Finished?

From the Pastor…               Finished?

 

 

To finish a work? To finish a picture? What nonsense! To finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow the coup de grace for the painter as well as for the picture. — Pablo Picasso

 

Well, it’s the final week of my service to you as pastor. It’s been a very, very good 15 years and 9 months. It’s been a joy and pleasure, and I thank you for the privilege of working with you in ministry. And while I may be finishing a career role that spanned 42 years, I am not finished serving the Lord. — Are you?

 

Actually, retirement is a recent, modern concept. Through the course of history people didn’t think in terms of retiring, often because it wasn’t possible. And many folks today simply transition to other forms of work or activity. Those who stop engaging in life in reality stop living. And who wants to do that?

 

When Jesus died on the cross, his last words were, “It is finished.”  But was it finished?  His labor of love to pay the penalty of our sins was completed, but his life and ministry was hardly over. He soon showed up again and continued what he had done before: teaching his followers and inspiring them to continue his work in the world.  With the eternal God, nothing is over!

 

So, I’ll continue to serve the Lord as best I can and in the ways He leads. And all of us should be busy with kingdom work until Jesus returns or until our lives end here, whichever comes first. – I look forward to talking with you more about the transition this Sunday.

 

                          Lee