TREASURE THE SON

By Michele Maldonado-Gomez

Before the sun rose on April 8, 2009, my cousin Armando Bosch went home to be with the Lord. Later, on that same day, my Tio Panchito (Francisco Serrano, Sr.) also passed and went home. It was an odd coincidence that took our family by surprise, but we are not shaken with despair. Our sorrow is flanked on one side with hope that we will see them again, and on the other side with joy in the knowledge that their suffering and pain on this Earth is ended. That joy is magnified because we can just imagine the wonderful reception they are getting from our loved ones who have gone before us (Armando Bosch, Sr, Nieves Bosch, Fela Serrano, Hilda Bosch, Lucas Maldonado, Joaquin Maldonado, Sr. [my father's father], Nelly Bosch, Luisa Maldonado, Frank Serrano Jr., Wilson Serrano, Victor Ortiz, Elsie Ortiz, among others). Then there's the ultimate joy in knowing that they are meeting the Great Host of Heaven himself - our Savior Jesus Christ - and will live forever with Him there.Armando and Panchito's lives ended at a very symbolic and sacred time of the year, and even in history. April 8th was the eve of the Jewish Passover, which means as much to us who believe in Jesus as it does to them. We cherish the symbolism of the Exodus and the Passover, when God delivered the Hebrews from over 400 years of enslavement at the hand of the tyrannical Pharoah by sending the angel of death over the land to weaken his grip on them, sparing only the firstborn son of each Hebrew families that had obeyed His orders to sprinkle the doors of their home with the blood of a lamb. In the same way, God has brought us out of our captivity to sin, hell, and death by the powerful blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. Just as their ancient ancestors crossed the waters of the Red Sea miraculously to safety and the promise of a new life of freedom, we have crossed over from condemnation to salvation. Our sins will not be counted against us when we die. When judgement time comes, we will "passed over" because of our faith in His miraculous and merciful redemption. The Christian and Jewish calendars don't always align, but this year, coincidentally, they do. Passover runs from April 8-16Th. Holy Week started on Palm Sunday, April 5Th and will end on Resurrection Sunday, April 12Th. Although we will be laying our loved ones to rest during this time, we will also commemorate our Lord Jesus' Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem, his Last Supper with His disciples, His unlawful arrest, trial, and conviction, the brutal beatings He suffered, His painful walk down the Via Dolorosa, His sacrificial death on the cross on Good Friday, His descent into hell to rescue the captives awaiting the Messiah, and His victorious conquest of the grave when He rose from the dead! We remember and we worship with humble gratitude, knowing He did it out of love for us, to satisfy our debt with the Father - "The punishment of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) When He took the keys of hell and death, He rescued us from our eternal fate. We are no longer doomed to be separated from God for eternity. Thank you, Jesus!April 8Th, 2009 also marked another historical occasion that just so happened to coincide with Passover Eve, the Holy Week, and the passing of our dear Armando and Panchito. It was the Jewish ceremony called the "blessing of the sun," when the Jews say a prayer of thanksgiving for the creation of the sun on the fourth day of creation. A TV news report announced the event with the headline ,"Treasure the Sun", which inspired me to write this note. The report explained that ancient Jewish astronomers believe that the Sun returns to the original position of its orbit every 28 years. According to that theory, when the sun rose on of the morning of April 8Th, it was in the same place it was in as the very first sunrise of God's creation. The next occurrence of this anniversary is not due to happen again until the year 2037. Of course, modern scientists dispute this theory because they have since learned that the sun does not orbit the Earth, but vice versa. Many of those same scientists dispute the Creation theory, too, so maybe we shouldn't discredit the Jews entirely. In any case, wasn't April 8Th a remarkable day for the sun? It shone like a warm, summer day, and yet, the air temperature was cold enough for snow to fall! It was such a paradox, as if winter was trying desperately to hold its claim on us. But it was such a light, airy snow that it just blew about harmlessly, raising our eyebrows only, not our fears, because the promise of Spring was evident in the happy, illuminating daylight. Those flakes were short-lived, just like the Pharaoh and all his troops that got swept away with the tides of God's great Red Sea. What Pharaoh can keep the sea from rising? What darkness of night can keep the sun from rising? What devil can keep the Son of God from rising from the dead? And what grave will keep Armando or Panchito from rising in their glorified bodies when the Savior comes to take us up?The images of the Hasidim, the thousands of Orthodox Jews, who gathered at sunrise to pray at the Western Wall of the temple was powerful and poignant. It's awesome that they continue to mark this day and the Passover with such reverence, but kind of sad, too, that they continue to pray for a Messiah that they missed 2009+ years ago. Creation is remarkable, and the sun is a blessing we should thank God for. Every day that we can see the sunrise is a day we should be giving Him thanks. But the greatest, most remarkable blessing of all is the blessing of the SON, Jesus Christ, God's only son, who was sent to redeem Israel and the world. If we would treasure that Son, then our prayers will come into focus and the blessings of eternal salvation will flow to us and the generations that follow.Thanks to the saving work of Jesus on the cross, death has no victory, the grave has no sting. Even the cold winter of this slumping economy will have no hold on us, because we know that our treasure is not here where thieves can steal, or moths can destroy, or germs can infect. Like Armando and Panchito, we know that our treasure is in heaven. That treasure is eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord, and it is incorruptible!