Keith's Comments
Mayberry
I just watched an old Andy Griffith show from 1960 entitled "The Christmas Story". You remember the one: A grumpy old local merchant named Ben Weaver done everything he could to disrupt the Christmas celebration of a poor family. But, due to their nature, Andy and Barney made sure that Christmas was celebrated by not only the poor family, but also Ben, who wasn't quite the Scrooge he thought he was. Andy even sung the song "Away In A Manger", which specifically mentions the words "Lord Jesus".

I thought to myself, only 40 years ago our Lord could be mentioned by name on national television, and the day we celebrate His birth could be openly depicted as a time of sharing and caring for others. How very sad that is not the case today. About the only time we now hear the name of Jesus invoked on television that's not during a church service, is when It's used in vain, or in the news media due to a lawsuit to remove It in some form from our educational system or government buildings and meetings.

I want Mayberry back. Not only the show, but the basis of what the show was...a man that believed in his Lord, ran his office based on his Lord's Law, attended his local church to worship his Lord, and raised his son in a Christian atmosphere and with high moral standards.

I want to sit on my front porch and eat homemade ice cream with my family, take a Sunday afternoon drive, or go fishing down at the creek. You may say, 'But you can do all those things now.' Yes, I can, but on many front porches in America, you will get shot in a drive-by shooting, never know who may pick you up if your car breaks down, or have to endure the nakedness and hear the profanity at the creek. No, I'm not exaggerating, there are not many places left for a Christian family to enjoy God's Creation in America.

The Bible tells us that as time as we know it comes to an end, so shall the sharing and caring of mankind for one another:

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; " (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

Doesn't sound much like Mayberry, does it. It does, however, sound exactly like today's society. I'll admit that when the northeast experienced its' power blackout last week, there were a few reports in the news of folks helping each other. But on the other hand, there were also reports of mass looting throughout parts of America and Canada that were affected by the outage.

Is it too much to ask that I want Mayberry back? I think it probably is because society is deteriorating just as the Bible said it will. It won't be until Jesus is sitting on His throne in Jerusalem that America, or the earth, will have the atmosphere of Mr. Griffith's fictional town:

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:6-9)

So, until then, thank you Andy for giving us a taste of a sweeter, simpler time. Come quickly Lord Jesus, I want Mayberry back again.

Keith

08-18-2003

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