Late Monday afternoon, I received an email with the shocking news that our Regional Minister, Rev. Kendall Harrison, died suddenly of a heart attack.  I couldn’t believe it.  As I’m a member of the Regional Pastoral Relations Committee that Kendall staffed, I’d seen him at a Zoom meeting a few weeks before, and he appeared to be as hale and hearty as ever.  So, like everyone else in the Region, I’ve been trying to process this tragic news. 

As Marilen and I were chatting about Kendall this week, she mentioned a helpful note that Rev. Kate Jones in Grand Bay-Westfield (who chairs our PR Committee) had just written.  In it, Kate noted that Kendall had an app on his phone that would send him a message every day reminding him of his mortality – that he was going to die one day – and that he should do his best to live life to the fullest and make the most of each and every day he had. 

According to his obituary, Kendall did just that. I don’t know a lot about his personal life, but I do know that he loved his job and took it seriously.  He cared deeply for the people and communities he served, and the contributions he made to the life of the United Church in New Brunswick were significant and important.  But I also know that the job he’d been doing for over 20 years was a hard one.  People – be they clergy or congregational leaders – usually only called Kendall when they needed help, when they’d run into a problem they couldn’t solve on their own, or when a crisis was brewing.  Consequently, he dealt with all kinds of stressful and very difficult situations – and took on the challenges that few of us are willing or able to handle.  But he did so willingly, faithfully, and well.

So I invite you to pray for Kendall’s family as they now walk through the valley of the shadow of death and deal with their shock and grief.   I invite you to join me in considering your own mortality and ask yourself how you can make the most of every single day.  And I also invite you to offer support to those in our community who continue to take on tasks that are difficult.  This week’s gospel reading reminds us that Jesus himself took on many challenges, and that we’re all indebted to those special individuals who follow in his footsteps and do their best to care, serve and help.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday.