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My younger pastoral colleague sat opposite me and sought my comment on a situation that existed back in his home Church. "One of my good friends is dying of cancer. We have prayed for his healing time and again. It is now obvious that healing in the here and now is not on God's agenda for him. When I stand before the Church this Sunday, what can I say to them? What would you say?"
I know that, as a Pastor, I have faced that kind of situation more than once. I know that many of my fellow Pastors have faced such a challenge. I said to my brother pastor, "It's time to help the Church understand that your friend will be dying soon and the role of the Church is to help him to get ready to 'go home'. That also includes preparing his family members and his Church family".
We talked for some time about the implications of such an approach - especially dealing with those folk who just cannot accept this aspect of ministry to the dying - preparing them to go home.
I made reference to the Apostle Paul and his perspective on life and death. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. (2 Cor 4:16-18 NLT)
After our session together, I sat alone for quite a while, pondering the implications of what we discussed together. More to the point, I found that I was questioning whether I myself was ready and prepared to make the journey from this life to the next.....the journey home.
This question has taken hold of me in such a way that I must pursue the issue and journal the way it unfolds in the days ahead.
But shouldn't all Christians live in a state of readiness? And, apart from the discussion with my junior colleague, what has been the trigger for the intensity of what I am feeling about this issue? Maybe I need to understand that before I go any further.
Next time, perhaps?
