Tuesday, June 3, 2008
- Gloria Ruppel
I went to bed early but woke up in the wee hours thinking about the mission trip I am going on this coming Friday. Our team is to report to the airport at 6:45AM and I'm realizing how far from ready to go I feel. In addition to my personal belongings, I need to be prepared to teach health and hygiene practices to the women and children in a village where the rest of our team will be drilling a water well.
So, what does this have to do with funerals? Yesterday I attended a funeral of a much loved and respected pastor from our church. Though he was 80 if you count years, he was much younger in his approach to life. He loved his Lord and Savior, his family, and the life he was given. His delight in sharing stories and puzzles was contagious, and you were drawn in to enjoying whatever humor he passed on, no matter how corny. Cancer claimed his earthly life, but not his soul.
The funeral service was something to behold--it was filled with people whose lives had been touched by this man's ministry, uplifting music and singing that shook the rafters, visiting and shared stories, and the meal afterwards that reminded me of heaven's banquet. It was a true joyous celebration that was made possible because he was prepared for his trip.
His was a lifetime of knowing that his journey was bound for heaven. He didn't scramble at the last minute to make sure he was right with his Savior--that had been part of his assurance over many years of living through the easy and the hard times. Even when he was wracked with pain the past months, his faith in Jesus was his lifeline. You couldn't help but know that something of substance was holding this man up and sustaining him.. You couldn't help but know that his family could face his death with peace, even though he would be missed deeply. Even in his dying hours, the knowledge that Jesus loved him gave him a peace beyond human understanding. He knew he was going to heaven, and his faith was all he needed.
I'm thinking about my mission trip again. I have my passport, which is all I need to get in the country. I think I can get back to sleep again.