Hello Church Family,

I hope you’re having a great week! Today we had a funeral service for another member of our church, Robert Jones. In the past several weeks we’ve had a number of these type services for our members or folks attached to our church family.

The author of Ecclesiastes says that wisdom can be gained in the house of mourning. (Ecc 7:4) There’s something about being at a funeral that causes you to think about the fragility and brevity of human life. It causes you to number your own days and leverage whatever time you have left with greater sobriety.

Some of the folks from our church family who’ve died this year have been close friends. They each made their unique contribution to our church. They were humble and gracious, service-oriented and loving. It’s interesting to think about what our church will be like in the next 10-15 years.

Tonight I looked over all of the members of our church who’ve passed in the last five years. I was shocked at the number. My mind was flooded with memories. I got a lump in my throat as I thought about some of the names.

So much of our church culture and history has been defined by the selfless sacrifice of the generations who went before us. The reason Broadview is where it is today is because of their commitment to the Lord and His blessing of their faithfulness. There will be other generations who fall in behind them but each generation is different.

My purpose isn’t to esteem one group of people over an other. It’s merely to point out that as a church ages it also changes. Some of those changes hurt because they include a great amount of loss. Some of those changes heal because they include new blessings from the Lord and provide optimism for the future. Either way, the transition cannot be avoided.

Maybe you find yourself in your own season of transition this week. Things aren’t like they used to be. The good thing is, God is still sovereign over any season. And, as much as things change on this earth, the Lord never changes. It is one of His defining attributes.

His mercies will always be new every morning. His faithfulness will always be greater than the mountains we face. He will always be good and He will never abandon His own. In a world full of change and transition, He remains as a steady rock and solid foundation.

I’m not sure what our church will look like 10-15 years from now. But what I do know is greater than what I don’t know. I know the Lord is more committed to His church than we can even imagine. I know, whatever the differences, his mercies will still be new every morning and his faithfulness will always be greater than the challenges we face.

I know as long as there’s a mission to accomplish there’s going to be a church for the mission. So, even though I’m grieving over some of the great men and women we’ve lost as a faith family, I’m also comforted by the certainty of our future. As long as we remain faithful to do what the Lord has called us to do, He will remain faithful to give us what we need.

In the Christian life it seems like it’s always both and: sadness and gladness, tears of pain and tears of joy, a garment of praise and heaviness. Aren’t you glad there’s another side of the coin? The Gospel speaks a better word. It’s a word of renewal, restoration, and recreation of all that we’ve lost.

This isn’t just true of physical death. It’s true of death in your marriage, family, company or personal finances. As C.S. Lewis said, there is coming a day when everything sad will come untrue. This slight, momentary affliction isn’t worthy to be compared to the eternal weight of glory that is yet to be revealed.

If you find yourself dealing with some grief, don’t forget the rest of the story. Don’t forget the unchanging mercy and grace of our God. Remember his faithfulness and let that inform your grief.

I hope you have great rest of your week! Remember that VBS is right around the corner and we need help decorating up here at the church. Just show up at the office and I’m sure Ora can find a place for you. Our Brazil mission team will also be leaving soon so be sure and pray for them as well.

Join us this Sunday for the last week of the Greater Campaign! This has been such a fun series. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as many others have. If there’s anything I can pray for you about, please let me know.

Blessings,

Pastor Wes