The Beauty of the Ugly Violent Stuff

Tonight, I watch flashes of pyrotechnic light playing on the wonder filled face of my youngest son. As I look around, I see a darkened landscape belching out fountains of fire as far as I can see. I hear reports from cannons and rockets (near and far) as they launch and then deliver their celebratory payload to dazzled onlookers.

I also know that for some (particularly soldiers who have PTSD), these sound and sights of celebration can far too closely resemble the sights and sounds of war. I'm quite certain that the defenders of Ft. McHenry over two centuries ago were not exclaiming "ohh's" and "ahh's" as British rockets and bombs rained down on them that night. As they witnessed "the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air" from the receiving end, their cry was far more likely to be a prayer of the "God save us!" variety. Yet the American lawyer, Francis Scott Key, standing on the deck of a British ship some four miles away saw hope rising for his fledgling country through the horrors of that bombardment. Curious isn't it, that something so horrible as weapons of warfare can be transformed into symbols of celebration and hope?

I see this same odd notion in the words of the Apostle Paul, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..."* The cross also was a horrible thing. It was the Roman executioners tool for the basest of criminals. It was not something one would naturally assume to be a source of "glory". Yet, there it is.

So if you wonder why the followers of Jesus talk so much about things like the "cross" and the "blood", here is your answer. We talk about those things because the most awful event of human history was also the event that made our salvation possible. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, died as a substitute to pay for the sins of anyone who will believe on him. If you are willing to turn from your sin and accept him as Savior, today can be your "independence day" on a whole new scale.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9 KJV

------------

*Galatians 6:14a

Hauling Hay ...and Grace

My wife's grandfather, Jess, is in very poor health these days, and I find myself thinking about him quite a lot. He has told me many stories of his life. Here is one I would like to share with you.

Not long after Jess had return from the European theater of World War II, he and his brother, Earl, decided to try their hand at farming. I don't think they ever made much money in this venture, but it did provide them with many stories to share with their kids and grandkids. 

Jess tells of one summer day when he and Earl were putting up hay. It had been cut, raked and baled. All that was left was to put it in the barn. Unfortunately, it was about to start raining later that day. Jess had tried to find someone to help with the hauling but had been unsuccessful. So, he and his brother were struggling to put it up by themselves. 

Now, if you have ever hauled square baled hay, you know it is not a two man job. You need at least one man driving, one man on the ground loading, and one man on the truck or trailer to do the stacking. If only two men are doing the hauling it is a very slow process, to be sure.

Jess and Earl were in the field exhausted and struggling to do a three (or four) man job as the clouds began to darken the horizon. If the bales got soaked they would be ruined and worthless. Not only the hay, but also  all of the time and expense of the baling would be lost.

Just then, one of their neighbors drove past the field and saw these two young men struggling to save their hay crop. Sitting behind the wheel was an older gentleman many years their senior. He could have justifiably been called an "old man". If he had simply driven on by no one would have thought the worse of him. But this old man still had considerable strength and he knew it.  He pulled his truck to the side of the road and crossed through the fence, sliding his broad shoulders between the strands of barbed wire.

As dark clouds continued to boil higher into the sky, he strode across the field toward Jess and Earl's truck. He grabbed a bale of hay in each hand and tossed them onto the truck. Wordlessly he continued to toss bales of hay onto their truck two at a time until the field was clean. Jess, Earl, and this kind old neighbor drove the last load of hay in to the barn just as the rain began to fall. 


With the hay crop saved, Jess and Earl turned to the old neighbor and thanked him for coming to their aid, then Jess tried to pay him for his help. "Son," the old man replied, "you can't pay me enough to haul hay!"

"Son, you can't pay me enough to haul hay!" 

Of course I am going to draw a moral from this story...

Grace is illustrated here. The hay crop is like your eternal soul. It is valuable but it is under a cloud of judgment. You can't work hard enough to save it, and you can't buy your way out of a fix. You are about to lose the crop.

God sees your plight. Motivated by love for your everlasting soul, he crosses the "fence" that separates man from God and becomes "God with us" in the person of Jesus Christ. He offers you the gift of salvation. He provides an escape for your from the storms of sin and judgment.

Should you be grateful? Absolutely.
Can you pay him back? Never.

I'm sure that the old man who help Jess and Earl has been gone a long time now, but the story of his kind deed as been told for many years and still lives on. 

So here is the question: 
If you had been in Jess and Earl's situation would you have accepted the old man's help? I'm guessing you would have. 

Jesus is offering far greater salvation than that of a hay crop. He offers salvation for you soul. Will you accept his help today?