Be with you all
“Goodbyes hurt because you leave a piece of your heart behind with the people.”
A friend of mine made this statement, shortly after I returned from my year in Cambodia. This quote perfectly captures how I feel about St. Paul this week. I remember when I first started, I was asked how I liked St. Paul. Overwhelmed by the hospitality, excitement, and generosity, I think my words were “every day is an adventure, I’m so grateful to be here.” And it was. It really was. And I am grateful.
For 18 months, each day brought a new story about St. Paul and the incredible people, new places to explore in the Quad Cities, and a new discovery about myself. Every day, I got to learn, grow, and nurture my vocation and heart for ordained ministry, and deepen my relationship with God through my encounters and relationships with you.
This week will hold a lot of lasts — the last staff meeting, the last pastoral visit, the last handshake, and the last hug. Some goodbyes have already been said. And, I’ll admit, none of it gets any easier because I still feel tears every time I type the word ‘goodbye.’
I’ve learned that goodbyes are naturally part of the human experience. We all take our turns saying goodbye to the friends and family we’re to move away from, to the colleagues, mentors, and congregations who have shaped us, to a loved one who is dying, and to the communities that have raised us.
And yet, in every goodbye that we’ve said ourselves or others have said to us, I am reminded that goodbyes are just as important as the greetings because it honors the time and the stories that communities shared so preciously together, even if it means a piece of a heart is left behind.
However, I take comfort in the benedictions that we find in Paul’s letters to the churches he loved and left.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (2nd Cor. 13:13)
No matter what circumstances draw our goodbyes, there is comfort in the truth embedded in these words. Even in times of farewell and in times of uncertainty, we are still loved by God who loves without boundaries. We are woven together through the grace of the Crucified and Resurrected Jesus. And together, we are moved by the Holy Spirit to new places to meet new people with the same love and compassion shared time and time again as we all receive, witness, and proclaim the living God that is at work among all of us.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
In gratitude,
-Maddy Tyler, pastor in residency
