Wednesday, June 16, 2004

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
(1 John 4.9 NRSV)
A wealthy man lost his wife when their only child was young. The widower hired a governess to serve as a nanny for his son and as a general housekeeper. When the boy reached his teens, he became ill and died. Heartbroken from this second tragic loss of a loved one, the father passed away a short time later. No will could be located, and since there were no known surviving relatives, the state began the process of confiscating the deceased executive's fortune. The man's personal belongings were put up for auction.

The old housekeeper had very little money, but she was determined to buy one family keepsake. It was a painting that had hung on a stairway wall in the house for many years a large oil portrait of the young boy she had loved and nurtured for fifteen years.

When the items of the home were auctioned, no one wanted the painting, so the housekeeper was able to buy it for just a few dollars. Once she had the painting in her home, she began to clean it and polish the frame, cherishing the memories the painting evoked within her. As she took the frame apart to repair it, a paper fell out from behind the cardboard backing. It was her former employer's will. In it he stated that all of his wealth should go to the one who loved his son enough to claim the portrait.

Do we love the Son enough to claim the portrait of God’s love?

Dear God, may I always see your portrait of love. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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