The summer of 1965 was a glorious time to be in Washington D.C. The place of so many museums. The zoo where the white tiger was a rarity- so majestic and yet so sad. To be able to listen to music on the steps of the Potomac by the Marine Corps Band- the President’s own band. The place where both my mother and I were born. To be with family and friends, including one who had moved with her family from Los Angeles where we had been in the same school and had done a lot of things together.
It was the time of the big musicals. The big screen movies. I remember standing in line outside the movie theater, waiting with my friend and her mother to get our tickets. To be permitted inside the cool and dark theater where for a few hours we would be transported away. And finally the movie started and we were, indeed, transported to another time and place. But at last it was over and we went blinking out into the mid-afternoon sun. And out into the rest of the activities before it was time to say goodbye.
That was the last time my friend and I saw each other. But the memories survive. The memories of good times, of special times.
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye — Goodbye!
As you have guessed, the movie we saw was “The Sound of Music.” But it doesn’t really matter which movie it was. Or that it was a movie. What matters is that we were two friends who spent time together. Our lives crossed for awhile. We learned from each other. We played together. And then we said goodbye. The memories last even though we don’t see each other anymore. We each are better people – better friends- because we learned to be friends from one another.
The Bible is full of goodbyes. Adam and Even say goodbye to the garden. Noah and his family say goodbye to those not on the ark. Abraham says goodbye to his homeland and travels as God directs. The people of Israel say goodbye to their homeland when they are sent into exile in Babylon. And Jesus says goodbye to his friends and disciples when he ascends into heaven following the resurrection.
Life is full of goodbyes. Not all goodbyes are of our choosing. Not all goodbyes are ones where we will see the person again. But all goodbyes offer the opportunity –if we choose to take it- to give thanks to God for life and friendship. To give thanks to God for love and relationship. To give thanks to God for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us. To give thanks to God for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence upon God alone.
Life is full of goodbyes. Life if also full of thanksgivings. The two are inextricably intertwined – or they should be.
For all that has been, For all that is, And for all that is yet to be, we give God thanks.
Today, All Saints’ Sunday, we read aloud the names of those who have died and we see no longer this side of the grave. We said goodbye when they died. We say goodbye again, today, as we both remember them by reading a name aloud- and we let go of them, once again, knowing that each person rests in God’s grace and God’s glory. Tears and sadness as we remember are not unwise or unwelcome. They reflect our sadness and our love for the person named.
God’s love and God’s grace exist because God is. We love God because God first loved us. And sometimes that love is expressed in other people who share our lives for a period of time.
St. Andrew’s is a special place- it has a special role in Greencastle, Indiana. And in the wider church and in the wider world. St. Andrew’s is what it is because you are what you are. As you go about your daily life, your travels for business or to see family or friends, you are a witness to the love of God which ransforms lives. As my time at St. Andrew’s draws to a close, I can state with certainly that my life has been transformed by your love and your faithfulness. Thanks be to God!
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