Going Home

Going Home

As a pastor, I am involved in the many turning points of people’s lives. Some are very happy occasions: births, baptisms, weddings. Some are very sad: terminal illness, tragic accidents, death. In the rhythm of life, I find myself speechless; unable to give explanation to unfolding events.

The hardest is giving comfort to those who suffer loss. Having been at the bedside of a dying loved one or standing next to an accident victim on a gurney in the emergency room, I am at a loss of words. Most often presence and embrace speak louder than words. Jesus is present in the silence of death.

Coming away from these moments, I wrestle with my own mortality. You cannot enter the grief and loss of others without it touching your own life. The emotions rise to challenge even my trust in God, realizing that one day to I must past through the valley of the shadow of death.

Some time ago I found a hymn on You Tube. It’s a rather old one set to a somber melody and sung by Sissel, a Norwegian soprano. The title is Going Home. Here is part of it:

“Going home, going home, I’m just going home. Quiet like, some still day. I’m just going home. It’s not far, yes close by through an open door. Work all done, care laid by. Going to fear no more. Mother’s there expecting me. Father’s waiting too. Lots of folks gathered there. All the friends I knew. Nothing lost, all’s gain. No more fret or pain. No more stumbling on the way. No more longing for the day. Going to roam no more. Morning star lights the way. Restless dreams all done. Shadows gone, break of day. Real life yes begun.”

Jesus stands at the open door, waiting to welcome us to that Real Life.

Amen.