April 5 – A little grace in a graceless world

I received a letter from Caleb this week. It’s the best thing that’s happened all week, and this was a good week.  Caleb is our 8-year old grandson.  He and I carry on a correspondence the old way. Paper, stamps, envelopes.  I do most of the writing, but every so often Caleb sends a return letter and receiving it is always the best thing that happens the week it arrives.

We tend to write about dinosaurs, pyramids, space ships, wild animals, and other things of common interest. In my previous letter I had told Caleb how Becky and I had seen a red-tailed hawk when we were out walking.  It turns out that Caleb is currently into birds and he was excited to tell me all about it. He can hardly wait to get a pair of binoculars and sent along a drawing of kestrel.

Caleb is also organizing the B.I.R.D. Club – Bird. Investigation. Research. Department.  I assume he will be the president.

As far as I am concerned, things don’t get much better than a letter – paper, envelope, stamp – from your 8-year old grandson.

Pastors really can’t help themselves.  We see sermon illustrations at every turn.  I could talk about Christians being living letters one to another, or about Scripture as God’s love letter to wayward humanity.  Nothing like a good letter.  But I will resist.

I think I will say that whoever wrote Proverbs 17 knew what he was talking about. The first line of Proverbs 17:6 reads, “grandchildren are the crown of the aged…”

So, nothing profound, just a celebration of common grace. Maybe in a graceless world I need to celebrate common grace more often.

See you Sunday