Wednesday,
March 16
OTHERS:
Lessons from My 1950s Childhood
In everything, do to
others as you would have them do to you.—Matthew 7:12
Super Sundays in
Idalou: I grew up in a small town in
West Texas in a United Methodist church with about 120 members. I picture my family sitting five pews from
the front on the right behind the Rackleys.
Our schedule was pretty typical – Sunday School at 10 AM, Church at
11. My Dad was usually the last one out
of church standing beside the pastor. At
noon we would hurry south on the dirt road to my Grandmother’s farm three miles
from town where we would join the rest of the family for a really delicious
Sunday dinner with prize-winning desserts.
Sunday afternoons were spent outside and in the barn playing with my
cousins.
Then,back to church for the
6:30 service (a really small group).
And, we used the Cokesbury hymnal in the evening often singing my
favorite hymn on page 177 – Others – Help me to live for
others, that I may live like Thee.
Life did change over the
years. As a teenager, I loved going to
MYF at 5:30 and then to the Dairy Queen to hang out with other kids after
church. Several pastors and Sunday
School teachers come to mind; I remember plenty of fine lessons about service
to others and gentle support for growing spiritually.
Sundays were full of lots of
love and attention within our small community and especially within our
congregation and extended family.
God, thank you for these
wonderful memories of spending Sundays worshiping you. I am grateful for the lessons I learned about
living in and through you today.
Jan Silverstein
No comments:
Post a Comment