What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the
everlasting arms;
What a blessedness,
what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the
everlasting arms.
Lyrics, What a
Fellowship,
27 The
eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the
everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from
before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
What a fellowship we
enjoyed Aug. 25 at Katie Carollo's family "hotel" on Harsens's Island
north of Detroit on the St. Mary's River.
As always it was a memorable time.
One thing struck me above all else as we gathered to sing old songs of
faith like the one above and to remember the people who no longer gathered with
us in flesh as well as spirit. It struck
me with great force that we were ALL gathered in a marvelous fellowship that
afternoon. Jesus declared that "Where two or more are gathered in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.:" Matt 18:20 We certainly were gathered that way on
the Island and those who have gone
before us to heaven are joined with the resurrected Jesus around God's throne.
So what's the big
deal? Obviously we are an older group of
people (average age around 68) and many of us have lost spouses and dear
friends during the past years. The naked truth is that some of us live on a
rather thin edge and could face death much sooner than later. However, instead of inspiring fear, there is
a rare comfort in knowing that our fellowship will not be threatened or reduced
in all reality by our deaths, but rather COMPLETED by death as we enter that
perfect place of fellowship with Jesus and all the saints along with the Church
here on earth.
It is at this point
that I hear a ringing taunt that Paul the Apostle hurled in Satan's face.
55 “Where,
O death, is your victory?
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin
is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is almost
ironic that someone who faces a diagnosis of incurable cancer should find such
comfort in being among all these wonderful people many of whom have been
touched by death. Like many Christian
funerals I have attended there is a genuine sense of joy and comfort knowing
that death is a door and not a destination. "Where O Death is your
victory?"
There you go again!!!
ReplyDeleteAlways finding that darn silver lining no matter how dark it gets.
That's what we love about you and Ginny sharing comfort and joy while exposing victory in the mundane of every day.