And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

– Acts 20:36-38 (ESV)

Thus did the Apostle Paul bid farewell to the elders at Ephesus.

How many times in our lives has a similar scene played out? There is something unnatural and wrenching about goodbye. We fret about how to say the word, what to do “when it comes down to the end”. Goodbyes are uncomfortable and awkward. They involve a letting go of something we care about. Letting go is also unnatural for us humans.

Why is it this way? I wonder. I was talking about this tonight with my friend Brad, who is moving to Seattle in three days. I believe that the word “goodbye” was invented at Genesis 3:7. In other words, “goodbye” is a product of the fall, a curse of our fallen nature.

We were not meant for goodbye. But when we fell we died, and every goodbye is, in a sense, another memory of that separation from what we were meant to be, another reminder of the marring of the wholeness we were created for.

But among Christian brothers and sisters every goodbye is temporal, and our separation a mere nanosecond when logged against the annals and eons of eternity. We will see someday that we were never truly separated.

And one day we will laugh with joy together in the presence of our King

. . . and we will never say goodbye again.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

– Revelation 21:1-4 (ESV)

You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

Yes. Peace.

That’s something I need right now.

Every day has its trouble. Nothing truly bad is happening. But there are stresses and pressures and risks and frustrations that assault every day. Some days more than others.

And here’s this promise, written to people who would be unable to comprehend the comparative luxury and security I live in. God promises peace; perfect peace to the one whose mind is stayed on Him. Peace, which is often so elusive, is to be found through setting our minds on the One who is the Prince of peace. It seems too easy.

I don’t understand it.

But then again, I’m not supposed to.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

– Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

Have you ever noticed that a lot of the “3:16” verses in the New Testament are amazing?

What I picture when I read this verse is the foundation of a healthy, balanced church. Notice the ingredients:

1. The words of Jesus, who is the Word of God, dwelling in us richly. What a great choice of words: to “dwell” means to “live and make one’s home in”. This is not a call for us to merely learn the Bible. It goes far beyond that. It is aking those sacred words in, letting them dwell in us, a living influence and governor over our thoughts, actions and words. And the words of Christ are not to just live a poor, shabby existence in our lives. No, they are to dwell in us richly; putting down deep roots, taking up the best rooms in our spiritual “house”.

2. Members of the body teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. Each member of the Body of Christ is commanded and empowered to build up those around them. To “admonish” means to “reprove gently but earnestly”. “Reprove” means “to find fault with”. There is a corrective principle in the church that is to be put in action, gently but earnestly, and with wisdom. If done right, this is a beautiful thing. If done right, it is God’s grace lived out among brothers and sisters who are not content to let eachother fail.

3. Rejoicing and worshipping in song together. We are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, thanking God for all He’s done. When the voice of the church is lifted up in spirit and in truth, there is nothing like it. As an aside, churches are splitting these days in their wars over worship. I’m no theologian, but it appears to me that God grants us freedom here to sing psalms (and what a treasure-trove the psalms are), hymns (for those who love the great songs of the faith) and spiritual songs (which can include almost anything God-honoring, including praise choruses and modern worship). I don’t see any way to lose here, provided attributes 1 and 2, above, are put in practice.

Picture a Body living all three of these! And let us begin being that Body in our world.