6.15- I turned off Texas highway 1550 onto the gravel drive around the Oak Ridge Cemetery

 6.15-

I turned off Texas highway 1550 onto the gravel drive around the Oak Ridge Cemetery, established in 1874. There were civil war soldiers buried here but more importantly for me, it was nine months since the burial of my wife, Sheila.

There was stillness and quiet. The gravel under the tires was the only sound I heard. This bright, cloudless, June 6,2023, day was reminding me of the words of a teacher promising some things that seemed like “nonsense”. He said that one day there would be a resurrection of spiritual bodies of those who had done evil and those who had done good.

Scriptures say that some women went to the tomb where this teacher had been buried about 2023 years ago but his body was not there. They ran and told the disciples. These words seemed like nonsense. The disciples ran back to see for themselves and they saw the linen the body had been wrapped in but his body was gone.

Luke recorded a scene where some men were discussing the teacher’s words and his execution. The men were conversing about amazing things that happened. Just then the The teacher showed up. He reminded them that he had said he would be executed and resurrected. Too full of joy and hope to be anything but “out of this world” from a limited human point of view.

The resurrected teacher ate with them. He told them to wait until he got back to heaven and he would send his courage producing power to them. They should wait and then when the power came they should go out to tell the good news of the power from the eternal realms was available to them also. To receive forgiveness and power to begin a new life. Day by day with fresh mercy, grace and peace they would experience transformation. They would move from doing evil deeds to doing good deeds. Always imperfect, but moving from a path of fear to a path of love.

Then this teacher humble teacher who never traveled widely, never wrote a book, never taught in any way, but by his life and words and who lived only 33 years ascended to a place that is beyond all places and all time into eternity.

Yes cemeteries are places of reverence, honor, quietness, reflection and yes, hope. Places of prayer where on a quiet day you can experience the heartwarming experience of eternity breaking into your day and on a warm summer day you can feel a sense of heartwarming joy.

Larry Wishard

6.7.23

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