The following reflects a series of pastoral visits I made to an elderly minister who served for 25 years as the pastor of my first congregation AFTER he retired. The last few weeks of his life were at home where family and friends looked after him.
The old man asked a question
As he lay there waiting to die.
Well over ninety years of life
Had passed before his eyes.
He preached thousands of sermons
And held the hands of the ill.
So many had prayed with him over that time
Seeking to know God’s will.
He seemed to realize I was present that day
But his mind clearly was elsewhere.
He wrestled with thoughts and deep concerns
With almost a sense of despair.
So many decades immersed in the Word
Yet confusion and wonder remained.
He spoke to me, to himself, to no one
His expression was deeply pained.
He asked several times, “What is grace?”
Was it something for me to define?
No, I simply waited in silence.
The answer he sought was not mine.
The old man asked a question
As he lay there waiting to die.
But after all those caring and helping years,
Had meaning and truth passed him by?
