A bittersweet homegoing

On the first day of this new year, our beloved pastor went home to be with the Lord. Under a crystalline blue sky, we left church with heavy hearts and the knowledge that today would probably be his last day on earth. A bittersweet day.

While we consider the loss of this godly man, who’s come to be like a father to many of us, it’s grievous to think of our church without him. The scent of his cologne, his warm greetings, his sermons, his smile.

The only problem with focusing on our loss is the ignoring of our pastor’s gain. Right now, he is alive and well. He has no cares or concerns or health issues or pain. That is just what we can fathom. Within our finite minds, we’re really not capable of understanding an infinite God’s perfection in a place so far removed from our earthly home.

To ponder our dear pastor’s home going, it’s my prayer that our bittersweet feelings dissolve into just sweetness and that our hope is fixed on that blessed day when we will be reunited with him and all of  our loved ones who’ve gone home before us.

In the meantime, I say, Maranatha, Jesus!

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”- Psalm 116:15