what is work?

Forgetting what I wrote yesterday...

Sunday morning at 2:51 a.m. a Hispanic man who was driving without a license, legal documentation, registration or insurance ran a red light and struck the side of a car carrying only the driver, a 17 year old junior Josh George. He had just dropped off his prom date (the daughter and former resident in the house that Mary and I just bought). The Hispanic was a former employee of a congregant here (he had fired him when his documentation proved false). To make a very long and very emotional story short, the young man did not make it. He was taken of of life support this evening and his organs were donated to others in need.

As you may have read, yesterday I and Mary spent a great deal of time "dealing" with this situation. Today was much more of the same. We had a prayer vigil at the church directly across the street from the High School where Josh attended immediately after school. Altogether we had over 100 come, pray, sign a banner for him/his family and watch a Nooma. (If you don't know Nooma, they are short DVD teachings on scriptural themes made by a pastor Rob Bell.) The one we watched was about prayer and it actually involved a car accident. The idea of the film is that we are to pray always and honestly tell God what we are thinking and feeling. After that, I delivered the banner to the George house and displayed it in their garage.

Tomorrow night at 7 or 7:30 p.m. there will be a celebration ceremony at the High School stadium. The churches are helping provide supplies (balloons, candles and flowers) for this event. Thursday at 2:00 p.m. there will be a funeral for him at the church (Calhoun Campus). Friday the body will be transported north so he can be buried with his father.

I had never met this young man or anyone in his family before. I had met his girlfriend only for a minute here at the house as we toured it. Yet this tragedy has brought, and probably will bring, me to tears many times. It is so powerful to see so many in such deep and real pain and to not be able to offer personal help. Rather, my role is to facilitate safe places to be hurt together. Two young women from the school thanked me for helping organize the prayer time after school. If that's all I get from all of this time, emotion, effort and diligence, then it was more than worth it all.

What is work? What is ministry? Is it calling someone on the telephone to arrange for makers and a sheet? Is it holding hands in a giant circle with people who are hurting and crying? Is it inviting those who want to to honor Josh by telling about what he was like? Is it truly thanking people for their tireless commitment to ministering in hospitals? Is it being inconvenienced by an intersection that is closed so that a half dozen police people can re-create the events of Sunday morning...an intersection that you had already detoured to reach so that you could pray again for the family at the point of attack? Is it searching a neighborhood to find an empty house...one that would hours later be filled with sorrow, frustration and anger towards God and His people...only to place a huge sign of the community's support and love for them where they could not miss and deny it? What, God, is ministry? What does it mean for me to "be at work?"

"Did you not know that I would be about my father's business?"

"Let tomorrow worry about itself."

"...He will give you rest."

Good night friends and family. May your tomorrow bring you opportunities for ministry.

Danny

P.S.
Here are some links to some local news coverage of the story.
Island packet 1
island packet 2