What Would Roy Say Now?
Roy is gone. I miss him already. There have been many others who have gone from us after a lifetime of service in the Kingdom… but Roy was special. I’ve known many elders in my life, but none who treated me like a son as Roy did. Being treated like a son isn’t always fun, of course. But Roy never let a negative situation linger. He was always aware of people’s need for kindness and attention and he gave it freely to all.
As I prepared for his memorial service, a question popped into my head. “What would Roy say now?” He said a lot of things while on this earth, some good and some less-than-good, but it’s worth considering if his thought process might have changed when he entered into the eternal state. There is a story in Luke 9 that might shed some light on this question.
About eight days later, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
What would Roy say now? LISTEN TO JESUS!! Stop letting the world have such a great influence on us. Turn off the TV, the smart phone, the game board, the 24-hour news cycle, and any other thing that is sucking up our time and dragging our attention away from the Kingdom. Read the word, especially the gospels. LISTEN TO JESUS!! Gather your family, and friends too, around a table. While sharing the bounty of God’s goodness, talk about what you’re learning in your bible study time. Pray together like never before. And LISTEN TO JESUS as He speaks to you through His Spirit. Treat every moment of every day as a gift from God. But not as a gift for your own personal pleasure… rather, as a gift from the One who is making all things new through Jesus Christ. LISTEN TO HIM!! He’s calling us into that world redeeming work! If we listen, we may hear our own calling. And that calling may well enable us to do what the world says can’t be done.
Yes… Listen to Jesus. That’s what Roy would say to us today. Thank God for our time with Roy. And thank God for our future together when Jesus calls us home as well.