THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

Nothing is permanent, and that includes memory.  Last week when I listed the names of our brothers and sisters who have gone home to be with the Lord, I tried hard to remember all; I did not wish to miss any.  Unfortunately, I still missed, not one but at least eight!  Oom Aman, Tante Damaris (Dela’s mother), Ko Po Yung, Oom Anthon, Ko Eddy (Cie Anyun’s cousin), Lita Renkin (Pak Robert’s sister), Tante Wydia (Swan Ien’s mother), and Tante Nani (Cie Poppi’s mother).  I feel badly for leaving out their names, be it unintentionally.

Nothing in life is permanent.  The downing of Sriwijaya Air and the recent earthquake in West Sulawesi remind us how impermanent life can be.  It could be we who were in that plane; and it could be we who were hit and buried in the rubble in West Sulawesi.  And it could very well be we who contracted COVID-19 fatally.  What is in our hands can be taken away in a split second, and we can’t say, no.

Last Sunday with her mom and two friends I had the honor of going to the sea to scatter the ashes of Lyna, the Indonesian restaurant worker who suffered a brain hemorrhage over two years ago.  Not only did I have the honor to scatter the ashes, I also had the honor of watching sea lions swimming behind our boat.  As if that’s not spectacularly enough, God did something else to make that day special.  While the boat stopped during the time we scattered the ashes, I saw dozens of sea gulls swarming around.  What a sight!

Every death is special because everyone is special to God; and from time to time He will do something to remind us how special we are.  By bringing the sea lions and the sea gulls to the “funeral” service, it’s like God wants to remind us how special we are to Him.  Life is not permanent but His love to us and how special we are to Him, is.

Pastor Paul