Fourteen years ago, my wife, Pauline Hitchcock, wrote a devotional around this
text. We had travelled to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, to see the burnt ruins
of St. John's Church which had been destroyed at Halloween. We saw a shaft of
light shining onto a broken stained glass window where the figure of Christ
still remained, His arms outstretched in blessing. She wrote, "It was a message,
clear and true. The building is gone; Christ is still with us."
Pauline recently passed away. We had an interlude during the Sunday service to
celebrate her life. A dear friend, Linda, was among those who spoke. She had
lost her husband, Ian, not long before in similar circumstances, and she
remembered that he used to google the names of their children to see what would
turn up so that he could tease them with it. She decided to google Pauline's
name, and she found her devotional to share. Those words, "And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age" were truly meant to come and comfort us
both.
Linda and I decided that we would retrace Pauline's journey to Lunenburg. Again,
it was a perfect, fall, Nova Scotia day. We found St. John's Church looking
splendid in its "Carpenter Gothic", and the tenth anniversary of the complete
restoration and rededication had just been celebrated.
How we talked. The Spirit was with us that day.
How wonderful it is that our Lord finds ways to help, love, and comfort us,
bringing seemingly unconnected acts together into a coherent plan!
Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You that, in the midst of our grieving, You are
always with us, and that You have planned ways to send Your loving words to
comfort us. Thank You that, in the light of Your love, we can go forward with
confidence and know that You are with us and with those we love who are in
Christ, until the end of time. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.