Mother's Day had come and gone (hope yours was blessed). I was up early on Monday morning awaiting carpenters scheduled to do some house repairs. While sitting at the table with my coffee and morning paper, a sudden movement caught my eye. I glanced up expecting to see the "pesty" gray squirrel scratching around in the grass under the feeder for bird seed. His latest venture was to climb up on the back of the lawn chair trying to reach the feeder itself ...but it wasn't him.

After doing a "double take", I realized it was a WHITE RABBIT! For some reason, my mind lept back to that James Stewart classic movie, "Harvey". It was about an older bachelor who lived with his sister, and liked going to the local pub in the evenings where he'd run into his 6 feet tall, talking, invisible, very polite, drinking buddy who happened to be a white rabbit. At their first meeting, he had introduced himself as Harvey.

"My" Harvey was a large bunny with a soot-colored, twitching, nose... obviously, an escaped domestic. I wondered if a child was crying as he/she searched the woods for his/her Easter pet.

Harvey didn't seem to be in a hurry, so I decided to catch him. I guess I thought I could just walk up to him and pick him up, but he had other ideas. He side-stepped me and quickly hopped under my car.

I had hung a mop outside the back door to dry, so I grabbed it, handle down, and tried to nudge Harvey...but he managed to avert my effort. I ran around to the other side and tried to scoot him toward the front of the car, which I did, but he just kept going, hopping down the driveway and toward the road. "Come back here, you waskel wabbit" (Shades of Elmer Fudd).

I live on a dead end road with only a few families beyond my house, so I wasn't too concerned about traffic, but still there was a chance the bunny could get hit by a car. Not wanting to risk it, I ran back to the house to get a carrot and a clothes basket...I had a plan.

Having gathered the aforementioned items, I hurried down the driveway with the mental image of poor Harvey laying in a bloody heap, although I had not heard a car go by. The next mental image was that of someone seeing this old lady in her night gown and slippers running down the road at 7 am with a carrot in one hand and a clothes basket in the other. I shook it off...after all I had a "pesky wabbit" to save!

Sure enough, the big guy was sitting in the middle of the road, like he was waiting for me. As I slowly walked toward him, he started to hop away, like this was a game of "Catch me if you can". I stopped and tossed the carrot. He came back and sniffed it then hopped right past me. "Spoiled wabbit...don't you know you are supposed to like carrots...what did those kids feed you, anyway...hah, prolly Trix"!

This was becoming a bigger job than I had bargained for. Harvey went back up the driveway and toward my house. I couldn't see for sure but I think he was smiling! He hopped through the front yard and right onto the front porch...by Jove, I think I've got him! I quickened my pace to a trot, and had the basket poised and ready! By the time I puffed to the porch, where he was cornered, he quickly pushed his fluffy body through the porch rails! "You wotten wabbit"!

The last time I saw Harvey, he had made his way up through the back yard and was headed toward the woods. There is a family who lives just on the other side, and I hoped that he belonged to them. At any rate, I trust he hopped back home...although I waited and listened for awhile, even after I went back into the house.  I didn't hear any dogs but I still listened for the "scream".

Many years ago, I had heard that scream for the first time. It is the most hideous sound that chills the blood and you never forget it. It is worse than any scream from the most vile horror movie...it is a rabbit's death scream. Most people have never heard it or even heard OF it, but we country people recognize it...and it always makes me weep.

God's gentle, harmless, little creature never makes a sound its' entire life...until in the throes of a violent death. I asked God about it, and a couple answers came to mind. One, of course, is in protest of violence, when life is being ripped from it, rather than to be allowed to die a natural death. Life is a precious gift, and even a rabbit will fight for it, or at least not go quietly. Secondly, I felt the Lord say, "To let the world know he existed. He was alive, and he counted in God's great plan".

That is the lesson for today...every one of us count. God has a plan for each one of us...and none of us is greater in God's eyes than the other. It does not matter if you are the church janitor, or teach toddlers, or a member of the board, or are the pastor. We all have the same job to do...to abide in our calling, (1 Cor.7:20) and tell others who Jesus is and what He has done for us all, (Mark 16:15).

Jesus didn't give a death scream, because nobody took His life from Him. He willingly gave it up as a ransom for many (those who choose Him). Besides, Jesus is coming back. This time He won't be as a meek lamb (or rabbit) but Christ is returning as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, (Rev. 5:5, 19:16, 22:12-13).

The Revelation tells us that Jesus the Christ is going to set up His earthly kingdom, where He and His Bride (the raptured Church) will rule and reign over this planet for 1,000 years. After the final battle, the earth will be as the Garden of Eden, in the beginning. The animals will be tame and friendly (Isaiah 11:6), and I know there will be many "Harveys and Harvettes" hopping around without fear of anything... and no death screams will ever be heard again...Amen.

Have a wonderful Summer!!

God Bless You All,
Pastor Moser
May, 2007

W. O. W.

Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. Nobody was there.