50 years ago today I was an over active fourth grader in Mrs. Vanderbilt’s
class at Shackamaxon School in Scotch Plains. School let out at around three,
but just before that we were told school was letting out early-hooray! Must be
something special, we didn’t know what, but we didn’t care-school’s out and so
were we, starting our weekend early. But by the time we all got on the bus, the
word had been passed that President Kennedy had been shot, and our moods turned
somber. We were the Baby Boomers, and our generation hadn’t known depression,
war, or hardships like our parents had, but then the bus driver told us the
news.... President Kennedy was dead, assassinated-a big word we weren’t sure of,
and the bus got quiet. Probably the quietest bus ride any of us was to take, we
weren’t sure what to do or say, and some cried. Others sat in shock, while
others couldn’t wait to get home to their mothers, and feel safe. We had
questions, we just didn’t know it yet, and 50 years later we still have
questions that either have been unanswered, or have not been answered to a
satisfaction that we can believe what really happened. A day that shook America
and the world, we all remember where we were that day...I’m sure you do to. And
we were never the same....
It was a hot not quite summer evening, my Father’s birthday, but that
wasn’t the news of the day. Bobby Kennedy, JFK’s younger brother, had been shot
the night before in LA, and died that day. Campaigning for the presidency, he
was shot while leaving through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. But that
night instead of listening to Cousin Brucie on WABC, they played over and over
the sound track from it. The first time I heard it lying in bed, I thought it
was live-but I thought this happened last night, how could it? But then hearing
it again and again, somehow I couldn’t change the station, no matter how much I
missed hearing Mrs. Robinson, #1 at the time, or Herb Alpert’s This Guy’s in
love with You, there would be no music that night...and I fell asleep a little
less secure, wasn’t the Summer of Love just last year, what would this summer
bring? And with a girlfriend and the promise of school being out, somehow this
all overshadowed them, another Kennedy was dead. June 6, 1968, on my Father’s
birthday...
And America was in shock, for just two months earlier, a black man whose
message was changing civil rights was gunned down in Memphis. Martin Luther
King, the man who once shared with the world about how he had a dream, was also
assassinated. Shaking up America, this non-violent man, a godly man had been
taken from us...and we were again in shock. Again listening to the news, and
watching his funeral at my girlfriend’s house, with her ever present mother
peeking in, not sure that a 13 year old couple who was all hands and glands
would care about history, but we did, and we watched. Death has a way of
changing a romantic mood, and neither one of us was interested in stolen
kisses...besides we would be quizzed on it tomorrow, and with Plainfield on one
side and Newark on the other, the remnants of the 1967 riots were still fresh in
our minds, and we wondered would it be safe to go to school tomorrow. We had
many black friends, and felt deeply for them, and within a short period in our
lives, our Baby Boomer generation had known death on a scale none other had.
Suddenly the future that had once been so promising, looked so dismal...
It is appointed to man to die once, and then the judgment. We know the
saying, born once, die twice, born twice, die once-how important it is to be
born again and enter the Kingdom Of God upon death. Ad we find the great
patriarch Abraham, dying a peaceful death of old age. And we find in Genesis 25
where God blessed Isaac after his death. This man who is mentioned some 70
times in the New Testament, only Moses gets better NT press, he was 175 years
old, and I imagine ready for heaven. But left a legacy behind that only God’s
promises to him could and would fulfill. It is written that all gathered to
honor him...if only the media had coverage that day, what a sight that must have
been. But some 1800 years later, another man was to be born, and assassinated,
crucifixion, a descendant of old Abe, whose death is still remembered, sadly
many times more than His life. For it is in the death and resurrection of Jesus
we place our eternal hope, knowing someday that if we believe we too shall be
like Him. And He has left us the Bible to tell us about Him, to instruct,
correct, and reprove. But as much as we don’t know about His younger days, we
all know about His death. And so it is with Abraham, Martin, and John, and
Bobby, too. We all know about their deaths, but many historians tell us little
about their lives. Maybe it is because it is not as sensational as being
murdered, or maybe if they hadn’t been they would have faded into obscurity.
But Jesus was different, and still is today. He is alive, He defeated death,
and the stories of His life are taught worldwide via the gospel. So stop and
consider, other than today being the date of JFK’s fateful ride in Dallas, do we
know more about his death than we do his life? Do we know more about that
afternoon in Dealey Plaza than his presidency? Or his heroics on PT 109? Or
that he was an acclaimed author, read Profiles in Courage, and then see if you
agree. How many ever heard of MLK’s “I have a dream speech, or would have if he
hadn’t been assassinated? Would we have a day off in January if he had died
peacefully? What if Bobby had become president, how would he be remembered?
And Father Abraham, who had many sons...if he hadn’t not trusted god to fulfill
his promise to him, would we not have the descendants of Ishmael today? And
look a the trouble they still cause.
So sadly many are more famous in death than in life...only Jesus, the true
Son of God, defeated death. And although many would come after, only those who
believe in Him have everlasting life. There are legends, and there are special
times and dates that we remember. Where were you when you got saved? The
answer for all of us is we were lost. But He ahs given us each of us a
testimony. And rather than remember where were you when the aforementioned were
assassinated, where are you in Christ today? Is everyday a special day in Him?
Do you remember His death only on Good Friday, or as many do only celebrate on
Christmas and Easter? How do you remember Jesus? It all comes down to how much
you let Him into your daily walk, not just a holiday to remember. And unlike
all the others in death, only in Jesus do we look ahead. Imagine if you can the
excitement of the women when they found the tomb empty...do we celebrate like
that? Everyday?
If you were alive 50 years ago today, you probably remember where you
were. But where you are with Jesus today is far more important. So where are
you with Jesus? Is He real and alive in your life? Or is He just a two day a
year holiday? Ecclesiastes tells us the day of our death is better than the day
of our birth. All the men above we celebrate in death. When our old man dies
and we come to Christ it is exciting, but on that day when we die and go to
heaven, how can anything be better than that? To be remembered in death is one
thing, to remember Jesus while still alive is better. You will only know by
knowing Him...how will you be remembered?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com