April 3, 2000
CYBERCOLUMN:
Her name was Easter
___I'm sitting here under the old oak tree awaiting the wondrous glory of Easter. Easter reminds me of two things--the resurrection of Christ, that all-glorious joy of eternal life, and my precious grandmother.
___The year was 1904. Easter arrived on April 12 in that year. Allen and Ibbie Wilson, residents of the Blue Ridge Mountains, gave birth to a daughter. They named her Ruth, an obvious reference to that elegant woman of faith by the same name in the Bible. Since Ruthwas born on Easter Sunday, her parents joyously added a middle name--Easter.
JOHN DUNCAN
___Ruth Easter Duncan grew and married. She moved to a small town called Spruce Pine, North Carolina. She and her husband suffered through the depression, learned the art of hanging onto faith in the tough times and enjoyed the happiness of their three children. One child was a son named George. He graduated from high school, joined the Army and married. Later, George moved to Texas with his wife and two sons.
___ One of those sons was me. Each summer, we visited my grandmother. What joy! I remember those long car rides to the mountains. We took Jeep rides. We played in the creek behind my grandmother's house. We toured the Blue Ridge Parkway. I sat in the porch swing as a gentle breeze blew. I caught fireflies, which I kept in a jar on the night stand. Life was simple.
___ Grandmother always did two things when our family visited--bake chocolate pies and pray. Her tasty pies dropped down to the tummy with scrumptious delight. Her prayers filled the ears with a sweet-sounding melody. She would slip into my room just as I lay my head on the pillow. Her words seemed an echo in my ear as she always began, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep ... " The cool mountain air chilled the room, but her prayers warmed my heart. Oh, how she prayed to Jesus!
___ Ruth Easter Duncan passed away July 7, 1997, a little over eight months shy of Easter, 1998, it, too, on April 12. And so as Easter fast approaches, I cherish the faith of my grandmother, faith in the risen Jesus. And I recall Jesus' words to Martha, words that my grandmother knew all too well, words passed down from generation to generation, words that celebrate Easter's hope in the midst of grief, words that shine light in the shadows of life, words that literally raise the dead:
___ Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26).
___ Maybe, just maybe, I was destined to be a preacher with a grandmother whose middle name was Easter. Better yet, you're destined to live forever if only you'll call upon the name of Jesus this Easter. After all, Jesus raises the dead. Do you believe this?
___> John Duncan is pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, and the writer of numerous articles in various journals and magazines
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