Remembering

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses ...

Hebrews 12:1

Reconnecting with classmates at my 60th high school reunion last fall was great fun — and inspiring. One friend had found numerous obituaries of classmates whom we’d lost, and we discovered abundant unheralded acts of generosity. “Volunteering at a Christ-centered summer camp for inner-city kids,”

“a commendation medal for heroism in Vietnam.” My favorite: “mostly, he loved God and people, and wanted to be known as a humble follower of Christ.” We had 500 students in our class and many of those words described people that I hadn’t known in school, but I thank God for their quiet lives, their small acts of service, and how God used them to further his kingdom. I rejoice in that “great cloud of witnesses.”