Hello Everyone!

We never know what a day will bring. At every moment of the day, God summons the souls of men into His presence. Some are welcomed to life everlasting, while others are condemned to a Christ-less eternity. The Scriptures remind us, ??Ǩ?it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.??Ǩ

When His call involves those we know and love, what needed to be done is often set aside; what was intended to be said just doesn??Ǩ?Ѣt seem appropriate anymore, at least for the moment.

As you may have already read in the bulletin, the Jepsen family is enduring a double loss. God, in His wisdom and sovereignty, has taken to Himself both Darlene Cooper and Marie McIlvain. In our imagination we can hear that great cloud of witnesses on the other side cheering the faint, encouraging the weary, and offering praise to our Lord as these finished the race that was set before them, because they were looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith. ??Ǩ?Welcome home.??Ǩ ??Ǩ?Well done, thou good and faithful servant.??Ǩ What more could we wish to hear?

I am reminded that these deaths are no surprise to God. He knows the beginning and end of our days, having ordained their number from before creation. He knows better than we ever will the sorrow and grief that death heaves upon family and friends, having given His only begotten Son to die a death those who believe in Him will now never know or experience. While death is our last and greatest enemy, God promises that death will one day be destroyed. Then we will exclaim with Paul, ??Ǩ?O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory???Ǩ

But not yet, for now is our day of trouble, now is a day of sorrow.

In another context, addressing yet another disappointment, Pastor Rigsby made a comment that seems fitting here. He asked, ??Ǩ?Why don??Ǩ?Ѣt my emotions agree already with what my mind knows and accepts???Ǩ

Until that final day, we will sorrow and grieve, but not as those who have no hope. Until then, we may ask God the reason. Someday, He will tell us why, when we talk it over in the by and by.

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