My old pastor wrote this for my dad today: A Place at God’s Table for Mark Alan Moore Beth, Francis, and Others in the Moore Family, I was saddened to hear of Mark’s passing. It has driven me to dual prayer; first, that the Lord would richly dispense grace upon each of you. There will be pain and loss, but to those the Lord will add peace and understanding. And second, a prayer of thankfulness that the Lord has extended to me the privilege of a unique friendship with Mark Alan Moore. Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, a place of acceptance, eternal life and forgiveness. It’s a cool place where the blind receive sight, the lame walk and those who live with pain receive relief. The Kingdom of God is where we all go to shed sin, experience grace and fellowship with Jesus. The Lord, in his wisdom, seated Mark and me beside one another at his table. Even a casual observer would notice differences between the long-haired, expert mechanic with bold opinions and a hearty laugh and the quiet, stiff-suited preacher type; clean cut, but who never really livened up a party. For a period of nine years this odd couple feasted at the Lord’s table in a pastor/parishioner relationship. I hope that I have, in some small way, had a positive influence on Mark. But I believe those roles may have been reversed. Mark may have taught me more about the Lord than anyone ever ascertained from one of my sermons. Lessons I learned from Mark include: 1. Every possession belongs to God. If the Lord needed something, Mark just gave it to him. If a person was in need and Mark had the ability to help, he just helped. Generosity of that kind is a terrible business plan, but works great in God’s Kingdom! Mark showed me that possessions never last anyway, so treat everything as a gift from the Lord to be shared. 2. Love your children. Beth, if you can imagine this, I recall one specific day when being your dad was particularly challenging for Mark. (Big smile!) I saw Mark ignore his personal needs, drop everything, and give a hundred percent of his attention to your safety. That’s how God loves his children. Mark demonstrated that kind of love. 3. Being a friend is safe. One of the reasons people liked being around Mark is that there was never a need to put on airs. His friendship was one that allowed me to be genuinely me, mistakes and all. Mark demonstrated for me what friendship with Jesus is like. Recent years have provided only a little opportunity for Mark and me to sit at the same table. I am certainly glad for the times that the Lord allowed us to fellowship. I believe that the mechanic and the preacher will sit together again someday. It will be a feast. Jesus will be there and, there will be lots of things to talk about! Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. I Peter 1:3-4 Dr. Mark E. Lail Executive Vice President, Church of the Nazarene Foundation
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 03:47:07 +0000
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