Pastors are often unnoticed first and ongoing responders to human need in small communities. They may be a priest, an ordained minister, a community pastor, somebody gifted in a community to lead pastorally according to the example of the Great Shepherd.
The mother takes up the story: “It was July 2002. Another tormented restless night thinking about Kelly and our family. At 6.30 am I gave up on getting any sleep thinking about Kelly. I dressed and set out for a walk around our small town.
As I passed the Church I had a strong sense of God speaking to me. The pastor’s house was next to the Church, so I went in the back gate and banged on the door. After a few minutes I heard “please wait awhile I will put the kettle on, and we can talk”. A simple start to a friendly connection with our local minister.
When we were in our 40’s our son, Kelly, was killed in a car accident. We were waiting for him to come home for tea, but instead we had a knock on the door by two policemen. They came in and delivered the worst news any parent can receive.
At one in the morning we went to the hospital to identify our son, on his 19th birthday.
My heart was overwhelmed. On that very same day 19 years earlier, I was going into the same hospital to give birth to my beloved son. Our hearts broke, our beautiful boy gone forever. I cried all night
I needed something, I needed someone.
Where was meaning, where was some hope, something to anchor my bereft soul?
Shortly after our son died his football coach prayed for us to become Christians and that took another 10 years to happen, to fully come into reality. But our heavenly Father, our God, never gave up on us. And we know our son lives with our Lord Jesus, safe and gloriously. He has gone ahead and one day we will follow.
Wonderful, restful, invigorating hope!
