April 23
Beloved of Good Shepherd Church,
Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
I received the best birthday present from someone who had no idea that it was my birthday.
A member of the parish called me on my birthday to ask if I would help pick the scripture for a loved one’s funeral. The death was unexpected which tends to make the burden of grief a little heavier. “I know it’s a lot to ask, the caller said, but does anything come to mind in the way of scripture for the funeral?” “It’s an honor to be asked, a great honor,” I said as I opened my Bible. Two passages came quickly to mind. The first was Paul’s teaching on love. I said, “You might think this is a poor choice because it’s most commonly associated with weddings, but I think it’s perfect for a funeral.” Then I read the 13th chapter of Paul’s first letter to the people at Corinth. The essence of the passage is this: if I have everything but do not have love, then I have nothing at all. Love never ends.
When I finished reading the passage we were both crying. It felt like the passage was written for that moment in that moment. I mean that quite literally. The text came alive in a profoundly present and deeply helpful way. I sensed the presence of Jesus powerfully coming to us through those words. Then I read from John’s Gospel these words of Jesus, “Do not let your hearts be troubled….if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ” Again, the words felt alive and fresh, spoken to us for our troubled hearts as if they had just been written for the purpose of our phone call. The Bible is bursting with gifts.
It wasn’t a long phone call, but it felt like it contained all the fullness of Easter. That is, it felt like in the midst of our grief, life and love were springing out of the hard ground unimpeded by the power of death.
Why was that a gift to me? Because there is no greater honor, no higher calling for a Christian, than the opportunity to be of service. And what made it even better is that all I did was pick up the phone. Then I read from two very familiar Bible passages. I was simply given the opportunity to be used by God for the cause of love and compassion. When I hung up the phone I sat at my desk and felt waves of gratitude wash over me. I didn’t do much at all, but I felt like I had won the lottery - a felt sense of God’s presence in the company of another person in a time of grief. We are called to assume a posture of availability and willingness, then we wait. We wait for God to find us usable as a conduit for his love. This is the meaning of Easter service work.
I see the love of Jesus flowing through you in ways small and large all of the time. Do you know that you were created to be a bearer of God’s love? I wonder how God will pass his message of love through you this Easter season? I am excited to see! To be used for the purpose of love is the greatest gift any of us can receive.
Remember this always: God loves you, and I love you too!
Love is all,
Hendree+