Summertime is for family reunions. The ones I go to have so many people in attendance that sometimes you don’t know everyone. There is an old joke that a wife told her husband about how inappropriate his Uncle Dan was. He replied, “My Uncle Dan! I thought he was your Uncle Dan!” In our family reunions it is okay if you bring a friend and if someone just stops by. There is enough food and everyone is welcome.
I like family reunions as they are times when you reconnect with loved ones. Even those you have not seen for a year. You also get to sample great food. I think whoever brings those great foods should be required to leave the recipe next to the dish. What I wouldn’t give for Aunt Sally’s fried chicken recipe and the recipes for potato salad, and polish sausage and sauerkraut! They were so good when complemented with a cold one.
Of all the family reunions that I have been to I don’t think any will compare to the great family reunion we will have in heaven after we die. Lots of people in my family have died and I yearn to see them again. Many years ago, I was sitting in the teachers lounge with a couple of friends at lunch and the question was asked, “If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be?” They answered by naming the President. I was then asked and my response was that I would like to have lunch with my mom. Then added that she had been dead for about thirty-five years. My colleague changed her response. With tears she responded that she would like to have lunch with her dad who had recently died. I will never forget it. I wish I had known about the communion of saints so I could assure her that she would see her father again when she got to heaven.
While as children many of us learned that we cannot be a hundred percent sure of our final destiny, yet the Bible tells us that we are children of God and that he gave his life for us on the cross and forgives us of all our sins. Recently, I listened to a podcast about the kingdom of heaven, like a merchant who found a great pearl and gave up everything to get that pearl. The speaker went on to say that the merchant is God and that you and I are his pearl of great price. Jesus gave everything to obtain you and me. We are his most precious pearl. In all humility we can say that we are God’s child and his most precious pearl. How about a t-shirt that says, “God’s Pearl”?
I don’t want to die today, yet another part of me wants to be reunited with those who I continue to pray for. Someday, I hope to get to that great reunion in heaven to be with those who loved me and that I love. Hope to see you there!
“May the Lord bless and keep you. May he let his face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you his peace.”
