Fourteen years ago, my wife, Pauline Hitchcock, wrote a devotional
around this text. We had travelled to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, to
see the burnt ruins of St. John's Church which had been destroyed at
Halloween. We saw a shaft of light shining onto a broken stained glass
window where the figure of Christ still remained, His arms outstretched
in blessing. She wrote, "It was a message, clear and true. The building
is gone; Christ is still with us."
Pauline recently passed away.
We had an interlude during the Sunday service to celebrate her life. A
dear friend, Linda, was among those who spoke. She had lost her husband,
Ian, not long before in similar circumstances, and she remembered that
he used to google the names of their children to see what would turn up
so that he could tease them with it. She decided to google Pauline's
name, and she found her devotional to share. Those words, "And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age" were truly meant to come
and comfort us both.
Linda and I decided that we would retrace
Pauline's journey to Lunenburg. Again, it was a perfect, fall, Nova
Scotia day. We found St. John's Church looking splendid in its
"Carpenter Gothic", and the tenth anniversary of the complete
restoration and rededication had just been celebrated.
How we
talked. The Spirit was with us that day.
How wonderful it is that
our Lord finds ways to help, love, and comfort us, bringing seemingly
unconnected acts together into a coherent plan!
Prayer: Dear
Lord, we thank You that, in the midst of our grieving, You are always
with us, and that You have planned ways to send Your loving words to
comfort us. Thank You that, in the light of Your love, we can go forward
with confidence and know that You are with us and with those we love who
are in Christ, until the end of time. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
