Dear St. George’s,
One phone call can change everything.
On April 27th, 2010 I was lecturing at Trinity Seminary in Ambridge, Pennsylvania when I received a call from my wife. She said, “Davey, I’m in Hamilton General Hospital. I have a brain tumour.”
Broken-hearted, I rushed to the airport and caught the next flight home. Ed met me at Pearson airport and we drove to the hospital. Rhonda died less than a month later. Everything changed with one phone call.
This Easter season has brought many thoughts to mind. Memories have flooded as I look through photo albums; some good and some sad. Mostly I have been sustained by recalling the things that didn’t change with that one phone call.
God is good.
God is strong.
Jesus conquered death, paving the way for his people.
Jesus still sways the sceptre of the universe.
It is with these great foundational convictions in mind that Paul closes his reflection on resurrection with these words, “therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
It is the certainty of Easter, our confidence in Jesus’ victory over death, that allows us to live our lives with immovable and steadfast faith. We need not fear any phone calls! Jesus resurrection from the dead brings meaning to our lives and rescues us from existential despair, even in the face of our own mortality. This never changes and sets us free to live lives that abound in the Lord’s service. We spend our lives well when we are about the Father’s business.
This month is a tender time for Matthew and me. Thank you for praying for us and for the many, many ways you show your love. I love you, St. George’s.
So much can change with one phone call. But our lives find meaning in the things that never change. The uncertainties in our lives are superficial compared with Jesus’ great promise, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” John 6:38-39
Steadfast in Easter faith,
RD
