Recently, I listened to a pastor preach on the 50th anniversary of his ordination. He pointed out that in the funeral service, lay people’s caskets are pointed liturgically east, so that they face the direction of the Second Coming of Christ. But pastors, are often pointed liturgically west, so that they will not see Christ directly, but will witness Christ’s coming in the faces and reactions of their flock. Wow! I was completely humbled by the thought.
Friends, the work of ministry is much like the ordinary work you all do, day by day. For engineers and construction workers, you get to see the completed job. Nurses are instruments of God’s own care and healing. Parents painstakingly equip their children into adulthood. As a pastor, my joy is renewed when I hear you sing a familiar hymn with gusto; when your faces light up because of new discoveries about the Bible and the life of faith. It is a remarkable thing to see the faith, the resurrection, and the hope of Christ’s coming in your eyes and faces already, even now! I look forward to seeing Christ in your faces!
You are a blessing to me!
Pastor Culynn
To prepare for worship on Sunday
(July 18), you are invited to read:
Ephesians 3:14-21