Christianity Lake

My older brother Steve passed away nine years ago. In addition to her grief over losing a son, my mother was also troubled by the thought of him being cremated. It was not a path she would choose – for herself or for a loved one. Pondering the whole sad business of his passing and pending funeral, and thinking also of how to console my mom, I wrote the following.

-
The tea leaves of my brother resting quietly on the sill
Stir not for lingering memories awake within me still
Yet I know I'll see him one day over yon mysterious hill
His winsome form then rising from those tea leaves on the sill

If his leaves were now mingled with tears welling up from within
Would there lift a sweet aroma to whisper of him again?
No, the satchels of our departed bring no fragrance from their days
To imbue our peripheral visions with a tincture from the haze

Yet I know we'll see them one day for these days of sorrow fail
Their smiling forms will rise then from those tea leaves now so stale
For Christ shall soon come calling and tear open startled skies
Those He knows shall waken, those at rest in Him shall rise

Then the petals of our darlings lying silently in the gloom
Like Aaron's stick shall blossom and our dead once more shall bloom
-

As the Apostle Paul wrote, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1Co 15:19). If Christianity is merely a noble mindset of ethics out of which arises a gracious code of conduct, then we ought to be pitied by some, even as we are taken advantage of by others.

But Christianity, at its core and at its most profound, is not about our life today. Rather, it is about how our daily lives are impacted by transcendent truths regarding our history and our future.

We walk out our lives upon a path that stretches out of sight, both behind us and before us. Christianity embodies and displays gratitude - gratitude for what happened way back up this path on which we walk and thankfulness for what lies before us, beyond where we can yet see.

As Christians, our actions and reactions should not be shaped primarily by what is happening to us and around us within the small portion of the path that we can see. Rather, our actions and reactions should be shaped by kindness shown to us in the past and by the kindness we know awaits us in the future.

Now, it is true that the great kindness done for us was performed long ago – way back where the path fades out of sight in the mist of time. It is also true that we are mocked by obtuse people who refuse to believe in that past. How is one to know whom to believe? I answer that by referring you to Reelfoot Lake, which lies in the upper-left corner of Tennessee.

Reelfoot Lake was created by the massive New Madrid Earthquakes that rocked our young nation in the winter of 1811-1812. Earthquakes that were centered south of St. Louis were so powerful they caused church bells to ring in Boston. James Madison was said to have felt one of the tremors as he arrived in Washington, DC as the new President.

Those who felt the ground shaking and heard the church bells ringing died long ago. But they wrote about the tremors in their diaries and discussed them in letters to family and friends. Only a cynic would reject those firsthand accounts today.

But we have other proof of those massive earthquakes, besides those letters and diaries. Reelfoot Lake exists to this day, though it didn’t in November of 1811. Today the lake covers an area of over twenty square miles with water from 6 to 18 feet deep. Reelfoot Lake sits as a silent witness to momentous events that took place over two centuries ago.

Now, Reelfoot is a freshwater lake, its waters renew continuously. Yet, its shape and depth were created centuries ago. Christianity is like that. It was born out of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. The New Testament of the Holy Bible was written by people who knew Jesus Christ. They recorded His words and deeds, along with the words and deeds of His followers. Of course, obtuse cynics reject that written testimony. They ignore its history, its wisdom, and its advice.

But Christianity is more than a collection of people that accept a collection of historical documents. We Christians are supposed to be like Reelfoot Lake – a present, living, speaking witness, molded by powerful historical people and events. More precisely, we are to be the lakebed shaped by the historical Christ and holding the fresh waters of the living Christ.

But so far, I’ve been looking behind - back up the highway laid down by God (see Is 35:8-10). And I have been discussing how that wonderful past impacts our present. But Isaiah 35, and my poem, look forward, up the path. We are to be as grateful for what will be done to us as we are for what has been done for us. Yet our forward gaze is also tinged with hope, Christian hope, which is an eager expectation.

Christian hope is not wishful thinking; it isn’t a general attitude of “things will probably work out in the end” that is based on nothing. We Christians are Believers. We believe that God “is good and does good” (Ps 119:68). We believe He is faithful to perform His promises (1 Thes 5:24). Like King David in 2 Samuel 7, we hear the gracious promises of God over us and they cause us to worship Him. Like David, we first ask, “Who are we, that You have done so much for us and promise to do even more?” (2 Sam 7:18-19) But also, like David, we then say, “Now, Lord, do these great things you have promised, that Your name may be further glorified!” (2 Sam 7:25-26)

This life can be a “valley of tears” but, even now, despite all the sin and error, despite all the compromise and rebellion, we still experience “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord” (Act 3:19). But the kindnesses of the Lord in this present life are just downpayments and foreshadows of what is coming. Soon, Jesus Christ will return!

When He comes, He will fully embody and perform the role of the Great Kinsman Redeemer. He will not only rescue the meek but will also be the Avenger of Blood. There is coming a day when His outstretched sword will not be withdrawn, as it was long ago by the threshing floor of Ornan. Instead, He will mete out justice beyond enduring upon those who chose to live beyond His mercy.

Then He will gather His people as a gentle Shepherd gathers His sheep. He will know each of us by name and tend to us with wisdom and grace. He will personally wipe away every one of our tears (Is 25:8) – those shed because of where we were victimized, as well as those shed, knowing where we did the victimizing. Surely, the forgetfulness of forgiveness will be one of the great delights of the Kingdom of God!

My poem above ended looking to a blessed future – to the sure hope of the coming resurrection found in Christ Jesus. I will end this prose on resurrection, as well. But Jesus spoke of resurrection as a present reality as well as a future hope. He declared that to Martha on the day when she mourned for her dead brother and consoled herself with the hope of his future resurrection (Jn 11:25).

The fresh water in Christianity Lake is the abundant life, the resurrection life of our Living Savior. He ever lives to intercede for us (Heb 7:25) as we trudge along His highway. Because of His tender care, we too, can “go from strength to strength, till we each appear before God in Zion” (Ps 84:7).

Yet, as I say, we are called to be witnesses. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev 22:17).