Dear Grace,
As I mentioned this past Sunday, it seems that when our faith community experiences losses, particularly in the passing of a loved one, they come in waves. While some might be more expected than others, the losses each hit differently. I was reading the little booklet, “Lament for a Son,” by Nicholas Wolterstorff, and he observes, “Each death is as unique as each life…and the solitude of suffering which accompanies that uniqueness.”
When our church experiences a wave of passings, I really feel the uniqueness of each situation and each grief.
We said goodbye to David Forbes last Saturday as he went home to be with the Lord. Dave was beloved in his community group. He and his wife, Stella, traveled in our study group to Israel back in 2020. The day before his passing we had an interchange that I can only describe as supernatural and will cherish in my heart. A celebration of life will be held at Grace at a later date.
Christopher Austin Jr passed away quite suddenly a few weeks prior to that. The events surrounding his death are sensitive, so I’ll leave it at that. Pray for his family. I and our pastoral resident, Chris Ringler, will be leading the graveside this Friday.
Josephine’s dad passed away this week.
Miriam is in the process of saying goodbye to her brother.
I’m sure you could name someone that I’ve not mentioned.
These are sacred and important moments for us to be the church, a spiritual family making our pilgrimage through this world as we await Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life. I cherish these opportunities to be there for each other: to weep with no answers, but a resilient hope and to care for one another in such a way that no one grieves alone.
John Claypool said it well: while the grief journey might be the sufferer’s alone to make; they don’t have to journey alone. Pray for those who are grieving as you remember them. Look to be a traveling companion to those who are grieving around you.
Just as life involves the complex intertwining of joy and sorrow, I also have some exciting news to share. When we began the calendar year, we were looking at several openings on our pastoral team and across our ministry landscape. I’ll admit that when we were posting the job descriptions, the deluge of applicants was overwhelming. I wondered how we would discern the right fit for this unique multi-ethnic body?
God has been faithful. He has added a wonderful pastor to our team, who will be working alongside Pastor Thomas in our disciple-making endeavors. Pastor Brian Shim and his wife, Susan, started attending Grace back in Nov, not knowing that God would see fit to add him to our team! We’ll have a formal time of introduction and blessing at both gatherings on 7/26, but I wanted to get his name out to you now in case you run into him in the lobby or halls. Make sure to give them a warm welcome.
This Sunday, Pastor Thomas continues our walk through the history of Israel’s kings, and the corresponding Monday night study will go a little deeper. It’s been neat to see that there’s still a steady stream of Gracers who are coming out to go deeper into text. I continue to ask God for beautiful fruit born from the study of His Word!
Next week, I’ll be taking my third son on a pre-high school, rite of passage along with two other dads and sons. We’ll be making our way through the backcountry of WY, having some fun and reflecting on what God wants to do with our boys through their formative high school years. Prayers for safety and meaningful connection would be appreciated.
As these days of summer continue to unfold, I pray that you would be deeply aware of the presence of God in your comings and goings. I pray that the love of God would be a constant force in your life enabling you to give and receive that love to any and all who would come across your way. Remember that because of what Jesus has done, we no longer have to be tied to a geographic location to worship God. He is with us, and we can worship him in spirit and in truth.