Last week, I made a quick trip to southern Louisiana for a funeral. One of our close friends passed away after several years of battling various health ailments. Her husband was one of the elders at the church and we have a close friendship. I went down to assist with the funeral and to provide comfort and support during the weekend.
At the funeral, I greeted several people that I haven’t seen since we moved to Tennessee three years ago. It was nice to see them. Some have gotten grayer, as have I. Some look the same and haven’t aged at all. I saw kids who are now teens and teens who are now young adults. I saw friends that I haven’t seen in several years because they moved to other states. They came back for the funeral, and it was a blessing to see them again. The funeral turned into a reunion. We share memories of fun times and caught up on each other’s lives. It was a vivid reminder of the blessing of being part of a loving church family.
As I drove back on Saturday evening, I looked forward to being with the Fairlane family the next day. Over the past three years, we have built close friendships with many of you. We have made fun memories and have stories and moments that we share. There has been laughter and tears and through it all God has brought us together as a family. As I drove home, I looked forward to seeing the faces of those that I love and who love me. Each Sunday, we experience a reunion of our church family as we worship and share community together.
Being part of a church family is a great gift from God. We are encouraged and strengthened by being together each week and throughout the week as we have opportunities to serve, worship and experience community together. There is a bond that a church family experiences that is like no other. We are united by the love and grace of Christ and this love and grace will follow us into eternity.
Imagine the reunion that will occur, when God calls us home or when Christ returns. We will see all our loved ones who have gone before us. Imagine the embraces of joy we will receive when we are greeted by them in eternity. We will “catch up” with each other and share fond memories of our lives together as we enjoy our eternal home. We will have no more fear of death or separation which will make our joy even sweeter. An incredible reunion awaits us that will be beyond any blessing we have ever experienced.
I hope you are looking forward to that eternal reunion. Until then, let us continue to experience the beauty of being a part of this church family as we worship, serve, love and share so many incredible moments together. God is good. He blesses us each week and an eternal reunion awaits.
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