01-29-25

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 29, 2025
Among the many honors I have as a minister, offering a eulogy at a memorial service stands among the greatest. At the same time, it can also be one of the more challenging and even painful parts of ministry. I have been at Cypress Creek Christian Church for 5,000 days (if my calculations are correct). In those 5,000 days, I’ve had the incredible privilege of listening to countless individuals share their life stories, encompassing both breath-taking highs and rock-bottom lows. So many people pull back a corner of the veil that conceals certain aspects of life for the purpose of speaking their story more fully. Some of what I learned, I was given permission to share in the eulogy. Other times, it has existed only in my memory. In the end, I have come to respect and love so many people who have served alongside me in those 5,000 days, even a handful who have left the church claiming that I was a whacko hellbent on widening the circle of acceptance too far or too fast. To the surprise of some, I still deeply care about those people as well. I can’t be invited into people’s lives, especially during times of significant turmoil or vulnerability, without being mindful of my own mess of a life. Suddenly there is some holy parity. This is all to say that I am having another week where I am experiencing the “honor” of offering a eulogy that will be hard, and as I offer the one this week, I am also beginning to make notes for the next one. Sometimes I need to pause, set aside the honor that I feel, and just name the grief that absolutely sucks!

For all the people who I journey alongside, whether for a short time or a very long time, I am thankful, O Lord whose love and life are eternal. Amen.