As soon as the school bus rumbled into the yard where it was parked for the night, Randy ran into the house to change clothes. He was in a hurry! Soon he was back outside and running along the road. He was looking in the ditches as he ran, because he had spotted something out the bus window on the way home. Suddenly, he saw it!
Down in the ditch a big snow goose was painfully making its way through the dried weeds and loose rocks. Randy guessed hunters had shot and wounded it in the wing. It must have fallen to the ground, calling in distress to its mate and other geese that were flying south for the winter. Frightened by the gunfire, they flew on, leaving the goose helplessly alone.
Then a dark figure was in the ditch coming toward the goose as it waddled along, dragging its injured wing. The goose struggled to get away as Randy’s kind hands closed around him. Then those kind hands lifted the goose gently into his arms and carried the frightened goose home.
Randy locked the goose in the empty chicken house and put fresh water in a pan and mash in another pan where the goose could reach them. For weeks he cared for the goose and would let it go outside into an open pen for sunshine and fresh air each day. Sometimes he sprayed it with a fine mist from the hose. The goose seemed to like that. Randy was a good caretaker, and he loved caring for the injured goose. In fact, he named the goose Dudley.
One day Randy left the gate unhooked while he was getting fresh water and mash for Dudley, and the gate swung open. When he returned, the goose was gone. Dudley had walked out the gate and down to the water trough. He fluttered his wings and found they worked pretty well. The wound was healing nicely. He walked back to his pen honking, and Randy was happy to see he wasn’t trying to escape. Randy never hooked the gate after that.
Boys and girls, have you ever been injured? Maybe some of you know what it’s like to have to wear a cast on your arm or leg, and those injuries take time to heal. But every one of you has been injured by your sins. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). But there isn’t anything a doctor can do to help you heal from your sin wounds. Only the Lord Jesus can heal those wounds. He loves you very much and is waiting to remove all your sin wounds, if you will let Him. Because He is God’s sinless Son, He willingly went to Calvary’s cross. There God punished Him for the sins of every boy and girl and man and woman who will admit they are sinners and let Him heal those sin wounds. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). That opens the door to heaven for every person whose sins have been healed by the Lord Jesus.
Spring arrived early that year, and with the warmer weather came flocks of migrating geese. Early one morning and high overhead they heard, “Honk, honk, honk!” Dudley heard the honks too, as a flock of Canadian snow geese continued their long flight north. Randy and his family saw Dudley flapping his wings, and then they watched him lift up and fly over the housetop and join the migrating flock of snow geese.
And one day soon, those of us who have been healed from our sins will hear a shout from our Saviour, the Lord Jesus, who will call us to heaven. Here is that promise: “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:17-1817Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:17‑18)).
The following fall, as the geese were migrating back south for the winter, they saw one of the geese break formation by circling low over the quiet farmyard and house. It flew to the water trough and began to splash and honk loudly. The family heard the honking and then saw Dudley waddling about. He had not forgotten Randy and wanted to say, “Thanks.” He soon flew up and circled the farm several times, calling, and then flew swiftly to catch up with the rest of his flock. That was exciting for Randy to see his healed goose back in the wild and yet remembering him.
Do those of you who have been cleansed from your sins remember to thank the Lord Jesus for His love in healing you from your sin wounds and giving you the promise of a home in heaven?
ML-01/17/2016