Uncle Jerritt

This Tuesday night we met with hundreds others to celebrate the life of my nephew Matt Johnson.  Matt was reported lost on Japan's Mt. Fuji in January, his body was found in June and Tuesday was the first time all of Matt's immediate family could get together.  It was a truly wonderful service.

My daughter Becky with her kids Melody and Cy drove in from the Milwaukee area and the day after the memorial was spent with her and those grandchildren at a family cottage just south of Kalamazoo.

Some other family were there also including Rick, one of my brothers-in-law.  Rick gets out a fishing pole and walks down the steps out to the dock over the lake and 4 year old Melody hops off the little plastic tractor she was sitting on and follows close behind.  We are a little worried that Melody will be talking to Rick non stop thus scaring off any potential catches but Rick assures us that the fish won't mind.

We watched Rick cast and Melody talk and after awhile they climb back up the steps (without any fish) and we ask how things went.  Rick says that Melody always has really good questions and Melody says that she had a great time with "Uncle Jerritt."  Even though we tell Melody about a dozen times that his name is Uncle Rick, not Uncle Jerritt, the information has already been imprinted on her brain.

Becky calls this morning from her sister's house in Grand Rapids and tells me that Melody told her last night that they couldn't stay there, they had to go home, because she had invited Uncle Jerritt to visit her in Milwaukee and she didn't want him to come and have no one there.  Ah, the logic and hope of a 4 year old.

Hope was the theme for our celebration Tuesday night.  Matt's service started out with worship and included a song that we as a family had sung with tears for nine straight nights this January as we met to pray for Matt's safety, protection, and finally at the end for the searchers to find his body.  The song begins with the words "Standing on this mountain top" and then throughout proclaims that no matter what the struggles are in life "You will never walk alone."  The song's chorus speaks so clearly and powerfully, proclaiming to God how we as believers feel when we are hurting, confused, but still have hope because of the faith that changed our lives - "You are faithful, God you are faithful."

One of the other songs was an old Christian classic with an updated tempo.  "My hope is based on nothing less than Jesus love and righteousness . . . Upon this solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.".

Matt's dad Jerry spoke that night about the process of prayer the family went through until the search could go on no longer and the weather would not permit anyone to survive.  He said that until the end we always had hope that God would be with Matt to see him through.  When the end came we had peace because we knew without a doubt where Matt really was.

Those who don't know Jesus won't be able to understand the peace and hope we have.  It is not based on what we know or what we do or how well we do it.  Instead our hope is based on Someone we know.  It drives many unbelievers crazy when they see we have prayed and prayed and still proclaim that God is faithful.  Well, we don't do it because we are so stupid that we don't know how the world works.  We do it because there is something and Someone inside us that sees beyond the physical.

I was an atheist when I married into the Johnson family.  I remember asking brother-in-law Rick, who seemed to be a pretty intelligent guy, how he could believe in someone he couldn't see.  "I can't tell you Bob, you just have to believe."  It seemed so simple to him.

I could explain here what I have learned about how salvation works and why Jesus needed to die on the cross and what grace is, but that won't change the mind of a confirmed unbeliever.  I could write pages about how people tune out any time they hear the name Jesus and have this long list of complaints against believers  but especially against God.  But guess what?  God really has made it simple.

Lay down your pride and come to Jesus as a little child.  Sit on His lap and confess your sins.  Ask Him to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior.  It will cost you everything.  EVERYTHING!

Good thing He loves us.