Years ago I heard a pastor speak at his friend’s wife’s funeral. He spoke about the sacrament of friendship – how traveling together in their later years gave them life. I went home and asked Melanie, “With whom will we travel when we get old?” That was a long time ago, but I thought it would be important. God has blessed us with amazing friends who make us laugh and give us life.
Who will stay with us and stand with us at the end? Life is finally about relationships. Paul names some names at the end of this last letter. After he says he has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, he names some names. I wonder if those who deserted Paul knew they would be called out in scripture so that we would read their names two thousand years later. It seems unlikely.
Dr. Luke was still there, though. Paul asked Timothy to bring Mark. He calls out Demas and Alexander for harming him. Then Paul talks about his first defense, apparently before Caesar. No one showed up. Except for Jesus. Jesus showed up, stood at his side, gave him strength and delivered him from the lion’s mouth. Jesus is good, like that. In his loneliness and captivity, Paul makes a bold declaration of faith. The Lord will rescue me and get me safely into his heavenly kingdom.
I listen to Steffany Gretzinger’s new rendering of the old lyric, “No one ever cared for me like Jesus.” She uses that one line but it is not the same song. The end of the chorus goes like this: “No one ever cared for me like Jesus. His faithful love has held me all this way. When I’m old and gray and all my days are numbered on this earth, let it be known, in You alone, my hope was found. Let my children tell their children. May this be their memory. That all my treasure was in heaven. And you were everything to me.” We have over one hundred church members at Tallowood who are over the age of 90. (Process that for a second.) I suspect their story confirms this song. Who will be with us at the end? Jesus. He will get us safely home.
