(download May newsletter here)

Last week we received a request to host a memorial service for a young man who had been killed in a motorcycle accident.  Our immediate reaction was to agree to host the service, even though the family had no connection to our church.  Our office staff moved quickly to make arrangements, and the Boy Scouts graciously agreed to reschedule their use of the sanctuary for Monday night.

About a dozen family members came in to meet with me to plan the service.  They were devastated; eyes downcast and puffy with tears.  It was a Thursday night, and so with OneLife happening, Martha and Jenna were able to be in the crib room watching the little kids whose father had died.  The kids didn’t grasp what had happened; they played while the adults grieved and planned.

As Nick and I met with the family, our message to them was that we want to help them in any way we could.  They in turn wanted us to provide spiritual guidance, prayers, scripture and music for those who come to the service wondering why God had allowed such a terrible thing to happen.  As we were finishing up with our planning, we walked into the sanctuary, where we talked some more, then held hands as we prayed.

Later on that night, at the OneLife meeting, we were encouraged to care more about the people of the city than about our own success.     If we do our part, in caring for the people all around us, then God would do His part, blessing us in our ministry.

On Monday night over four hundred people – maybe closer to five hundred – packed our church sanctuary to say goodbye to their friend.  There was absolutely not a seat left in the house; people were standing against the walls, sitting in the overflow area, filling the choir loft, and spilling out in the narthex watching on the TV monitor. I shared encouragement from God’s Word.   Several family members and friends spoke also, remembering their friend and encouraging us to support one another.  Nick sang, as did a friend of the family named Cee Cee, whose twin sister was killed several years ago as an innocent bystander in a police chase.  Dozens of family members and friends thanked us afterwards; we praise God that we were able to show the love of Jesus to this slice of the Oxnard community.  All we did was say yes to the opportunity God provided.

Our ministry with this circle of people will continue, as our church sends out grief books at regular intervals to the widow, as Nick and I follow up with the people we met, and as we say yes to future opportunities for community outreach.

Resurrection is something only God can do, and He is doing it, making all things new, all around us, each and every day.  Our part is to say yes to God’s work in our lives, yes to the opportunities God gives us to love people in His name.

Think about it:  What is your focus, on just living life and succeeding, or on helping people in Jesus’ name?  God hurts for the people of this city; he wants to bring them new life, working through us, His church.

Jesus is alive and is making all things new.  The Lord is risen indeed!

run to Sunday!