My Friend and Brother

I’ve mentioned that sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and start composing one of these. Last night (Saturday night), I composed what I’d like to use as a welcome message at church this morning.

At least in the First Service, Nancy usually gets our attention by saying something close to “Good Morning, It is a wonderful day to be in the house of the Lord.”  A very appropriate welcome.

I was thinking last night that I’d want to welcome everyone by saying something like this:

“Good Morning. As we gather here today, we have mixed and muddled emotions.  It is a wonderful day to gather and worship and praise our Lord.  To hear a motivational and spirit growing message.  And to recharge our batteries so we can go out and proclaim the good news to the world.  But we are also sad with the loss of our brother, Jonathan, a couple of days ago.  When I first heard that he had gone onto his reward, my mind was flooded with thoughts of all the activities in the church he was involved in and how our loss creates a hole in those activities.

Then I thought of my own personal loss.  Jonathan was a friend who had been to our house many times.  If you’ve had any conversations with him, you know what a keen mind he had.  If you were discussing any type of a controversial topic, you knew you had to be very careful how you framed your response because he would pick up on it. But as much as I and we will miss our brother in Christ, Jonathan is today in heaven with Christ.  My wife suggested that he was there playing the most grand piano imaginable for our Lord.  However I believe heaven is so grand it is beyond our ability to imagine in this life.  Regardless, he is there experiencing the present and personal love of Jesus.  So, maybe I’m a little jealous too. Today, as we worship our Lord during our church service, I suggest we worship in memory of Jonathan.  Let us lift our voices and hearts to the Lord”

“…you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” - Isaiah 41:9-13 ESV

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Today is your opportunity to tell someone that you love them. Or, if you are ambitious, show them.  It is a blessing for you and them.