Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show!
We live in the Midwest in the heart of the Bible belt, as it is known mainly to those who do not live there. It is an area of great diversity in religious and faith thinking, despite what some may suppose. Just this morning in the conservative local regional paper there was an article in the faith section about the rift between those who follow the predestination leaning Calvinist believers and those who think that Christ came to be among us for all the world.
We travel in several circles in our area when it comes to religion and belief. We have attended church services and many Bible studies over the last few years where we have picked up much of this diversity of belief, often in conflict. And while we think that a good argument over faith and belief may benefit the believers, to non believers much of it drives them away from what the believers would want for them to do: come closer to God. We also think that the entry of people and institutions of faith into the political process over the last few decades after the school prayer decision and Roe v. Wade has also driven many away from traditional Christianity and faith.
Divisiveness is not what was intended by the founders of the faith although people such as Saint Paul and Saint Peter and Saint John and their followers faced much of it during the first century after Christ’s death.
Among the services that we rather regularly attend here in southern Illinois is something called “The Regional Men’s Fellowship” which is held once a month at a church in the area. It is not a particularly chauvinistic gathering, just a group of middle aged and older men who like to worship together. It is, in fact, non denominational. Over the years since we have been attending this service we have had quite a diversity of thought brought to us by the assemblage of ministers who have come through the doors to preach their version of “the word.” The men who listen are usually in favor of some of everything that they hear. The raising of hands which symbolizes agreement and faith occur regularly as are the frequent “Amen’s” that punctuate the atmosphere during the thirty to forty five minute sermons that follow the inspirational song sessions that are cast upon a screen in front for all to see. But before all of that there is a prayer service where men gather together in the front of the church to pray for the sick and afflicted by laying hands on one another as many pray out loud for those that they have never met before but love none the less. It is the real reason that we attend.
If one were to describe this service one would probably have to use the phrase “old time religion” as much of what is said is basic from a bunch of itinerant ministers who have never touched a seminary door in their lifetimes. But one would not want to say that they were not people of deep faith any more than one would say that my illiterate grandfather who had memorized the Bible did not know and feel what he espoused. Some of Christ’s disciples could read while many could not when they began their life times journey with him.
During our last session with the men’s fellowship we were preached to by a literate thirty year old college graduate who was not even a full time minister. He spoke from his heart about the things that he believed. Among the things that he said was that the men of the greatest generation were not very expressive to their sons, the sixty and over generation that comprise what is known as “the baby boomer generation.” It is still difficult for me to believe that I am a baby boomer and in retirement sitting among a group of my peers hearing this message from a thirty year old that might be best described as perhaps a millennial, if he has any description at all
This young man spoke a message aimed at those to whom he addressed. It was a message that compared them to their fathers in a very favorable light. The young man stated that the boomers were not told all that often by their fathers that they loved and cared for them. He also stated, due to the depression and World War Two, that these men were incapable due to their backgrounds of doing this love telling to their sons. He also came up with the phrase that they were as a group not frequent church attendees. It was at this point that he began to lose me. Although my greatest generation father fit some of his descriptions, he was a faithful church attendee for his entire life and was always willing to offer up a prayer at church when he was called on to do so by the pastor. But my father let my mother do my raising and he usually stood passively by while it was done. It was not until near to his death after my mother had already passed on that he finally expressed an interest in my future after he was gone. It was one of the most touching moments of my life.
The more that we have thought about what this young man said and what he thought the more that we wonder just how these very brave and self sacrificing men will be remembered by their descendents because of the very fact that so many of them were so taciturn and quiet around those that they loved enough to see so many of their mates lay down their lives to secure several generations future well being.
These were men of action and accomplishment far more than they were men of words! They fought and died and were wounded and made sacrifices that no other group will probably come close to for generations to come simply because they did what they did. They built a world and now the last of them look up at us from hospital and nursing home beds and from veteran’s facilities across this land as they quickly slip away from us to close a chapter of world history that we hope that we may never have to witness again. It was a magnificent time but they would not wish it on any of us and perhaps that is why they are so silently slipping away. Their actions and their deeds spoke far more than they could ever want to ever say and we hope that young men like the thirty year old who spoke at our service that evening might find some way to realize that fact because they had a love built on accomplishment that may never be surpassed.
IOVHO,
Regards,
Joe
To say that "God exists" is the greatest understatement ever made across space and time.
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