For Pastor Jim’s Birthday, I decided he could take a Ponder-break. Here is a journal entry from last month.

Laurie 

            I have decided that death and red lights are the great equalizers of man. Death is understandable; but why red lights? To explain my reasoning, I should start at the beginning.

            A few days ago I was on my way home from Cape May in my 1996 Ford Windstar. Now, keep in mind my car was nicknamed the “Loser Cruiser” by my children; a name I suspect they plagiarized from one of their friends. I was on Ferry Road doing my usual 50 mph (+ 5 to 7 mph) when a Jaguar convertible passed me as if I was standing still. Now three things could have happened at this point. He could have arrived to the Ferry entrance a minute before me, he could have been stopped by the DRBA or Lower Township Police and been issued a ticket, or the light at Bayshore and Ferry Roads could have turned red; giving me time to catch up with him. Honestly, I usually hope for the second option, but am just as please when it’s the third.

            When I got to the intersection, there sitting at the red light was my friend in the Jaguar ! I pulled in the lane next to him. At that moment it occurred to me, we were equally stopped. No matter how much or little paid for the car, how pristine or “rugged” the car, or how young or not so young the driver, he was just as stopped as I. He was not permitted to begin driving until the same green light that allowed me to drive said he could drive. We were equal and it felt good.

            My mind began to wander towards equality. Other than at red lights, when are we all equal? The Declaration of Independence said we were all created equal. But, what about the thousands of slaves of that time, were they included in the phrase? It seems to me that the only other time we are equal is in death. Death comes to us all. It is not exclusive of age, income or social standing anymore than it cares whether you are a native or a transplant to Cape May . Dead is dead.

            I remember reading about the funeral of France ’s King Louis XIV. All the heads of state came to Notre Dame Cathedral in their finest clothing, expecting much pomp and circumstance. There in the casket made of the finest wood and draped in the finest silks was the king’s body; bejeweled with the highest quality jewels. The priest stood up and all those gathered waited to hear him speak of the greatness of the deceased king. The only words the Bishop spoke were, “Only God is great.” It was a reminder to all congregated there that they too would one day be placed in a wooden box and laid into the ground.

            I tried to remember all I had read in the Book of Romans regarding sin, death and redemption through Jesus Christ. Not being the Biblical scholar that I know I should be, meant I could only recall it talked about sin coming into the world through one man and redemption through another. This verse came to mind “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” This means, even though I have never robbed a bank, killed another human being, or committed adultery, I’ll stand in judgment the same as the thief, murderer and adulterer. My sins and those of the guy in the Jaguar next to me were the same in God’s eyes. We are equally sinners and “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” To say I was very humbled at that moment would be an understatement. I took a minute to pray and thank God for my salvation through Jesus Christ. I thanked him for the person in the lane next to me and I asked that God work in his life, so that someday we could meet in eternity and I could tell him of the day that God used him to take my self righteousness and turn it into a lesson in humility.

            I felt much better, until the light turned green and I was reminded that Jaguars have much better pickup than Windstars

            Happy Birthday, Pastor Jim!

                                                                                       Laurie