Today, we held a funeral service for our beloved sister in Christ, Sarah Terry. Sarah was such a gift not only to her family and to Farmville Baptist, but to our community and the Commonwealth. A former Executive Director of the Farmville Chamber of Commerce and a Legislative Aide to Congressman Virgil Goode of the Fifth District of Virginia, Sarah served her Lord through serving the people of the Commonwealth.
Because of the many boards and leadership positions she served throughout the state, our sanctuary was packed with family, friends and well wishers who were blessed by Sarah’s life. Amanda and I were privileged to lead in the service. I gave a eulogy called “A Life Worthy of God’s Calling” based on Ephesians 4:1 and Colossians 1:10-12.
The picture above of Sarah and her husband Parker was taken on August 27, 2006. Sarah will greatly be missed in our church and in our community. Memorials may be made to the Farmville Baptist Church, the Southside Family YMCA or to the Virginia Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund.
Pastor’s Column in The Informer (FBC’s Newsletter) – published December 2007
In the Christmas story, a favorite “whipping boy” for preachers is the imagined innkeeper at Bethlehem who tells Mary and Joseph that “there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). In our haste to criticize the innkeeper, we fail to notice that in all likelihood, all rooms in Bethlehem were taken because of the census issued by Caesar Augustus that required all citizens in the empire to return to their home towns to register. Who can blame an innkeeper for rejecting potential guests if all rooms were already sold out and the “No Vacancy” sign was hanging prominently over the entrance? Can you imagine just how busy the innkeeper already was catering to the needs of all the guests-cooking meals, washing bed linens, cleaning and tidying? In the midst of such a hectic season and overbooked schedule, who would welcome in a pair of strangers, one of whom was visibly a “special needs” case? The Bible does not tell us how many innkeepers had already rejected Joseph and Mary, but thank God for this unnamed innkeeper, who literally made room for this couple, and in that small act, provided a place where Jesus, the incarnate love of God, can be born.
The Advent season is once again upon us, and in many ways, I feel like an innkeeper. In the Cheuk household, we are bracing ourselves for the flurry of activity that will descend upon us as we speed along toward Christmas. Decorating the house, attending parties, writing cards, buying presents, attending church activities, welcoming relatives, and preparing to travel are just some of the things on our to-do list. For so many people, the Christmas season is mostly a time of stress, a time of not having enough hours in the day to get everything done, a time where nerves are frayed and bodies are exhausted. During this hectic time, there isn’t much room “in the margins” of our lives.
So how do we make room for Jesus this Advent? (more…)
