sang in our church tonight.

So there I was enjoying the concert when suddenly one of the boys, about age 8, went down in the middle of a song! Actually, he went up… up the aisle pinching his bloody nose. A perfect branting situation I thought.

There are only a few people, my immediate family to be exact, who know about branting, the origin of which I’ll save for another time. Anyway, branting is a sudden, unexpected substitution for… say, a performer with a bloody nose, by another…say, me, who is sitting there ready and able to jump in and save the day.

Imagine this… The director, seeing the kid go ‘down’ and realizing that the song is now in jeopardy, turns and catches my eye. I give him a quizzical, ‘Who me?’ kind of look, then a little nod. Without missing a beat, he points with his left hand to the now empty spot into which I coolly slide and seamlessly continue the song, singing the once vacant soprano part. That’s branting. It didn’t go down that way, though. I was asked to sing a hymn with the choir, along with the other 250 people there…. Not exactly branting.

It was a great concert. Afterwards, as I was heading up the aisle, heading out, a much more remarkable thing happened… Outa the blue, a mom of one of the boys, Michelle, former student, East Christian 8th grade class of ’88, zipped across the sanctuary and gave me a huge hug! We had a great time reminiscing and catching up! Michelle is doing well. So am I thanks to a fine concert and a wonderful reunion. Funny how things work out. I didn’t need to go tonight, but I’m glad I did.

Let’s just get this out of the way first thing – my confession. Here it is. I really didn’t want to visit my mother Saturday afternoon. There, I said it. She lives in a nursing home walking distance from where I live. We try to stop by a couple of times a week. However, this week, for whatever reason it didn’t happen. So, come Saturday afternoon, the right thing to do was to go see Mom… and I didn’t want to … but I did, being the dutiful son and all. So, instead of washing the cars, I walked to the ‘home.’

I found Mom in the big room in her usual recliner, feet up, deep into an afternoon nap. The warm room was crowded with residents none of whom we’re watching ‘The Lion King’ blasting away from the big screen TV at the end of the room. Sitting next to Mom was Alice, in her wheelchair, chin on her chest, wrapped in a blanket, sleeping. Alice had two black eyes that looked like the black grease a ball player might wear. Mom said that Alice fell out of bed. This was where I learned my least-of-these lesson.

Jesus taught the original least-of-these lessons in a parable in which a group was commended for feeding the hungry, clothing the poor and visiting the imprisoned. Jesus said that when they did these things it was doing it for him. They were surprised to hear that, I think. I get the impression that these folks figured they were just doing what they do.

I think these ‘least-of-these’ moments happen often. It’s not always the big ones of feeding the hungry, clothing the poor and visiting prisoners, either. Every day there are occasions where people, for some reason, are genuinely in need of something – in need of encouragement, kindness, friendship. I’ve been that person … the ‘least.’ In small ways, God’s work of grace and love gets done in significant ways by people putting other’s needs before their own … just doing what they do. No big deal, just taking care of the least-of-these without even realizing it.

So there we were, Mom and I, chatting, the Lion King roaring from the TV, when Alice opened her eyes and cried out, “Evelyn!” And again, “Evelyn!” My Mom reached over, lifted the blanket covering Alice’s arm and gave it a little rub. Mom’s smile and words told Alice that everything was OK. Alice responded with a relieved smile of her own and nodded off again, content.

It was a small thing really. Alice needed a bit of comfort and my mom was there to give it. No one noticed… except me… and Jesus, for whom Mom was doing this without realizing it no doubt… just doing what she does.

I’m here to humbly confess that this was the place I needed to be on Saturday afternoon. I was the needy one that afternoon. God … just doing what he does … taught me an important lesson, this time about the least-of-these. Thanks, God. Thanks, Mom.

Matthew 25:40 – “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”