A full day, Father, but I would have had it no other way. Remembering one of Your faithful servants in the middle of a normal day of bus routes. Use me however and whenever You can. Amen.
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As I mentioned, I had the privilege of officiating the graveside service of a wonderful man of God who faithfully attended and served one of my churches. I’ve had some things rumbling around my head and felt that I should get them out to help me deal with my feelings on it all.
The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12,
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. v12
…and God has put each part just where he wants it. v18
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. v27 NLT
As I lay in bed last night, I couldn’t clear my mind of the thoughts of today’s service and Hank, in particular. There in the darkness, it came to mind that Hank was one of Christ’s fingers. He readily yielded himself to Jesus to use him to touch the lives of so many people, on so many levels of life.
I was amazed at the number of people who showed up at his graveside service this morning. Many of them were family, but by no means were they all. I don’t think you show up at a graveside service unless you feel strongly about someone and how they impacted your life.
…I am overwhelmed as to where to begin even.
God left His fingerprint on all who crossed Hank’s path. As his family said, “He was funny, curious, easy-natured, and caring…” I don’t think he had a mean bone in his body!
To start with, through him God touched his wife, his five children and their partners, as well as his eight grandchildren. It is impossible to miss the impression God’s fingerprint has left on them all.
He was a mailman for 28 years, touching every person with whom he came in contact. He was a churchman for far longer than I have known him (I had the honor of being his pastor for almost 20 years!) He served as a trustee and freely shared his musical abilities. We all were touched by his willingness to be used as Christ’s finger on our lives.
The thing is he wasn’t showy or flashy. He was not a complicated man, yet he was deep. He was modest, living a life of utmost humility. He had a ready laugh, and I don’t know how many times his use of the word “golly” made me smile.
Yes, Hank allowed God to use him to place His fingerprint on so many throughout his short life of 78 years but, what I can’t forget is that he touched me, too…
The life of the pastor for many of us is a lonely one. We have many friends but few…very few…close friends. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just the way it is, and maybe I didn’t tell him in so many words, but Hank was my friend.
He was my encourager extraordinaire. Rarely did a Sunday go by that he didn’t comment on something I had written. I cherished them all. He gave me a book entitled, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, that molded and inspired my writings for some time. He was behind me 100% of the time and he made sure I knew it. I was blessed to have him as part of my life. And what I’ve shared doesn’t scratch the surface of what he meant to me.
Lord Jesus, may we all strive to reflect Your heart as Hank did. May we cherish the fingerprints You have left on our lives through the lives of those who have loved You so dearly. Amen.
Mar 21st, 2022, Mon, 7:34 pm
