As many of you know my family has been faced with a difficult situation over the past week: My older brother, Ed, suffered a stroke in the frontal lobe of his brain nearly two weeks ago. This is the part of the brain that controls our impulses and other higher functions. As a result my kindhearted, generous brother who loves the Lord, has become forgetful, combative, and foul-mouthed. Right now my younger brother, Rick, and his wife Kris are the ones who are dealing with it most directly, as they have flown to Seattle -- where Ed lives -- in order to bring him back with them to their home in Minneapolis.
But even in as trying a situation as this one has been, God’s grace shines through!
At one point it looked as if Ed would have to stay in Seattle for two to three weeks to receive therapy. Rick and Kris couldn’t stay in Seattle for that long, though, since they had a home to take care of, jobs to perform, and a wedding to prepare for (Rick’s daughter is to be married on November 1). But Ed would need to be looked after, and he has no friends or family in Seattle. This led me to contact Ken Burdick, pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Seattle, to ask if he might be willing to check in on Ed. I was upfront about the fact that this would not be a pleasant task, because I didn’t want Pastor Ken to be unaware of what he was agreeing to do. Almost immediately Pastor Ken wrote back to say that both he and his wife would be more than willing to make contact with Ed and provide him with pastoral care. Now, remember, Ken and Ruth do not know Ed from Adam. Remember also that Ed has become a handful, to say the least. And yet Ken was more than willing to do this because, as he wrote, “Christ’s love constrains us” to do what is pleasing to Him (see 2 Corinthians 5:14).
As it turned out, Ed will be moving to Minneapolis -- at least for now -- and Ken and Ruth will not need to follow through for now. But their offer stands, and if Ed ends up back in Seattle for some reason, he will have people there who love and care for him. But here’s the best part: Ken and Ruth’s gracious actions opened the door for me to share my faith and the Gospel with my siblings. They were amazed that anyone would be willing to do this for a stranger, which opened the door for me to explain what a blessing it is to belong to a “family” that will graciously care for one another because they have experienced God’s grace in their own lives.
And that is how God’s grace was at work in my life just this week.
Pastor Matt
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