Never Say Goodbye

“I know that none of you…will ever see me again.”  Acts 20:25

Prom 1987.  Guarded by vigilant chaperones and photo-popping parents, scores of sharply dressed students danced the night away under the boldly glittered theme of “Never Say Goodbye.”  But we did.  The clock struck twelve. Graduation arrived.  And I haven’t seen my date in over two decades.  Seasons change, time rolls by and life goes on, but I still don’t like saying goodbye.  Few do, for though some farewells come easy, others are excruciating.

Rewind time two thousand years.  You’re at a Turkish harbor watching crowds come and go when a certain group of men catches your eye.  They’re huddled together, hugging and holding on for as long as possible.  At the center is the Apostle Paul, and those around him are Ephesians. Since the city of Ephesus is inland, these men had traveled to the shore to meet Paul’s ship to say hello—and goodbye.  For good.

“I know that none of you…will ever see me again” (Acts 20:25), Paul told them as tears streamed down all their faces.  For three years, Paul had lived with them and loved them.  He had taught them the truth of Christ and the Christian life, but he was much more than a teacher or preacher.  Paul was their friend, and he was their family.  Their connection with him and their affection for him moved beyond the ordinary boundaries of the natural world to the binding, bonding love of God’s Spirit, and none wanted to say goodbye.

But they knew they had to, so Paul left them with an exhortation, an encouragement, and an embrace.  “Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  I commit you to God and to the word of his grace which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.  When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.  They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him”(Acts 20:28,32,36).  Then they walked him to the boat.

Luke describes their leaving like this—“After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos”(Acts 21:1).  On the sea and on the shore, hearts were breaking at the sadness of separation.  Perhaps you’ve been there—at an airport, at the front door, by a casket.  Sometimes the separation is for part of life.  Sometimes it’s for all of life.  But, in Christ, it’s not forever. 

Don’t be ashamed of the tears.  Don’t be afraid to embrace.  But always remember to hope.  When the ones we love are committed to God and to the word of His grace, we can trust Him to bring us back together.

Perhaps the prom theme should be our theme.  Never say goodbye, for in Christ we can truly say, “See you later.”