I’m not really a suit guy. It’s a good thing that I go to a church that isn’t a suit church. Shoot, there are lots of Sundays that I’m not even wearing shoes on stage when I lead worship. But over the last few days I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of that suit.
Saturday was the happy day. Katy Nold married Josiah Snyder. Katy was 8 when Kim and I moved to State College. I was her youth pastor, and I have unofficially claimed her (and the rest of the Nold children) as part of my extended family. I will happily be Uncle Stac for the rest of my life. You can read her dad’s (my pastor) blog post about the wedding here. I got to be the sound guy/emcee for the wedding and reception, which meant I had a ringside seat for the ceremony. I choked back tears as I watched Katy make her vows. I have loved watching Katy grow into a beautiful and godly young lady.
The suit also saw the opposite side of the spectrum Monday morning. I was asked to lead the memorial service for Tyson. He was only 22 months old, and his life was too short and too difficult. He was born with goldenhar syndrome, and lived with more pain than I can imagine. His parents have a lot of family support, and are such strong people. Losing a loved one is horrible in any case; there are no words to adequately describe what this young family is feeling. But Jesus is the HOPE we have. Sure, we grieve. We mourn. We weep and hurt and question. Deep love magnifies the pain of loss. But we do not grieve like those who have no hope. We know that there is more to the story. Jesus promises that he is our source for life, that he is making all things new, and that there is a huge family reunion coming one day!
What a contrast over the span of 48 hours. One family experiences the highest highs while another struggles to find their breath. I’m glad to have been involved with both families.
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