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Matthew 17:9 “As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus instructed them, ‘Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’”
He was the first Presbyterian “I NEVER knew.” My teacher did not tell us he was a Christian or a Presbyterian. In the fifth grade, I did not know a Presbyterian from a presbyopian, anyway.
Yet, Mr. McCurry was an amazing teacher. Actually, he was the principal as well. Somedays he would trust me to watch over the class as he took a call in the adjoining office, or attended to another pressing need. He never complained of having to do two demanding jobs at once.
He taught me about the solar system, gave to me an appreciation of world politics, geography, creation care, how to write and tell a story, and kindled in me a spirit which sought to learn. He was gentle in his discipline, and used words to motivate rather than discourage.
It was some forty years later, long after I had moved away from my home town and lived in several countries, that I Googled his name to see what had become this early mentor. I found this obituary in the local newspaper:
“Mr. McCurry was principal of the year and served the public schools for over forty years. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church where he served as a ruling elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, and was Church Man of the Year. He was a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and directed the county Head Start program. He was the President of the NC Association of Educators for his county and a veteran of World War II. “
“Hmm,” I wondered, “why didn’t he tell any of us?” Maybe, like the disciples on the mountaintop, we just can’t understand the significance of it all until the timing is right.
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