March 28 – “On the Beach at Sunrise”

The Seaside Easter Sunrise Service was once again an amazing event.  There were well over 400 people on the beach, perhaps closer to 500 by some counts.  It is hard to count that many people.  We do know that we gave away 400 “Jesus is my Rock” pocket coins and ran out with people still arriving.  It was a beautiful sight.  500 people in lawn chairs, on blankets, in golf carts, standing or just sitting on the sand.  All there to experience worship … at 6:30 in the morning.  And we even had 39 others at the 10 a.m. communion service who weren’t out on the beach.

Much thanks is in order to the Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department.  Russell bringing his trailer and generator and Kyle setting those powerful lights really made it easier to set up in the dark.  We still had some problems with sound projection, though.  Some of the people in the back couldn’t hear very well, while on the front row were getting blasted.  I guess it’s just one of those issues that comes up when you try to fit 500 people into a fairly small area on the beach.  We’ll have to work on that for next year.  The Jamaica Beach police department was there to help as well.  They did a masterful job of handling traffic control to keep streets open and to get everyone out of the vicinity with no incidents. 

The skies were cloudy, so we missed the actual sunrise over the water.  We did get to see the almost-full moon once.  It briefly broke through the clouds and Chris P. tried to convince me it was the sunrise.  Sorry Chris.  Wrong side of the sky.  We did see a lot of seagulls and one long, lonely line of pelicans flew by.

The real miracles this year were the 10 baptisms.  One whole family. Dad went first, then he helped with Mom and daughter.  A fiancé helped with his girlfriend.  Two Dads helped with daughters.  Two single guys.  One single girl.  And finally, Lynn, who has already become a Seasider.  He stayed in the water and helped me with some of the others.  The water temperature made for kind of a shock when we first walked in, but then it was just nice and cool.  There was actually no wind, a real rarity for Galveston, so the baptisms were much warmer than they could have been.

Another first for the sunrise service.  We had a minor medical emergency.  An older guy – around my age, or so I was told.  Thank you very much – apparently locked his legs and ended up passing out.  He came to and was checked out by the Jamaica Beach fire chief.  Hey, we always send out the best.  He seemed fine, though, and all was well.

We had lots of food available for the breakfast and lots of people to eat it.  Not much remained.  Then there were 600 Easter eggs that needed to be found, so the kids had more than enough to fill their bags and baskets.

The communion service had people from Dallas to South Carolina to New York, all here to  worship on Easter.  There were even eight or ten from Waco.  Three young men were students at Baylor.  Four older people were all Baylor graduates.  One other couple sported Baylor jackets.  The husband told me they had heard about Josh coming to be pastor at Columbus Avenue.  They have even seen him on TV.  “He’s the young guy who looks like he works out all the time, isn’t he?”  As a proud Daddy I squared my shoulders and firmly responded, “Well, he is a sharp looking kid.”  So Josh, the pressure is on.  “works out all the time.”  Hmm?

Revelation 19:6-8 says, “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)”

Father, thank you once again for the whole Easter experience this year.  Walk with the ones who were baptized.  Make their lives different because of it.  Amen.