CLERGY CORNER: Jesus forever

Posted on 23 May 2012 by LeslieM

Pastor Deron revisits his memories from last Memorial Day.

This past Memorial Day weekend [5/30/11], I had the opportunity to travel to upstate New York where I grew up. I always enjoy going back there for a visit. This place is in the heart of the Adirondack National Park. The town, Schroon Lake is a small community with a population of 1,735, according to City- Data.com. It transforms itself into a thriving metropolis the day after Memorial Day.

We used to say, “They roll out the sidewalks on Memorial Day and roll them back up on Labor Day.” A short drive through Schroon Lake belies the sparse population as you see small houses, cottages really, scattered along the shores of the lake. The reason for the inconsistent population, however, is the summer residents. They begin to invade Schroon Lake not long after Memorial Day, as tradition dictates, and return home around Labor Day, leaving behind a little ghost town … our little ghost town.

I try to make it a habit to spend 4th of July in Schroon Lake … parade, patriotic concert on the beach and the most amazing fireworks you could ever imagine. I went there last July with my kids, believing there is no way it would live up to my memories. I was wrong. It’s not that it’s the biggest parade, it’s actually quite small. The concert is not the best, just local artists singing their best in honor of God and country, and the fireworks are not the biggest, but quite impressive for a small mountain town of only 1,800. What makes this place so spectacular? Tradition. You’ve heard the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Well, that’s Schroon Lake.

I talked with an 89-year-old man a couple of weeks ago that used to vacation in Schroon Lake. He showed me a picture of the town from 1985. When I arrived on May 27 and drove down main street. That picture from 1985 could’ve been taken today and it would look exactly the same. Stewarts is still one of only two gas stations and the only one that serves Ice

Cream. “Make your own sundaes” are their specialty. Then there’s Decesear’s Pizza – the only pizza place you pay $20 for a pizza you would pay $10 for anywhere else and you still feel like you got a bargain. Why, it’s the only pizza place in town. Then there’s my personal favorite, Pitkins, the local diner where the owner, Marie, still waits tables with a smile as she sits down at your table and talks about the good old days. She’ll remember your name and even ask you how your family is doing. It’s a place where every stranger feels at home. It’s a place where it’s still like it used to be in the “good ole days.”

Do you have a Schroon Lake? Do you have a place that always feels like home, which never seems to change, that

you can count on year after year?

At our church, we celebrate Jesus Christ. You know what it says about Christ in Hebrews 13? It says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” Isn’t that amazing? Finally, something you can count on, someone who cares, someone who loves you enough to die on the cross for you, someone who says, “There is no one left to judge you, and neither do I.” Someone who will receive you with open arms and someone who you can depend on day after day. While trying to keep up with our fast-moving, ever-changing world, there is Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Deron Peterson is a pastor at First Baptist church.

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