As a thoughtful boy of 12 in 1928 this writer obeyed his Sunday School teacher and proceeded to memorize the Ten Commandments. This in the most prestigious church in our little town of some 2000, where the bank president was a member (daughter also 12 played the piano beautifully, accompanied the boy while he played violin). The church was to him imposing—Gothic windows, a robed choir, a Doctor of Divinity pastor, and a real pipe organ (in those days they didn’t make imitations; it shook the walls with the bass, and this boy loved it).
He was puzzled by the “seventh day” language of the 4th commandment when he glanced at the calendar and saw how Sunday is the first. Next Sunday his question was turned aside—not only do our Presbyterian, but also the Baptist and Methodist churches keep Sunday. Must be true. My father, reared a Lutheran and a strict Calvinist, would not buy a gallon of gas on Sunday, nor would he let me ride my bike around town (hoping for a glimpse of the bank president’s daughter) on Sunday afternoon.
This writer’s brother (older by six years) told him why the discrepancy between the “seventh ” and first-days: the Roman Catholic Church was responsible. News! Whereupon this lad made a decision that he would keep the Bible day, not knowing there was another congregation that did. (He had learned about Martin Luther from his Protestant father.)
Along with the Sabbath insight came the knowledge of the “soon return of Jesus,” with fascinating things in Daniel and Revelation that made sense, and baptism in a lake with membership in a tiny little church that worshipped every Saturday. (The bank president’s daughter thought he was crazy walking through town to church on Saturdays. Other high school friends, including the principal, thought so too.)
Now in 2007 lots of time has gone by; still Jesus has not returned.
Am I disappointed that “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-13) hasn’t materialized—yet? Of course. But I remember how Jesus lost His crowd in John 6:66ff. and suffered rejection. I get my Bible down and read again the evidence. And again, I choose to follow Him.
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