I always look forward to February as a wonderful month of celebration. The first Sunday is Homecoming Sunday which is the birthday of our church. Our church will be 36 years old this month. On the 25th of February, we celebrate Mamie’s birthday. And a week later, is my birthday (March 1). The church has also designated the first Sunday in March as “Pastor Appreciation Sunday” (March 4th). So we come into the month and finish out the month celebrating the Lord for his goodness and mercy towards us.
This month, we have an unexpected event to celebrate. Bob Chase, one of God’s choicest servants has entered his rest and reward in Christ, at the end of January. Bob came to our church a few years ago, and began to serve as soon as he was given the opportunity. He was one of our go-to-guys whenever we needed anything done around the church because he was single, retired and made himself available for the Lord’s work.
Bob was an active deacon, a substitute teacher for our Senior Adults and children’s classes, the Servant Leader of our Care Team, a regular teacher for our Children’s Church, and an active participant in our T2 groups. To say that he will be missed by his church family is an understatement. He not only served the Lord faithfully in all of these ways, but he enjoyed it in a way that was obvious to everyone. His is a life to celebrate, because he so clearly displayed the grace of God at work in his life by his manner and ministry.
What was said of the Apostle Paul, might be said of him: But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me (1 Cor 15:10).
The thing that I would point out about Bob’s life as a Senior Adult is that these are not things Bob “used to do” in the past — this was Bob’s active life and ministry in the present. His death to us was surprising and unexpected, because he seemed to be in excellent health, but it was of course, no surprise to God. He left this world as Christ’s faithful servant and I’m sure he heard those words from our Lord to his faithful saints: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21)
