I told you yesterday about my movie day, and usually I am rushed to get from one movie to the next before it starts, but every now and then I have time to kill and when I do I stay until all of the closing credits have run and the words “The End” appear and the screen goes blank. I’ve always thought that these people worked hard to bring me those two hours of entertainment and escape, the least I can do is stay and acknowledge their contributions. That’s what I did tonight.
At a couple of minutes until eight, I walked away from the microphone, sat my song book and Bible on the front pew and took a seat awaiting the closing prayer. This was my last night of services as a local preacher. I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, I am still going to be preaching. In fact I will be in the pulpit Sunday morning in Chattanooga, but I won’t be a local preacher anymore. No one will consider or call me “my preacher.” Three months after my decision and announcement, it came and went without fanfare. It was for the most part, just another Wednesday night Bible class. The only difference was I told my “testimony” for the first time publicly. I wanted my church family to know where I came from and how I got to where I am today, leaving local work to go into mission work. Everything that happened to me in my prodigal past, and everything that has happened during my ministry have transformed me into who I am and brought me to this new path I am taking. I know there would have been a much easier way to get here, but at least I got here.
When making the announcements at the beginning of services (something I have always hated doing, I’d rather preach ten sermons than make one announcement), I intentionally lingered a moment and looked all around and felt the pulpit in my hands. At the end of Bible class, as my final comments were being made, I really listened to them myself. During the invitation song, I looked into the eyes of every person in the auditorium. And when I made the final announcements I paused one last time. After services we stuck around for 45 minutes talking, hugging and crying. And when I picked up my Bible and walked out the side door to my car, I took a long deep breath, trying to soak it all in, before I stepped out the door. For me, each of these actions was like staying and reading all of the closing credits at the end of the movie. Thousands of people work hard together, doing their part for a long time to make the magic happen that we enjoy on the screen. That is the story of my ministry. There are thousands of people who have each made a contribution, some greater, some smaller, all important. Some were heroes, some were villains and some provided comic relief, but all had a part to play. The End.................or better yet, To Be Continued.
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