One Generation Helping Another
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #52
December 23, 2024
One Generation Helping Another
Yesterday, I learned about a new tradition of helping others that has been practiced for several years at the Community Church of Glen Rock. It is called “wrapping presents for those who have difficulty wrapping.” At least, that is what I call it.
Apparently, it began several years ago when a few of our older members expressed that it was difficult for them to wrap presents for their children and grandchildren at Christmas. I don’t know if the issue was time, dexterity, or simply they were not as good at wrapping as other folks were. Whatever the reason, a group of our younger members volunteered to help those who struggled with this endeavor, by doing the wrapping for them. Now, this wrapping has become a tradition, and one that I am rather pleased with. In our congregation, one generation helps another.
It reminds me a bit of my days in high school when I volunteered at Christ Hospital in Jersey City. Many of the jobs that I did were unpleasant. I gave more bed baths than I would like to remember, and emptying bedpans and urinals did not thrill me, yet I did it. I was raised with the ethic that one must volunteer to help others.
One particular patient stands out in my mind, he was an older man who was a long-time patient. Before the days of modern medical techniques, and rehabilitation, we had many patients who were hospitalized for extended periods of time. This particular old man received a number of get-well cards, but his eyesight had diminished, and he could not read them. One of my jobs was to read his cards to him. He was always very appreciative, and he gave me a bit of wisdom that I did not understand at the time, but it makes sense to me now.
This old man said to me that he had helped his grandfather, I was helping him, and someday younger people would be helping me. He believed that life worked out so that people who helped others would ultimately receive help when they needed it.
To me, in high school, this sounded a bit silly. Now, fifty years later, it makes sense to me. I think about this lesson taught to me when I watch the movie, “It’s a wonderful life.” I also think of it when I read the ten commandments and here the commandment to “honor your father and mother, that your days will be long in the land.” That commandment comes with the promise that we extend our lives by honoring the generation before us. I guess that it is the religious equivalent “paying it forward.”
I celebrate the work of our youths and thank them for their work. I hope that they continue with such acts of service, and they are rewarded for doing such acts.
#ReformedChurchInAmerica # BergenCounty,NJ
#www.PastorMarkAuthor.com #www.revmarkwilliamennis.com
#GlenRock,NJ #CommunityChurchofGlenRock
#Payitforward #CommunityService