With a great range of emotions, we would like to announce that Jesus called our Vacancy Pastor, Pastor Henrickson, into His kingdom of glory. We know the great love Pastor Henrickson had for his immediate family, his Christian family at Concordia, and the whole Christian Church on earth. Even greater is Pastor’s love of Christ.
We pray for the peace of Christ and hope of the resurrection on all those who celebrate Pastor’s life on earth. As arrangements are made, we will share those with the congregation. We will also share ways to love and support Pastor’s family.
We thank God for the blessing Pastor was to Concordia during our time of vacancy. He faithfully shared God’s Word and Sacraments with us. He cared for us as our Good Shepherd cares for His sheep. We thank God for the work He accomplished through Pastor Henrickson. As Pastor recently shared, “When we lose a loved one–whether that’s a husband, father, grandfather, friend, fellow church member–we can experience a range of emotions. Certainly there’s a sense of loss, grief, in knowing that we will not see that person again in this life. But for the Christian, when we lose a brother or sister in Christ, there’s also a peace and a joy, knowing that this person is now with the Lord, resting from their labors, delivered from sickness and sadness and sorrow, and that we will see them again in a joyful reunion in heaven. It is in this hope that we can celebrate the life that the Lord has given to us and to our loved one.”
As a congregation, we continue to experience the range of emotions Pastor Henrickson mentions; we can also remember the hope Pastor shared with all. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God will continue to provide for us through His Word and His Sacraments. He has provided eternal life to all believers through His death and resurrection. He prepared a place for His good and faithful servant and called him home.
Pastor Henrickson recently shared this about another undershepherd; but we know it applies today too. “Today we take comfort in the fact that the Good Shepherd does indeed give life, eternal life, to his undershepherd, [Charles]–and to all of us who trust in Christ, whatever our calling. It’s all by grace, it’s God’s doing, and therefore we can be sure of it. We get a picture of this life in our reading from Revelation. There we see the white-robed multitude waving their palm branches in praise of their Savior. And we see how they received those spotless white robes: “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Friends, that’s the only thing that will get the stain of sin out: Christ’s holy blood, shed on your behalf.
Trusting in Christ, we too will enjoy the life, the eternal future, that lies in store for [Charles] and for all of God’s people: ‘They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”