“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”- Philippians 1:3-5
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”- Lamentations 3:21-23
I take a lot of pictures of sunsets and
sunrises. The sky is transformed in the moments preceding and just
after the sun sets in the evening, and rises in the morning.
Beautiful shades of red, orange, yellow, purple appear out of
nowhere, fanning out across the horizon. They are, truly,
brushstrokes of the Divine Artist. Each day provides a new canvas for
God to display God's amazing glory.
It's not just the beauty of the sunsets
and sunrises that captivates me. It's also the joy, gratitude, and
hope that stir within me as I witness God's glory unfolding before
me. At the end of the day, when I watch the sun set over the bay, or
behind the spanish-moss in a grove of cypress and live oaks, my heart
wells up with gratitude for God's goodness and mercy. I find myself
overcome with appreciation for another day in which God has been good
to me, and granted me grace and life. Likewise, at the beginning of a
new day, as I scan the horizon and see the darkness transform into
beautiful daylight, I am filled with hope and optimism for the day
that awaits me; I am inspired by God's glory to offer myself anew
unto God's service.
I mention these things because I am
currently experiencing a sunset and a sunrise in my vocation as a
pastor. After nearly 12 ½ years of service as the pastor of the
Georgetown Presbyterian Church, the sun has set on my tenure with
that amazing congregation. And likewise, the sun is rising on the new
church God is calling me to serve, the Graves Memorial Presbyterian
Church in Clinton, North Carolina. Much like my experience of the
sunsets and sunrises I photograph on a regular basis, my heart is
full of gratitude and hope as I pass through this particular sunset
and sunrise in my vocation.
The apostle Paul wrote lovingly to the
Philippians, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly
praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because
of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” That
is, truly, how I feel as I reflect on my time in Georgetown. My
family and I have been on the receiving end of incredible love and
kindness from the people of Georgetown Presbyterian Church. We have
discovered the riches of grace, we have grown together in faith, we
have experienced joy and gladness, and we have journeyed together
through some very painful tragedies. Every step of the way, though,
we have experienced the goodness of God together and we have sought
to be faithful in administering God's grace in our everyday lives.
At the end of the day, my heart is
filled to overflowing with love and gratitude. The sun may be
setting, but there is so much beauty and grace to behold. I am,
indeed, thankful, even if my gratitude is mingled with grief and
sadness at the close of this day.
And I am also filled with hope, both
for my family and me and our new church, and for Georgetown
Presbyterian. I know that the setting of the sun on this particular
day will be followed by an equally spectacular rising of the sun for
the tomorrow that awaits us. I stand firmly alongside the writer of
Lamentations who said, “The steadfast love of the Lord never
ceases; God's mercies never come to an end; they are new every
morning. Great is thy faithfulness (O Lord)!” Glory, splendor, and
new mercy await us all tomorrow. There will be a beautiful new day of
ministry and partnership in the gospel in Clinton, North Carolina.
And there will be a beautiful new day of ministry and partnership in
the gospel for the people of Georgetown Presbyterian Church. I know
this, because I know that each day God gives us is full of glory and
mercy and love; every day is different, to be sure, but every day
brings God's goodness to us.
At the end of this day, I give thanks.
I give thanks for a wonderful church family that has accompanied me
through an incredible journey of faith and gospel ministry over the
past 12 ½ years. I give thanks for my wife and four beautiful
children (the fourth of whom we gained through marriage this year!),
and for the daily demonstration of God's love that I experience
through them. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to serve in
Clinton, North Carolina.
But most of all, I give thanks for
God's faithfulness. God's mercies are new every morning.
Really, they are.
