In wisdom and love God has surrounded us by a great cloud of witnesses. We think of Abraham and Sarah, King David and his great-grandmother Ruth, John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene. They showed us how to be strong and faithful to God. I also think of my first grade Sunday School teacher, who taught me how BIG God's love is, and that He is always with me; Grandma, who went to church every Sunday; and Mrs. McCormick, who passed out cookies and hugs to the neighborhood kids. 

I'll never forget the first time, as a teenager, I saw our new Youth Pastor-in a Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts, a straw hat, and sandals with socks. He was going to replace our beloved volunteer youth worker, Sharon. How could this quiet, unassuming man replace vibrant, bubbly Sharon, who had a voice like an angel? My teenage world was thrown into turmoil. What was God trying to do to me? Everything was so confusing. 

Sharon left, and Pastor Mark was just always there. He was quiet and thoughtful. He dived right into our world. He took us to Christian rock concerts and stood with us right in the front row by the speakers. Pastor Mark not only did his job, he went the extra mile with us. For every youth activity that we had, he picked me up, because my family didn't have a car. In those car rides we got to know each other and invest in one another's lives. 

Years later, when I was twenty-three, I had to have surgery to remove some tumors from my reproductive organs. I didn't know if I would be able to have children, there was a possibility that I had cancer, and I wouldn't know anything for sure until I woke up from surgery. Pastor Mark and his wife were in the process of moving the morning I was scheduled for surgery. He took time away from his tasks to come to the hospital and pray with me. I was so frightened, especially of the unknown, that I couldn't quit crying. After we prayed together, I felt peace. I was reminded of what I had known from childhood: that God is always with me and He loves me very much. I was still scared, but I was no longer terrified. I knew that with God's love and the strength of the great cloud of witnesses surrounding me, I could handle whatever happened. I wasn't alone. 

About the Author: Barb Herzinger serves as a deaconess at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Michigan City, Indiana.
 

Prayer: Gracious God, creator of all things, thank you for great and wondrous love that sustains us, and for the gift of fellow believers. Use us as part of that cloud of witnesses, like Abraham and Sarah, Mrs. McCormick, Sharon and Pastor Mark. Thank you for faithful Sunday School teachers, parents who love us and nurture us in the faith, and all those others whom we now name in our hearts. In the name of Jesus, Amen.