The Pastor's Pen
The Pastor's Pen is a weekly devotional space where our pastor offers reflections, spiritual insights, and words of encouragement rooted in scripture and everyday life. These writings are intended to challenge, inspire, and draw us closer to God and to one another as we strive to live out our faith with boldness and compassion. Whether offering comfort, conviction, or a call to action, each column invites us into deeper discipleship and shared community.
It is typically posted every Thursday.
In God's Household, Eph. 2:19 | Sept. 4, 2025
Saying good-bye is rarely easy. Maybe that’s why there are not a lot of good examples of good-byes in scripture.
The Christian merchandise industry has for decades made jewelry for good friends parting for a season, using Genesis 31:49, “The LORD watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other.” It’s a sweet verse. Unfortunately, Laban and Jacob hated each other. This was not the parting of good friends. As father-in-law and son-in-law, they had both cheated, lied, and stolen from each other. They asked the LORD to keep an eye on the other, so that if either did something from far away to hurt the other that the LORD would zap them in some painful way. This was a curse, not a blessing. But why let that get in the way of making a profit?
When Naomi said good-bye to her two daughters-in-law, they both clung to her and begged her not to leave them. Naomi insisted, and Orpah returned to her mother, but Ruth would not leave her, saying, “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried.” This is often repeated at weddings, even though it was said between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Again, never let biblical accuracy get in the way of sentiment or profit.
Moses climbed up Mt. Pisgah and died without saying goodbye. Jesus takes his disciples to a hilltop outside of Jerusalem, has some inspirational words for them, then floats away without a handshake or a hug. Maybe floating into heaven calls for a different etiquette.
For the past year and a half, it’s been a privilege and honor to serve as your pastor in this limited interim role. This church nurtured me into our shared faith and set me on my career path, so it’s been a joy to use some of my experience to benefit FAB. I will cherish this opportunity for the rest of my life and am grateful for your trust in my leadership during this transitional period. I wait expectantly to hear the name of your new pastor and look forward to hearing what God has for you in the future. Let’s make this goodbye a see-you-later.
~ Dr. Tim Moore
