Published: April 17, 2008 11:54 am      

Hear story of Jesus again in church

When I was growing up, my parents told stories of how bad things were when they were kids. In truth, things were bad for them. Neither of my parents attended school beyond the eighth grade as both of them had to go to work to help their families survive. My mom talked of working all day for 15 cents when she was 12 years old. Dad told of walking three miles to school through blizzards while carrying a bucket of coal for the stove. He also added that it was uphill, both ways!

When I was a kid, I remember waiting for the bus in Eckhart with several inches of snow on the road, and in the distance hearing the chinka-chinka of the snow chains on the bus headed our way. When I was a kid, I had to work in mom's garden each evening in the summer pulling weeds, watering and loosening the soil before I could play.

My children claim that they had it pretty rough growing up because we made them keep their room temperature under 70 degrees and because they didn't get a car until they were 17.

Someone has said the more things change, the more they stay the same. I suppose that's true. It seems that every generation will look back on life and think that it was just as difficult as the previous generation.

This may go back to caveman days when parents would say things like "when I was your age, I'd already been eaten by a dinosaur." I'm just glad that there is a story no one can top. It is the ultimate struggle between life and death, good and evil, and hope and fear. It is the story of Jesus and his victory over death and how it gives us the promise of eternal life. Come out to church and hear the story again.

I'm amused now to talk to kids in our church who have it so rough. One girl was explaining it to me, "Yeah, Pastor David, we don't even have unlimited texting!"

David Sandvick is the pastor of First English Baptist Church in Frostburg.