SEE YOU LATER (NOT GOODBYE)

By now you have probably heard the news that my family will be moving back to the Kansas City area at the end of June. I have accepted the position of minister at the 39th Street congregation in Independence, Missouri which necessitates this move. I remember going to the 39th Street congregation for their annual lectureship since I was a kid. Their current minister will be retiring after forty plus years of service in early July and he will continue to serve as a godly Christian man and elder. This is part of the reason for the late June proposed move. Another reason is to give the congregation time to find a sound man to fill the pulpit while I continue to fill it as I am privileged to do so. We should always demand sound teaching in our pulpits and a godly preacher will always do so (2 Tim. 4:1-2; Tt. 2:1). Soundness may not always sound like what we want to hear, but it should always be what we need to hear.
 
This move also places my family within close proximity to my mother (less than an hour) and Leah’s family (a few hours which is “just over yonder”). The beauty of the church is that you have family everywhere the church is (Mt. 12:48-50), but I also understand the need to be close to your blood relatives especially in the case of special needs such as widowhood (1 Tim. 5:3-4, 8, 16). This was a large factor in my family’s decision to make this move. I truly appreciate the thoughts and prayers that everyone has given during my father’s illness and his passing last year.
 
Transitions can be difficult so let us make sure we walk in love in all that we do (Eph. 4:32-5:2). Let us think well of one another and continue to help one another to be better (Rm. 12:9-21). Let us act with Christian decorum at all times and especially during this time of transition (1 Cor. 14:40).
 
A good brother in Christ that I know tells his wife every day before he leaves for work “see you later.” He does not use the word “goodbye” and for good reason. “See you later” is a reminder to them both to live their lives in such a way that they will see one another again regardless of what parts them on Earth. It is a reminder that there is a great reunion that will take place when the Lord returns (1 Th. 4:13-18). It is a reminder to walk on the difficult way that leads to life (Mt. 7:14). It is a reminder to be faithful unto death no matter what the devil throws at us (Rev. 2:10). It is a reminder to not shrink back from Christian duty (Heb. 10:37-39). It is a reminder to keep our eyes on Jesus (Mt. 14:25-29). It is a reminder that we have a hope laid up for us in Heaven (Col. 1:5).
 
And so, it is “see you later” and not “goodbye.”

Trent Thrasher