2.28-What about Billy Graham?

2.28-

Reflections on Billy Graham and his way of helping our nation.

During my formative years I went to high school where we had Baccalaureate services alongside our high school graduation.  This service was to honor the graduates, but to allow various local ministers and church people to bid Godspeed to our graduating seniors.  This was often done at the First Baptist Church of my hometown, Ladonia, Texas.  I remember a couple of the ministers for the Baptist church and Methodist churches in our town, Vandergriff and Trumpler come to mind right now.  I say all this to say that my school and my town were affected positively by many other congregations other than my own.   In our town and around the world we experienced the impact of a Baptist preacher named Billy Graham.  From Truman down to Trump all Presidents were directly affected by Billy Graham.

 

He came on television during Presidential Inaugurations and other special times.  When the Oklahoma bombing happened, Billy Graham joined Bill Clinton, the current president to comfort our nation.  Then on 9/11 when our whole nation had been attacked and the World Trade Towers fell he came to the memorial service in the Washington Cathedral with all the Presidents and tried to comfort our whole nation and indeed he did.

During many other times during the years since 1969 until now I felt the urge to be a preacher also and was blessed to be able to do so.  I remember reading the biography and autobiography of Billy Graham.  I read many other of his books on Angels and his monthly devotional magazine from time to time.  At times we would watch some of his crusades in stadiums.  When he came to Denver there were some members of the congregation where I preached who helped with follow up on people who made commitments at the services.

Today I watched the services in the Rotunda and heard several speakers but the remarks of Mitch McConnell matched my own feelings.  He said you could see this as a story of a farm boy who came off a dairy farm and made himself into a world changing evangelist, but that was not the story of Billy Graham according to his own words.  He said that it was not the power of Billy Graham accomplished this.  He said Graham had said it was not anything to do with his power.  He said that he was just a man whom God had called to go and do a work and God had accomplished the work he did, not himself.

I heard Max Lucado speak of meeting him once and the main impression he had was how humble he was.  Max said that the man wanted to talk about Max’s work and God and not about himself.  This is a good example for all people and especially for those of us who are ministers.

Most of us have deep opinions about how much good or bad is done by evangelists and televangelists in this country.  I won’t be changing that in your mind with this article, but I want to say a word of thanks to God for using a variety of churches and minsters in our local towns and communities to bring people a blessing.   I thank God for the comfort of this one minister whom God used on a national basis to comfort us in sorrow and to help us celebrate the best things in human beings.  Billy Graham helped a lot of people in times of sorrow.  He helped people to understand Jesus Christ and God’s love for people all over the world.  Not just in America, but in Russia and China and around the world he presented the good news that God loves all people.

Jesus tried to get people to get together and lift up the best in each other.  Great leaders who have brought unity to our nation in difficult times encouraged people to pray and seek to love others in the way that God loves all of us.  Washington.  Lincoln.  King.  These and many others have helped our country with pushing for love and kindness over division and hate. 

Thank you, God for Billy Graham.

Psalm 133.

A Song of Ascents, of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
² It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
³ It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever.

Larry Wishard

2.28.18