This AM as I write this, I am overwhelmed with a profound sense of loss.  A friend, a brother in the Lord has been taken from us.  Already I am missing Bob Kilmer’s, mischievous smile, big warm handshake, (he’d often hold on to your hand while he was thinking of some wise crack) and his unpredictable sense of humor.  You just  never knew what Bob might say.  Whether it was a critique of my wardrobe, or a comment about my  latest hair style or a question about how close I was to ordering that new red sports car—you never knew where Bob’s mind was going.  Just talking to Bob could perk up your day.  I caught myself on Sunday looking for Bob in his usual seat a couple of times.  We truly are going to miss him. 

Yet I’m trying to focus on the bigger picture.  I’m trying to look at this from the lens of eternity.  What are some of the things we know for certain.   

(1) We know that this life is temporary at best.  We are just “aliens and strangers on earth” (Hebrew 11: 13).  We’re just passing through.  For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13: 14)  We were created for so much more.  

(2) A second thing we know is that Bob is with Jesus.  As Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”  Or as Paul tells us, “we are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (II Corinthians 5:8) In some ways we should be envious of Bob—he got there ahead of us.      He’s already enjoying wonders we can only dream about. 

(3) A third thing we know is that if we put our trust in Christ, we will see Bob again.  Someday God will call each of us home.  Bob is going to be there in that crowd welcoming us into heaven [He’ll probably want to know what took us so long!]  I believe that Bob is now part of that “great cloud of witnesses, (Hebrews 12:1) cheering us on to the finish line.  We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and press on to win our race.

On Wednesday we’ll take time to remember and celebrate Bob’s life.  We’ll tell some stories and laugh or cry.  We’ll remind ourselves again that this is only a temporary parting.  We’ll comfort our hearts with the promises of Scripture.  Hopefully we may point someone toward Christ.  And we can all learn from Bob’s example and determine to follow in his footsteps.  After, we’ve said our goodbyes, it will be time to pick up the baton and keep running.  It’s what Bob would want us to do!

Pastor Barry

 
 


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