Often one of the hardest things to do in life is to say good-bye. Life is full of them. From the womb to the tomb, we are confronted by the need to let go. Some good-byes obviously are harder than others, especially saying good-bye to those we love.
As I wind down my five plus years here at Johns Creek Presbyterian Church, I find myself overcome with emotion. As I prepare to move to Nashville, Tennessee at the end of the month, I am excited about new adventures and opportunities, but at the same time, I am sad for the loss I will feel as I leave this place. JCPC has been home. You have been family. I have loved deeply here, and felt loved unconditionally. So how do we say good-bye?
For the next two weeks for my last two sermons, I will preach a short series on SAYING GOOD-BYE-good-bye to people, of course, but also good-bye to circumstances and good-bye to chapters of our lives. Life, in fact, could be seen as a series of good-byes as we move from one letting-go to another. How do we go through this process faithfully?
One memorable good-bye we find in scripture that I will tackle this Sunday is the prophet Elijah's being taken away to heaven through a whirlwind aboard a horse-drawn chariot of fire. What do we learn as Elijah turns the prophetic reins over to Elisha to lead Israel? We learn that we can let go with confidence! Come join us for worship on this Mother's Day Sunday, and don't forget to bring Mom!
"As they (Elijah and Elisha) continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces."
-2 Kings 2:11,12
Prayer for Today
O God, we thank you for great people like the prophets of old, Elijah and Elisha, and also for the great people in our lives even today, especially our mothers. Help us to learn from the generations before us. And help us to say good-bye faithfully knowing that as we let go, we do so into your hands. In Jesus' name. Amen.
