Reflections

As I (Fred) reflect on 2014, many events stand out clearly in my mind as a series of high and low notes.  January 2014 began on a very happy high note: Fiona Bullard was born on January 3, 2014. This day also had a low note because on that same day many of us attended the funeral service for Leanna Terry Turner and her husband Samad Fard Muhammad Turner who were both killed in a car crash on December 31, 2013.  However, it was encouraging that her younger sister Gwyneth gave the graveside eulogy and essentially shared gospel with all who were present. 

February had its challenges because Christine had surgery on her leg. Also, during an early morning ice storm, I had to drive my car off the road and into a ditch to avoid a head on collision with another car that was careening out of control right at me.  In spite of this, February ended on a high note.  The elders (John, Carl, and myself) and Brian our campus minister attended our annual overnight retreat to spend some extended time together and to spend some extended time alone with God.

March had its low notes. Christine’s sister and her mom both had surgery. Christine was called to active duty in Toledo, Ohio to help them during their post-operation recovery period. Also, my friend Ken Lewis (who is Penny Mussro’s father and Jessica and Angelina Mussro’s grandfather) passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.

April also had a low note because my godfather Toni Fiorilli from Wheeling, West Virginia passed away.

May had a couple of high notes:  Grace graduated from Clemson University with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering, and Jean Wan graduated with a PhD in Chemistry Education.

June had a high note as we attended the Pastors conference in St. Louis, Missouri.  A low note during the June-July time period was the news that Angelina would have to have surgery and would eventually have to undergo chemotherapy.

July had highs and lows notes during a trip that Christine and I took to visit relatives up north.  We visited my brother Joe in West Virginia (who is suffering from diabetes).  While in West Virginia, we also visited my sister Catherine Ann who had surgery for cancer and was suffering from blood clots in her lung.  We also saw my only remaining aunt during this time (Aunt Mary who had turned 98 years old in April).

After West Virginia, we headed to Ohio.  In Columbus, we visited my brother John who was suffering from brain cancer and lung cancer.  We also went to Dayton and visited with my sister Mary Ann who was diagnosed with breast cancer and who was undergoing chemo therapy.  We continued north to Toledo where Christine and I were able to serve her sister and mother who were still recovering from there surgery.

August started with a high note.  Christine baptized Raven at our August 3^rd picnic.   However, August brought another low note when Christine was called back to active duty in Toledo, Ohio to serve her mom following her mom’s second cancer surgery.

September brought us an opportunity to be intentional with the gospel as we travel to Florida to visit Christine’s Aunt Ginny who was recovering from chemotherapy and her uncle Ernie who was preparing for hip replacement.

October had a high note when Arun Mor, a Clemson graduate student, prayed to receive Christ following a home fellowship luncheon at our house.  We also as a church experienced a high note when we hosted the first Southeast Regional Great Commission Pastors’ conference here at Clemson Community Church.

November we experienced another high note as the Custer family hosted the annual traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the families from Nepal (Bimala’s family and her sister’s family).  Later in November, I experienced a low note when I hit a deer late at night on the way home from work.

December had several low notes.  My brother John passed away from the cancer.  Another unexpected death Meka Child’s mother.  Meka is a good friend of many here at our church and her mom passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Christmas Eve.  At times like this the worship song titled “Blessed Be Your Name” that we sometimes sing comes to my mind. Part of the song says “He gives and takes away. He gives and takes away.  My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name… Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name.”

Other low notes included my sister Rosemary being un-expectantly hospitalized on Christmas Day.  Also, my youngest sister Catharine Ann received news that she need to have another intrusive exploratory procedure to determine if her cancer had returned in the form of colon cancer.

December also had its high notes.  Our church had our December outreach event where we distributed fruit and sang Christmas carols.  We also had our annual Christmas party at the Baum’s house.  Rita and the volunteers put on a Christmas drama “Little House In The Mall” a depiction of how Laura Ingalls Wilder’s characters from Little House on the Prairie would react to modern times, especially when it came to celebrating Christmas.  Christine and I hosted our annual family Christmas get together at our house this year with her mom and dad and all of Christine’s sisters and all six children of our children and our son-in-law Jonathan were able to attend.  Additionally, a large part of our church is attending this year’s Faithwalkers’ Conference in Asheville, North Carolina where the theme this year is “Heroes.”

Jesus also had His highs and lows during his life.  His birth started off as a low note when He was born in a stable and wrapped in rag cloths, and it turned into a high note when God sent His angels to sing a birth announcement to the shepherds.  He also sent wise men from the east to deliver Jesus’ birthday presents.

Jesus had another high note when He was baptized and God the Father announced from heaven, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Directly after that He experienced another low note when He was led to the desert with no food for 40 days and then He was subjected to all types of temptation by Satan.

After this He experienced many high notes as He preached in the synagogues and was praised by all (Luke 4:15) and all were speaking well of Him (Luke 4:22). However, shortly after this in own His hometown the people tried to throw him off a cliff.

He experienced many high notes as He healed lepers, blind men and the lame, and those who were demon possessed.  He raised the dead and entered Jerusalem with women and children praising Him, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in the heaven and glory in the highest”-- Luke 20:38.

He experienced another series of low notes being arrested, mocked, beaten, and crucified.  However, He ended His first coming on a high note when He raised Himself from the dead and ascended to His Father in heaven.

As we have been learning in the series of teaching on the book of Revelation, there will be a series of low notes for the believers followed by a high note of the Lord’s second coming and His reigning on earth as He does in heaven for 1000 years.

This will be followed by one last low note in a final battle in which Satan will be thrown down into the lake of fire for all eternity. This will be followed by The Great White Throne Judgment in which everyone whose name is not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:4, 10 and 15)

Of course the final climatic high note will be when the original heaven and the original earth are passed away and the new heaven and the new earth come into existence and the tabernacle of God is among men and He dwells among us for all eternity. (Rev. 21:1-5)  

So what should our response be to these high and low notes?

In regards to the low notes we can take our cue from our Lord Jesus “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.”  --Hebrews 12:2

In regards to the high notes, we should “rejoice with those who rejoice.” --Romans 12:15

Also regarding low notes, we should “comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.” II Corinthians 1:4-7

We celebrate Christmas as the angels did to remember Jesus’s birthday, and we remember the cost He paid to redeem us from the punishment of our sins when we break bread and drink from the cup during communion.  Again high and low notes are both present, but all were notes that had to be played in order that we might experience the joy of our salvation.  So let us take some time to examine our hearts as we prepare to remember the Lord in communion.