By John Warren

As the school year is drawing to a close some of my wife’s students are finally worried about their grade.

“Can I take that test over I made a 32; I know I can do better if I study his time?”

I had a biology professor in college, Mr. Girvin, who had a policy that if you missed his test and asked for a make-up the grade you would be given would be the same as your last grade. Therefore the student in my wife’s class would get another 32.

I did not know of Mr. Girvin’s practice and was sick and missed a test.   I took a make-up test and when I got my test back it was graded a “C”.   I checked my answers and my grade should be a “B” so I went to him in protest.

His reply to me, which I will never forget, was, “I just threw three coins up in the air and that is what you got.”

I got the message. If you don’t get the message – there are not second chances in his class so you take the test even if you are sick.

This year I have learned a lot about people and how we face difficulties. I am speaking of the flood.

In the Bible we had a flood of cosmic proportions. God’s great cosmic do over.

Ever wish you could turn back time to a simpler more loving time?

I have watched how people have reacted to our flood. Some just walked away they didn’t even turn back for a look. Others have painstakingly gone through every single thing trying to put it back together just as it was. Still there are those who have seized the opportunity to make improvements in their homes they had previously only had hoped.

I remember waking up in the night hearing Harvey’s rain pouring off the house.

It sounded like non-stop pitchers of water and I thought this must be what Noah and his family heard. For them there was no going back, no sifting through remains. There was clean-up and building. There was a clean slate.

The message of Jesus Christ is that no matter how messy your life happens to be, no matter the sins, no matter the scars if you turn your life to him you will not get what you deserve, your last test score.

You will get the clean slate Jesus calls grace.

 

John Warren is Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church, 502 North 6^th Street in Orange.