Mother’s Day Chair

“But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” *  

My mother, who seldom turned down the opportunity to go to a yard sale or to get a good bargain, would have loved the huge rummage sale conducted by our church over the period of three days. The purpose of the semi-annual sale is to raise money for missions. It is always a wonderful opportunity for church members to reach out to the community and beyond.

  People had been waiting for two full years to clean out their closets and basements during the course of the pandemic. One volunteer commented that she had never seen so much stuff! It was overwhelming!

Volunteers and paid workers sorted donations and carted them off to various Sunday School rooms that had been emptied out for this occasion. It took hours of work before the sale actually began mid-week.           

The Christian Life Center, which doubles as a gym and meeting place for contemporary worship, was filled to overflowing with racks and racks of clothes—all sized, hung on hangers and marked clearly with signs.

Al and I showed up the first day the sale was open to the public and joined the crowd of people who were rummaging for clothes. We had compiled a list of things that he needed, plus a wish list that included a chair for me to use in the living room so that I could sit next to Al’s recliner.

 We first went to the racks of men’s belts to see if we could find a replacement for a nice leather belt of his that was broken. While looking through the display, a friendly face appeared on the other side of the rack.

When Al told him that he was looking for a belt, the man responded that he was a retired belt-maker! Al showed him the broken belt and asked about the possibility of fixing it.

“Yes, I can do that,” he said, “or replace it with a new one, if you’d like.” What a nice man!

“You know,” I told him, “this was really a divine appointment!”

 “Well, we didn’t even know that the sale was happening today,” he explained as we introduced ourselves and exchanged phone numbers. “My wife and I were coming back from an appointment and happened to see the bikes and furniture out in the parking lot, so we turned in. We used to come every year.”

Besides getting help with the belt, Al found two pairs of pants, three shirts and one jacket for $14.00 total. All were in good shape too. Mom would have approved!

Just before leaving, we walked over to the furniture department.

“Why are we here?” Al asked.

I told him about wanting to find a chair so that I could sit closer to him while watching TV, rather than on the couch which was further away. He visited with friends who were volunteering there as I inspected the collection of used chairs.

 A yellow upholstered arm chair caught my eye. The vintage chair had bouquets of flowers splashed across it and was in great condition. It even came with a cushion and matching tablecloth!

“Well, I think this is the right chair for me!”  I announced. “How about it, honey?”

“A Mother’s Day chair!” Al said graciously, finding the right amount of cash in his wallet.

 One of our friends observing this transaction even offered to drive it to our house in his pickup truck later that evening. My Mother’s Day chair really was perfect! I was able to sit where I wanted to be, next to Al as we watched TV.

Just think of the joy we’ll experience when one day we’ll sit next to Jesus at the right hand of the Father. But wait, the verse above says that when we trust in Jesus, we are made alive spiritually and are seated with Him at this very moment. Now that is where I want to stay, close to Jesus. What better place is there?

Happy Mother’s Day!

*Ephesians 2:4-7 NIV