September 1, 2015 (Tuesday)
Welcome to September, the month of my birth. When the birthday rolls around in a few weeks, I will be 84, if the Lord wills.
When I look into the mirror, I see a person that has changed remarkably from the guy that used to be reflected there. But isn’t it strange that, in my heart, I’m still the First Grader in school, the boy in the dentist’s chair, the young guy in the pool at the YMCA, the college kid laughing, the young groom smiling, the .. whatever the image chosen from the past. I still feel like the same person, but I’ve changed. So has everyone else.
I retired from the pastorate of First Baptist Church, Rockport, almost 20 years ago. Since that time, I have supplied pulpits here and there, served as interim pastor several times, and actually became the pastor of a church for a few years. I am currently the Interim Pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside.
Yesterday I conducted a funeral. I have kept records of the funerals I’ve held, and there have been 903 of them, assuming I remembered to record all of them. Through the years I have had 358 weddings. I don’t know how many I baptized. The churches were keeping the records of baptisms, and at some point I stopped doing it myself. A great many people were baptized through the years. Every so often people remind me that I baptized them.
As we grow older, it’s hard for some of us to keep from thinking about the past. It’s easier for us now to know what was important back then and deserved to take priority over other things, but impossible to go back and do it all over.
Next Sunday will be the 67th anniversary of my first sermon. I preached a topical sermon on “Living As Jesus” from Philippians 2:5-11. Considering that I had been going to church for only two months, did not know anything about the Bible and certainly knew nothing at all about preaching, it was a noble effort. The people who heard it said it was good, but, of course, they would do that. They always encouraged me. Two weeks ago at Bethel, I repeated the joke I told as I introduced my first sermon in 1948. Those kind-hearted folks at Bethel laughed! Hooray!
Life is a little like a roller coaster. After most of the thrilling, exciting ride is over, you take it easy and enjoy the last part before you get off and greet those who are waiting at the station.