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"Welcome" and "Farewell"

June 21,  2009  - Ian

Today we say two opposite words; welcome and farewell. Today we welcome Jess Harris as our Youth and Children’s Worker as she commences her work for us at All Saints and today we farewell Dale and Joy who have been amongst us for 6 years.

This day is very much a picture of life at All Saints, sadly saying ‘goodbye’ to some people as we say ‘hello’ to others.

It is exciting to see a growing number of All Saints’ attendees being more geographically stable. But yet we still have a church which has a high turn over of people and that means regular sadness and joy, sometimes at the same time. What do we learn from this reality?

1. That in many ways this is like our current life on earth, that nothing is permanent all is transient, even relationships end with separation or death. But life in heaven all will be permanent, including our relationship with God and one another. We will never need to say ‘goodbye’ in heaven only ‘see you later’.

2. That we should make the most of our time on earth. It is hard to invest in relationships, especially when you know that the person might be leaving soon. It is often easier just to treat them as an acquaintance and not as a friend. But Jesus commands us to love others as I have loved you. Love means doing what is difficult for people, wherever we are for how ever long we are together.

3. That it is wonderful to have Jess working with us. There are a growing number of opportunities to work with Youth and Children both in All Saints’ congregations and outside of church times. It is God’s gift to us to use this time and his gifted person that he has sent us – ‘welcome Jess’.

4. That Dale and Joy have been wonderful friends and helpers to all of us at All Saints. They have served whole heartedly, with great sacrifice and yet with joy. We can be grateful to God for them as they have pointed us to Christ – ‘farewell Joy and Dale’. I will personally miss them as friends and peers.

Ian