Today is Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009; Karen's Korner #1553
On Monday evening, I met our church van as six others from our congregation rode together over to our church camp's monthly fellowship. As one of seven passengers, our minister's nine-year-old son lowered the average age of those riding together by a decade.
The guest speaker for the evening was the college president of a Bible college located in Minnesota. At the end of his presentation, he asked for questions from the group. They ranged from the college's goals; to direction for the future and costs of attending the school for the year.
Ben, who is currently a third grader, raised his hand and inquired, "What is your favorite Bible verse?'
Without pausing to think, the college president told Ben, "Revelation 21:1-5." And he began to recite it from memory:
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'
"He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"
As the college president began to answer Ben's question, he was no longer talking with the fifty plus people who were assembled, he was talking to only the curious elementary student. He continued, "I repeat that verse every day. I love thinking about the future that is ahead for us." He went on to tell Ben that he had recently visited a hospital and saw a young boy with a scar on his leg because he was fighting cancer, but in the coming world there would be no cancer or any other illnesses. That he didn't like death, in that new world there would be no death. (The college professor didn't know that young Ben had just lost one of his grandmas unexpectedly a few months ago).
"Always remember that God's words are trustworthy and true," the college professor told his young listener. "What is your favorite Bible verse?"
Also without missing a beat, Ben replied, "John 3:16".
Ben didn't recite it, but here it is:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Later as I had time to reflect on the exchange, I couldn't help but think, "Both the president and the young man were talking about the same thing.........God's love! Past, present, and future."
Can it get any better than that?
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