A Perfect Gift

A couple of weeks ago our cathedral had its 868th birthday. It is of course a privilege to work in a church that old. Just thinking about all the people who have worshipped there before us makes the head spin. Anyway, on this particular day a Korean couple who has been with us almost every Sunday for the past two years were there for the very last time. They were going back home the following week. This is the one thing that I don’t like about my job. Working with students, you often get to know people, and before you know it, they are leaving. It always fills me with sadness. I could fill this entire page with names of people I have gotten to know in our church, that have now gone home, and that I still miss. Anyhow, after the service the couple came up to me and gave me, or rather the Cathedral, a gift – I like to think of it as a birthday gift. It was a beautiful Korean bible. Following this I have been thinking:
1. In our Cathedral we sometimes have a ceremony to send pilgrims on their way. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a ceremony like that for members of our congregation that are leaving? – A short prayer wishing them good luck and thanking them for their presence among us? It should of course be voluntary to participate, but we could have it as an offer. It would also give the congregation a chance to say goodbye.
2. What if we could build a library with Bibles from all over the world that people have donated to us? Besides the map, that would really be a symbol of how international our congregation is.
So what do you think?