New Generation

"What shall I wear to church?"  Howard asked me.  I pulled out a beautifully ironed pair of white slacks and handed him a new black shirt.

"You look sharp!" I said when we were ready for church. Even the Sunday School class commented on how well he looked when we walked in, one lady in the hall saying, "You're walking tall this morning!" Everyone is glad he is gaining strength and making progress in his recovery.

Sitting in church a little later, we were passed the communion trays.  Suddenly the cup holding the "wine" got tipped in the tray and doused the lap of Howard's white trousers! Purple grape juice made a huge stain running down his pant leg! The usher quickly brought a bundle of tissues, but no amount of blotting removed the vivid color.  It didn't faze my  husband, though, and he sat through the service without complaint.

Our son in Houston had told me that his 7-year-old daughter was getting baptized Sunday! Since I remembered her sister had asked to be baptized at age 8, I asked if Maddie had requested it.  He said, "Well, when her mother asked her why she wanted to be baptized, she said, 'Jesus did it, and you did it, and I want to be the next generation!'".

I thought about that after Howard's mishap. Just as the communion element representing the blood of Jesus was spilled, so was His blood spilled. For all generations! Jesus thought of us when he prayed for the disciples in John 17:20: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word."  Psalm 100:5 says His truth endures to all generations!

Communion is all about Jesus shedding His blood for our sins. We used to sing a song in church about "the blood that stained the old rugged cross."  Try though I might, I haven't yet removed all the stains from Howard's pants, but thank God He has removed the stain of sin from us and all the generations who trust him for salvation!