ANGELIC LESSON 101

Before my grandfather received the call to enter the ministry,
he was apprenticed to be a tailor.

Whenever he would come for an extended visit,
he would look for something to sew.

That would be how he kept busy.
He was always asking us
if there was anything that needed his attention.
And thus I would always find him sewing this and mending that.

Whenever I found him alone and sewing, I’d place myself at his knee,
and ask him to tell me a story.

His rule of thumb was always one story a day.
However, sometimes I managed to get as much as three stories out of him.

Good times.

This is one story that I never forgot.

After agreeing to tell me a story,
he always thought for a moment to decide which one he should tell.

“Do you remember the Easter story,” he asked,
as he returned his attention back to stitching a pant seam.

“Of course I do,” I answered back quickly.
“But Opa, (which is the name I called him,) …it’s not Easter.”

“That doesn’t matter now,” he said.
“Would you like me to tell you a story or not?”

“Yes Opa.”

“Okay, now, tell me what happened on Easter Morning?”

The answer was almost too easily for me.
He knew full well that I was well versed in the Easter story.
This was obviously leading somewhere. I decided to play along.

“The three women went to the tomb.” I answered.

“What did they see?”

“They saw that the stone had been rolled away
and that Jesus’s tomb was open.”

“What happened then?”

“There were angels sitting on the stone
and they told the women that Jesus was not there.”

I was beginning to get bored, but I tried not to let it show.
That would put any further stories in jeopardy.

He continued his story with, “What happened then?”

“The women went into the cave.”

“And what did they find?”

“Opa, can I have another story?”

“No, answer the question. Did they find Jesus in the cave?”

“No, he was not there, just like the angels told them.
They only found his burial cloth.”

Then at last came what would be Opa’s final question…

“And did they find Jesus’s burial cloth on the ground?”

“No,” I replied, “the women found it neatly folded lying on stone.”

All at once he dropped his sewing, raised his hand and playfully
pointed an accusing finger at me.

“And let that be a lesson to you,” he said gently chastising me.

"Angels are extremely neat and never leave anything lying on the floor."

"They always neatly fold and put everything back in their proper place.”


Lesson well learned.