The Ultimate Family Reunion

Wisconsin is known for its dense timber. Long ago, European settlers carved their livelihoods from portions of the timber to create a patchwork of small family farms. My ancestors were part of the progress. They came from Denmark, Poland and Germany to do the hard labor of clearing the dense forrest and creating a new life. Some of my ancestors logged the timber of the North Woods and rode the logs down the Wisconsin River. I know my family's history because we tell our story at family gatherings. Sometimes the gatherings are called family reunions.

 

There are stories that all of us love to hear. So one of us young ones throws out the bait in hopes that one of the old ones will take it. The story is usually the same but sometimes the old ones would change a detail or two. We would all correct the story and laugh. We love a great story. Telling a good story is an honor reserved for the honorable.

 

There are stories that may have only been shared once but are unforgettable. They stay stuck in our common memory as something irreducibly precious. These stories are sometimes dark or tragic. Sometimes the story is so graphic, I guard my heart from my own imagination. My ancestors lived a hard life. It was not romantic. It was heartbreak, sadness and poverty. Maybe that's why we love the good stories because there were so few.

 

We share photographs at family reunions. The photos bring memories. Sometimes the memory shared is about the garden grandpa tended, the house the cousins built or a family trip to the ocean. I love the photos. They're treated with respect like they're worth millions of dollars. I've learned to ask about the details and write them on the cardboard backing. Family doesn't live forever this side of heaven.

 

All together in one place was God's idea from the beginning. Imagine that gathering. Start with the first people born of earth to this present moment. God's desire was to have us all together forever.  Eternity is a long time to be able to share our story. Here and now, I can share bits of my story and I promise to listen as you share bits of yours. The way I see it, you and I belong to God's family. You can tell me your good stories. I love a good story. But, we will both know the right time to tell the stories that only need telling once. I promise to handle your story with care and give it with the honor and respect it deserves.

 

Sunday is a special day for us at Wheatland. It's kind of like a great family reunion. We will gather together for worship, pitch a tent, fire up our grills and share life together. Stories will be told and shared. I hope you will come. The story is so much better when you tell it. Imagine God watching expectantly with an anticipation for things to come as we engage in fulfilling his dream of being all together in one place forever.