Below is a letter I read at the Send Off celebration that the Montgomery County church hosted for us on 2/23. We packed all of our moving boxes, etc. onto a moving storage unit that morning (thanks, brothers!), so I knew that sharing without a script would get emotional for me. This was a way to say what I wanted to say without tears of sadness, so that we could instead spend our time with tears of joy.
Greetings to our beloved Montgomery Church of Christ.
As our move date gets closer, Mary and I have been reflecting on all of the memories we have as we prepare to leave Montgomery County for our new adventure and journey in the Hampton Roads church. It’s been our privilege to serve the church in many roles since we moved here in 1998, most recently as an elder and elder’s wife for the past seven and a half years. We’ve seen the church go through many challenges and victories, and leave knowing that you are in good hands first with God but also with the leadership in place to take the church to continued growth and glory for God.
First, we want to thank all of you for the love and support you’ve given us as we’ve gone through our transition. Your prayers and help with our move have encouraged us and strengthened our faith.
In Luke 17, Jesus spends time with his closest friends traveling on their way to Jerusalem (Luke 13:22), where he would say goodbye to them on the cross and for 40 days after (Acts 1:3), which of course was only temporary as he will welcome them and us again in heaven. Times before goodbyes are precious, and Jesus chose the words he shared carefully to help build their faith and prepare them for the challenges of serving God when he was gone. His words have inspired me to share a few thoughts with you as Mary and I make our final preparations to move, and as we share our final goodbyes.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
Luke 17:1-6 (NIV)
My first encouragement is to be forgiving. One of the most powerful things you can say to anyone is “I forgive you”, and mean it from your heart. I know that in my position of leadership I have made many mistakes, some of which have hurt a few of you, and I’m sure my sin has affected some of you. All I can ask is for you to be forgiving. I also at times have felt sinned against and hurt, but all I can say is that I forgive any that may have hurt me or sinned against me. Through forgiveness, we are unified and our faith is increased, so be forgiving, church.
“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
Luke 17:7-10 (NIV)
Next, I encourage you to be humble. As I’ve served as an elder, a shepherd over the Montgomery County flock, I hope you’ve seen the heart that Mary and I have had in serving you. Whether plowing the fields of preparing for worship services and events or looking after the sheep in counseling times and in Teen Parent devos, we’ve made it our goal to be humble and not ask to be served or even thanked. I can say with a clear conscious that for Mary and I when we’ve done all we could to serve, in our hearts we felt we were only unworthy servants, having only done what God expected of us. We want to grow in our humility as we go to Hampton Roads and find ways that God has prepared for us to serve. Many of you have said that we’ll be missed and have asked how all we do for the church will be replaced. The answer is that the ways we have served can be filled only by other unworthy servants… ” So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Be humble and humbly serve God as unworthy servants, church.
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:11-17 (NIV)
Finally, I encourage you to be grateful. As we’ve looked back on over 20 years of being part of the Montgomery County church, we have so many things to be grateful for: friendships that have lasted those many years, both of our children making the decision to make Jesus Lord, marriage retreats, family vacations with others to the Outer Banks and Deep Creek Lake, counseling and discipling times, serving together at HOPEww Midatlantic events and Saturday Academy, Men’s retreats, Women’s Days, Singles retreats, campus devos, midweeks and Sunday worship services, ACR conferences… there have been too many great times with all of you to list. We’re grateful for the support you gave us in the hard times and the victories we shared together in the good times. Too often, we’ve been like the nine and have not gone back and thanked you for all you’ve done for us, so, let us say it now – thank you, with all our hearts, thank you. We give praise to God for you, and call you to be grateful too, church.
Be forgiving, be humble, be grateful. Our hope is that we’ll be remembered for being all these as we’ve served here, and that the Montgomery County church will be known as a church full of forgiveness, humility and gratitude.
With love in Christ, your brother and servant,
Tom