Not in My Job Description

I assisted in an interment ceremony for one of my seniors on the last Sunday of July. We had all together ten people. I started with a prayer, then we sing a hymn. The daughters paid tribute to their beloved mother by saying they had been deeply moved by her unconditional love. They expressed their love and grief through reading their journals. In my sharing, I thanked the family members for entrusting me in the care of their mother. I also appreciated the ongoing support from the family. The two grand daughter sang Amazing Grace and I ended the ceremony with a prayer. The whole idea of this interment was initiated by her daughter a month or two before the death of her mom. She used to come with her mom for the Sunday fellowship I hosted. She was touched by my message. I should say she was touched by the Holy Spirit to be exact. I told the people attending the interment that I appreciated the invitation even it was not in my job description. I felt honored to help out the interment of the deceased. It was also a way to glorify our Father in heaven. Obviously, I am not a minister but I am in the ministry of God. We had light snack after the interment in the home of the bereaved family. We had a wonderful time of sharing. I thanked God for the opportunity to serve others and make friends.

God’s biker

I had a wonderful experience during my latest visit in the hospital. This guy looked like a biker and he had terminal colon cancer spreading to liver. He told me that the Lord had been good to him. I responded at once that I was interested to hear his story. Then he mentioned that he wanted to go to church for a change even his days are numbered. With the help of friend/neighbor, he found a baptist church of a small town. He felt being welcome on the first day visit. There was time when his friend prayed for his sickness during worship, he felt someone was squeezing his abdomen. Later on, his stool was miraculously changed back to normal which used to be bloody. He felt strengthened by God, and he has the confidence to fight with his terminal illness. He tried to make more donation to the church but I teased him not to corrupt God. He understood that there was no guarantee of his life span, but he is willing to follow Jesus for the rest of his life. I told him a story of offering in which a little boy put himself on the offering plate symbolized his total commitment. This is what God wants His children to do. I told him that he is not a believer but a disciple. Jesus is the mentor as well as Savior. He seemed not to be overwhelmed by my encouragement. I prayed for his faith journey and recovery. I requested to hug him before I left. Thanks be to God for His work on this patient.