Preached by Rev. Erik Kindem.
Scripture: John 17:20-26; Acts 16:16-34
Summary
In my family, growing up, goodbyes were—as a rule—short and sweet, not the long, lingering affairs of some. A handshake and a quick hug and we were soon in the car and heading down the road. Kindems don't linger. It wasn’t until marriage exposed me to very different ways of saying goodbye that I realized there could be other ways of going about this ritual of leave taking. How do you say goodbye? For Jesus saying goodbye seems to have been a long process. John devotes four whole chapters to it.
Saying goodbye to what you've known can be painful. But it can also lead to the emergence of new life. Who could predict that Paul's desire to be rid of an annoying girl's rants would end with the community of Christ being extended outward yet again?