“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Among those who are in ministry, we typically refer to each other by our first names. We do so because we all share the same title. And we do so because we are all colleagues.
However, there is one man that I’ve always called “pastor.” I could never bring myself to address him by his first name. The man I’m referring to is the pastor under whom I grew up, Pastor William Richard Graves.
I had a unique experience while I was visiting my parents this past week. I was able to attend the funeral of this man who was so influential in my life. I was also asked to read Scripture during the service, which I counted a great honor.
As a pastor, I’ve conducted many, many funerals over the years. And I’ve attended and taken part in many more, outside of ministry responsibilities. However, this one was different.
It was different because this was the man who baptized me, when I was nine years old. This was the man who confirmed me. This was the man to whom I went when I was being called by God into ministry. This is the man who encouraged me in this calling, giving me opportunity after opportunity to learn and grow. This is also one of the men who laid hands on me during my ordination, right after I graduated from seminary.
However, there is one man that I’ve always called “pastor.” I could never bring myself to address him by his first name. The man I’m referring to is the pastor under whom I grew up, Pastor William Richard Graves.
I had a unique experience while I was visiting my parents this past week. I was able to attend the funeral of this man who was so influential in my life. I was also asked to read Scripture during the service, which I counted a great honor.
As a pastor, I’ve conducted many, many funerals over the years. And I’ve attended and taken part in many more, outside of ministry responsibilities. However, this one was different.
It was different because this was the man who baptized me, when I was nine years old. This was the man who confirmed me. This was the man to whom I went when I was being called by God into ministry. This is the man who encouraged me in this calling, giving me opportunity after opportunity to learn and grow. This is also one of the men who laid hands on me during my ordination, right after I graduated from seminary.
God definitely used this man in my life, to both influence me and to prepare me for the calling I received. And since I’ve been in ministry, he was always a source of encouragement. Every time I saw him he would remind me that he was praying for me.
In a conversation, during the visitation, someone who knew me long ago said, “I don’t know where you are, as a pastor...” I could only reply to him, saying: “If you knew Pastor Graves, then you know where I’m at.”
I can only hope and pray that God will use me in this way. I can only hope and pray that God will use me to lead people to faith, to strengthen them in faith, and to prepare them for service. I can only hope and pray that others might be able to say the same of me, when my time in this world comes to an end.
So thank you, Lord, for Pastor Graves. Thank you for the great blessing he was in my life, and in the lives of so many others. Thank you for his willingness to be used by you. And thank you, also, for your continued work in my own life.
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