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Last Words

The problem has been vexing me for the past two months. I thought about it while traveling, searching for a house, and even while eating Thanksgiving dinner. What am I going to write in the bulletin? What am I going to say on the last day? What words of spiritual support and advice can I give? It didn’t occur to me until today, the day I had to sit down and write something. That last word that needed to be spoken that would be the absolute best thing to say; that word which would exhort the most; that word which would provide the most comfort and spiritual edification – that word is actually two words, “Thank you.”

Yes, I want my last bulletin article at the Berryville church of Christ to express my personal deep gratitude to the congregation. It has been six years minus a week or two. From the time that I began this work until this day I have to confess that there hasn’t a day passed that I haven’t felt extraordinarily grateful for being here. I remember the day I got the call from Clay asking me to come and be the preacher here; I had been without work for four months; I was SO grateful for that call. When I was visiting other congregations and the people would ask me how the work is going at Berryville I would reply how thankful I am to be here and how much of a blessing it was to work with the church here in Berryville. Let me just enumerate a few things for which I am thankful.

I’m thankful to you for your support of my work in the gospel. Gospel preachers are just like everyone else in that they need some way of supporting themselves and their families. The Bible teaches that we are to be content with such things as we have and take one day at a time (Hebrews Matt 6:34). Thank you for your support.

I’m thankful to you for your friendship. You have been wonderful friends to Mary Lynn and me. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” I can’t think of a single time that we needed something and you weren’t there to help us. Friends like you are few and far between. Thank you for your friendship.

I’m thankful for the problems that we’ve faced together. Most people look at problems negatively, but we’ve looked at the problems that we’ve had together in a positive and constructive way. This is the Christian attitude to have toward problems. There are no problems that we cannot conquer through the help of Christ according to Romans 8:35-39. Thank you for working through the problems.

I’m thankful for the eldership and their stand for the truth. Without a faithful eldership a preacher really cannot be the most effective that he can be in the local work. Every time there has been a problem arise that the elders had to deal with, they have solved it by going to the scripture and letting the scripture guide their decision. This is exactly the way things should be. Titus 1:9 says that an elder is to be “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” Elderships that don’t allow the scriptures to solve problems don’t need to be serving as elders. Thank you for demanding such of your elders and thank you faithful elders for following the truth of God’s word.

Finally, I’m thankful for the spirit of love that flows through this congregation. I have worshipped in many different congregations in my life. The spirit of love that characterizes this congregation is tremendous. Your love for the Lord is incontrovertible and that is our first priority as Christians (Matthew 22:37). Your love for your neighbor is also without reproach. I’m not talking about the emotional, syrupy, puppy love of the adolescent. I’m talking about the mature, adult, sober love that characterizes God’s faithful. Emotions come and go with time; the love that seeks the highest good of our neighbor is constant, steady, and strong regardless what may come. Thank you for your spirit of love.

There are many other things for which I could, in detail, express thanks: the potlucks, the get-togethers, the singings, the comments in classes, the men’s breakfasts, the “field trips,” and every single detail that has made our life here in Berryville beyond pleasant. I just can’t name them all. And so, with my last published words, I simply say, God bless you and THANK YOU.