This week we bid farewell to our Pastor of 24 years and we helped a family bid farewell to parents who went home to be with the Lord within a week of each other

2 When I came to you, my friends, to preach God's secret truth,[a] I did not use big words and great learning. 2 For while I was with you, I made up my mind to forget everything except Jesus Christ and especially his death on the cross. 3 So when I came to you, I was weak and trembled all over with fear, 4 and my teaching and message were not delivered with skillful words of human wisdom, but with convincing proof of the power of God's Spirit. 5 Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom but on God's power.

1 Corinthians 2

It was with sadness we wished our beloved Pastor Steve who faithfully served as our Senior Pastor for 24 years farewell and it was with sadness we helped a family grieve the loss of their parents who died within a week of each other.

In both cases we felt tremendous joy as we saw how our Lord will use Pastor Steve in his next phase of his life and it was with joy when we saw how much this older couple loved the Lord with all their hearts and demonstrated that love in action as faithful parents. We just knew that they were at this moment not simply 'deceased', but alive walking in the vary presence of our Lord.

Sadness and joy. At first glance it seems odd that those words should be used together in the same sentence. From an earthly viewpoint it seems impossible that you could be filled with sadness and happiness at the same time. But, that is precisely how God intended it to work.

As believer's of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are given the hope that when life comes to a screeching halt that we would experience the most glorious smorgasbord of sights, sounds, singing and lots of joy in the presence of our Lord and Creator Jesus Christ in this place we know as heaven. We are filled with grief, but in the pages of the of the gospel we see overwhelming evidence that life goes on when we die.

If there is a theme to this blog it is that my God has been faithful. He has been faithful to our family over the course of our grief journey. He has been faithful as he guided our beloved Pastor Steve as he lead our church through good times and not so good times. He has been faithful in the life of this older couple who loved God with all their heart and with all their soul. He continues to be faithful in the lives of many of our friends who were there that evening helping Mark and Rose say goodbye to their parents.

Grief and Joy. Two words that seemingly do not go together, but they do. Life is about trusting that God will help you make the right decisions each day of your life. It is about trusting the good shepherd as he guides you through the mine field of life. It is about trusting God that He will guide your children as they pursue their life's course.It is faithfully walking with God and honoring him each Sabbath day. It is about being the fragrance that draws others to the savior.

Our God is faithful and He loves it when we are faithful to Him in all that we do in this life. Paul reminds us in the verse above that 'our faith does not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power'. Our job is to trust that He will help us make the right decisions each day of our life.

In the end of your life while others are grieving your loss you will be standing in heaven as Jesus Christ turns to you and utters those words, " Welcome home my good and faithful servant. Now that will be pure joy!