California High School, graduating class of 1959 recently held their 60th reunion. I was one of the 500 who graduated with this class. We gathered together, about sixty of us, at the lovely Hilton Hotel in downtown Whittier to touch base with old friends and catch up on the past 60 years. This wasn't our first reunion, and many of us have stayed in touch over the years despite the fact that we've moved around the country and out into the world. We rented a party bus on Friday night and went to our school football game.
Many of the friendships go back before high school; some attended elementary school together. Friendships not only formed in a classroom, but in the neighborhoods in which we lived. I have pleasant memories of riding my bike to an area of Whittier (suburb of Los Angeles) where there was a proliferation of trees in ravines that were dripping with oranges that no one picked. Many were scattered on the ground and what do kids do with a temptation like that? We had orange fights of course! I wasn't supposed to ride my bike so far from home. My mother became a bit suspicious and one day asked me when I got home, "Why do you smell like oranges?" I don't remember how I replied to her question.
One of the families on our street actually built a real bomb shelter in their backyard. After all, this was the 50's and there was a constant threat of a nuclear threat from an Atom bomb tossed our way by Russia. We read the book Hiroshima the story of our attack on Japan which facilitated the end of World War II, and also were shown films of what a nuclear bomb attack would be like. We had 'bomb drills' like fire drills. We got away from the windows as I remember and huddled under our desks. We always wondered what good that would do since radiation would be all around us - even under our desks! But, we were obedient and followed the rules.
Very few of this class of '59, the 'Calhi Condors', got into big trouble. Some passed away early, some melted into the world without a hint of where they'd gone, most lived honest hardworking lives, got married, had children, built businesses, had careers, went to church, welcomed grandchildren, took care of aging parents and saved for retirement. Some had prestigious careers, some ordinary, some made good incomes, others, just average. Some served in the military. We were, and are, good people who did our best with what life handed us, and we love and appreciate our country.
My take-away from our reunion, we were not the greatest generation, but we are children of the greatest generation.
We aren't perfect but we are special, as is each generation that comes along, one after another.
Most of us enjoy reunions. I am looking forward to the greatest reunion of all - meeting Jesus, a face to face reunion. He will know me and I will know Him. I was with Him in the beginning. . .
"For he (God) chose us in Him (Jesus) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves."
Ephesians 1: 4-6
This is an awesome truth! God has a group of people He calls His "sheep." Read John 10 and you will understand. These sheep, those who believe, were destined to live eternally with Him, not because of anything we have done, but because of God's grace toward us. We didn't have anything to do with this process - it is because of God's pleasure and will. We were adopted as God's children because of what Jesus died for on the cross - our sinful humanity. He paid for all of our sin, past, present and future.
"But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. . .because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10: 12,14
We Christians don't always look 'holy', notice Scripture says "being made holy"; it's a process we experience, but in God's eyes we are already holy. Romans 8:29 assures us we are "being conformed to the image of Christ".
In heaven we will be reunited with family and friends who are also a part of God's flock of sheep. We will recognize one another and rejoice together in the presence of God. This is one reunion I don't want to miss. In Matthew 18:10 -14 we see that Jesus will go after each lost sheep. . ."your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones be lost." For those who believe this is such good news - to know that we are safe and secure and won't miss out on being a part of the coming reunion in heaven.
Thank you Lord for doing this for us - you have been in total control since the beginning of time and we who are the sheep of your pasture rejoice in all you have done for us.
