Rich Foreigner

Perched upon the porch of a tomb on the mountain with my Bible this morning, I was surprised by a skinny, golden civet approaching (resembled the smaller unidentified creature I saw here in Asian village). The mountains are dotted with ancient tombs (Christian saw one dated earlier than the American revolution) but soon all are to be removed....and then I wonder where people will take their food offerings for the dead? Right after Resurrection Day I found myself seated on the stone of an empty tomb, recalling the song from the day before: "An empty tomb is there to prove my Saviour lives..."

As I returned home, a man scurried toward me waving a hand to detain me, until he could pronounce me a rich foreigner. "A WHAT?" "You have lots of money," he explained as he sped away. I looked after him with the feeling of a lost opportunity. Gone was my chance to explain that as a child of the resurrection, my riches were not of this world, that the American Dream is self-realization by Mammon inevitably morphing into the American Nightmare. On the other hand, the Heavenly Vision is Christ-realization by the Cross leading, just as surely, to Glory.