August 14, 2022

The Shepherd's Corner

These past several weeks have been difficult for us as a church. We have lost three dear members: Tante Gwie, Tante Agnes, and Tante Daisy. We know that they are now in their True Home, but we still miss them. You see, death is always personal because each person is always somebody’s mother or father, husband or wife, brother or sister, and friend. To this day Oom Kiat is still grieving the loss of Tante Gwie. When Santy and I went to the board and care where Tante Agnes last resided, our hearts were heavy, thinking of her.
Before the body of Tante Daisy was cremated, all her four children kissed her goodbye with tears in their eyes. Death is personal.

Jesus knew that. It was so personal that out of all the miracles He performed, raising the dead constituted only a small fraction: three! The son of a widow, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus. And each was preceded by an interaction between Jesus and a member of the grieving family. He said, “Don’t cry,” to the widow. To Jairus, He said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” And to Martha He said, “Your brother will rise again.” Jesus took each death personally.

He said, “Don’t cry” to the widow because her heart was so crushed and in need of comfort. He said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe” to Jairus because his faith and soul began to melt when people told him that his daughter had just died. And to Martha He said, “Your brother will rise again” to prepare her for the glory she was about to see—the glory of Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus knew each need.

Knowing that we take comfort. He will deal with us and touch us in a special way. He knows our pain and need so He will not give us a blanketing statement to cheer us up. He will tailor His comfort to meet our specific needs. You see, each death has its own glory.

Pastor Paul

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - February 24, 2019
  The other day I saw an interview with Tim Tebow. You who follow football should know who Tim Tebow is. He’s a former professional football player and who has now become a professional baseball player. But, he’s more than that. Besides writing books and playing baseball, what he is doing n...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - April 17, 2022
Life is not always wonderful; at times, it can be awful.  And for some of us, life can be awful for a long time.  In my line of work, I see and hear pain and discomfort a lot; and sometimes right in the middle of suffering, they will ask me, “But after I have gone […]...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - October 11, 2020
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER This week I received a special gift—a big kiss from our two-year-old grandson.  Out of the blue and without prompting he just landed that six-million-dollar kiss on my chubby cheek.  At that moment I felt like a six-million-dollar grandpa!  Even though he has...
Read More