A Valued Remembrance

TITLE: A Valued Remembrance
DATE: February 21, 2019
TEXT: Matthew 10: 29-31`- ESV - Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
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In a month or two, one of my grandsons will be confirmed.

As a remembrance of the special occasion he will be receiving a ring which my father wore… at least those times when my father wore a ring. (My father said, “Blacksmiths usually don’t wear jewelry because some rings and things have a tendency to get caught up in the machinery.)

At any rate, Keenan, my grandson, will be receiving a family memento. It will be given with the hope and prayer that he will become the kind of upstanding man and committed Christian his great-grandfather was.

Mementos. Over the years I have been a guest in the homes of many families. I have to say it is a rare home which doesn't honor and revere some precious item, a memento, which has been handed down to the present from generations which have gone before.

As I think back on those visits I can clearly remember how the value of a Civil-War rifle, an old cookbook filled with handwritten recipes, a family Bible embellished with accurately recorded comings, goings, baptisms and marriages have been lovingly explained to me.

One type of memento which has fallen out of practice is the giving of a lock of hair.

At one time, such a token was highly honored and appreciated. All of which explains why, in 1870, when Alexander Hamilton’s third son, James, wanted to show his respect and regard for a woman living in New York, he sent her a “lock of the illustrious Washington” accompanied by an autographed note.

That lock of hair, affixed to a card with sealing wax, has stayed the same for almost 150 years.

According to USA Today, that lock of hair from  our first President has been auctioned off by Leland’s auction house. No doubt the great man would have been surprised, shocked, amused and confused that a few strands of his hair sold for $35,764 dollars. Broken down, that’s a few thousand dollars per strand.

All of which leads me to ask, “What do you think a lock of your hair is worth?”

It’s kind of hard putting a value on such a thing, isn’t it? Some would say their hair is a nuisance and they’d be glad to give it away. Others are challenged follicly and they put a king’s ransom on every strand still growing.

Sadly, the Lord Jesus doesn't fully answer the question. True, in Matthew He tells us our heavenly Father has numbered all of our hairs… but then He generalizes and says that each of is, in toto, is more valuable than a flock of sparrows.

Which means, dear Daily Devotioner, I can’t tell you what your hair is worth. On the other hand, without referring to sparrows or any other type of bird, I can tell you your value. How much are you worth? You are worth the life of God’s only Son. To rescue your life from the forces of sin, Satan and death, Jesus was born into this world.

Here He lived for you; He kept the Commandments for you; He resisted temptation for you and He carried your sins to the cross where He died your death. His glorious 3rd day resurrection says His work is completed and believers have saved souls. Which is worth a great deal indeed.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, although it is beyond human understanding or reason, Your life was given in exchange for mine. May all I do show my thanks for your great gift of love. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Today’s devotion was inspired by various articles, amongst which is the one written by Arden Dier for Newser on February 5, 2019 .  Those who wish may check out this link which was, at the time of writing, fully active: http://www.newser.com/story/270888/lock-of-washingtons-hair-as-hefty-as-its-price.html

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann, one of my long-ago confirmands. He is singing with three brothers. This song comes from the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html