Category: Lent

One of my favorite hymns of all time is “Lift High the Cross.” It’s a great hymn and there are two key lines of words in this hymn that I particularly love.

Lift High the Cross
The Love of Christ Proclaim

I love this phrase because its simple and to the point.

As a disciple my first call is to preach Christ crucified. Why?

Because this is where we are to place our footing. From this point in time we are remade, redefined, and redeemed. Everything builds from this point.

We are to lift high the Cross.

We are to proclaim the love of Christ.

So, let’s do it!

Amen.

Dedication reads:

J. G. Alexander Jr. 
Search the pages of this book, for in them lie eternal life. 

Mother and Father
Christmas, 1941

Today we celebrated the life of John G. “Jack” Alexander. It was truly an amazing time of remembering and honoring my Papaw Jack Alexander. My dad said at some point today that Papaw made it easy to do a funeral. He walked the walk, and talked the talk. There was one story that I wanted to share from today’s celebration.

River Oaks United Methodist Church is the Church that my dad was raised in and it was in fact the church that my Papaw was the last surviving charter member of until he went home on Friday. They have been a church for quite some time, in fact at some point they had a 70th anniversary celebration to which my dad was asked to preach at. We all went and celebrated with River Oaks UMC on this great day. During the sermon my dad was preaching he of course was reciting scripture. At the exact same moment that my dad was reading the scripture, my Papaw was reciting the exact same scripture word for word….from memory. We know this because of the family members that were sitting next to him heard him read along with Dad, like he had a bible in front of him.

Search the pages of this book for in them lie eternal life.

I love how my great-grand parents dedicated this bible that was given to my Papaw over 70 years ago. The operative word is SEARCH. That implies much more than just read. To search for something is to look intently for it, with incredible focus. Obviously from that story of my Papaw on the 70th anniversary he searched the pages of that bible because here is the amazing thing. My Papaw had Alzheimer’s for 15 years and that church anniversary was years after he had been diagnosed, so even the terrible disease of Alzheimer’s couldn’t take the word of God from my Papaw.

I believe that up until the day that my Papaw went to be with Jesus that he never forgot who he was and more importantly who God was and is and will continue to be. I love my Papaw. He taught me many things, and this story still amazes me.

God, help us to search your word with incredible focus and intention. Help us to be molded and transformed by you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

(Pictured: Papaw, Lauren, and myself)

Today’s word is LIVE. For a 24 years Lauren taught me so much and for 98 years Papaw did the same. Yesterday Papaw joined Lauren, Nanny, and Granny (his wives that passed before him). I am comforted today as I think about the life that Papaw lived. The man that he was and the man that he taught me to be by showing me. The one scripture that my Papaw always quoted to me was Matthew 6:25-29

“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or father crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? Notice how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:25-29 CEB)

The life that my Papaw lived was a life of action. He wasn’t a preachy man, he was a loving man and he showed everyone that the way of Jesus was the best way to live.

“His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’ (Matthew 25:23)

I know for a fact that when Papaw ran into Jesus’ embrace that this verse is what Jesus said to him. I especially like how it ends, COME CELEBRATE WITH ME!

I will celebrate that Papaw lived a life of service to God first, others second, and then himself last. I give thanks that I was blessed to have him as my Papaw.

Father God, thank you for the people that you put in our lives. Thank you for my Papaw that you are now with.

Amen.