Pastoral Letter for Easter Monday We Are Now Through Holy Week

Pastoral Letter For Easter Monday

We are now through Holy Week, which began on Palm Sunday and continued through Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Easter Sunday was yesterday, and hopefully, you were able to either view the service on our website or, at least, read the written copy of the sermon for the day. It has been a surreal experience following the directions of the Stay at Home Order and visiting grocery stores with bare shelves. The news is obsessed with the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak and the economic fallout. Fortunately, we do encounter occasional acts of compassion that warm the heart. One such episode happened a few years ago, but I thought that you might appreciate the message that it contains. A young lad who was paying his way through school by selling goods door to door found himself one day virtually penniless. Hungry and exhausted, he decided to ask for a meal at the next place he visited. When a young lass opened her door, the boy lost his nerve and simply asked for a drink of water. Seeing that he looked emaciated, she gave him a large glass of milk, which he gratefully drank down. He then asked her how much he owed her. She responded that he didn’t owe her anything – that she never would expect payment for a kindness. He thanked her profusely. As Chris Galen departed, his faith in God and humankind was strengthened. He was on the verge of giving up, but that young woman saved the day. Years later, that woman became critically ill. Her doctors were baffled, so they sent her to Metro Medical Center, where a team of specialists reviewed her case. Dr. Chris Galen was among them. When he saw the name of the town where the new patient was from, Dr. Galen’s eyes lit up. He quickly made his way down the hall to her room and recognized her immediately. He then stepped up to the plate and, with his team, helped her win the battle against her disease. The Doctor requested that the Business Office pass her final bill to him for approval. He looked at it and then wrote something on the corner of it, knowing that the woman did not have the resources to pay for it. When the patient received the bill, she saw the writing, and her eyes filled with tears. It read, “Paid in full with one glass of milk,” signed Dr. Chris Galen. You see, no act of kindness is ever wasted. So, hang in there my friends and don’t forget that even in these trying times, we may be the only sign of hope that others have – so give it freely. Blessings, Pastor Rick