Ruth and I were married on December 5, 1950. By the end of 1964, we had been married for 14 years and moved multiple times, following the call of pastoral ministry. I had served as an evangelist, local church pastor, and a conference administrator. We had also traveled from our home in South Africa to Washington, DC, where I had completed my master’s degree. After seminary, I pastored back in South Africa.
For the first few years, I was pastoring four churches at once in Johannesburg. I enjoyed the challenge of caring for these four congregations. It meant preaching in each church once a month, conducting prayer meetings, and` also chairing the church board in each, once a month. For the last three or four years I was only assigned to pastor Johannesburg Central, which had 300 attendees each Sabbath, and one new small congregation. I thoroughly enjoyed my service there.
At the end of 1964 we were called to pastor two churches in Cape Town, one thousand miles away. The Johannesburg Central Seventh-day Adventist Church planned a farewell party for us one Saturday night in December of that year.
All of our belongings were picked up by a moving company towards the end of the week. We had sold our home and we planned to leave home on the Saturday evening in our Volkswagen Beetle with our three children and what we could get into the car. The plan was to leave home in time to attend the Saturday night farewell and then after the event we would drive on our way south during the night.
We were packed up and ready to drive to the farewell. Then, just before we left I said to the family I must go and say good-bye to two of our neighbors. I proceeded and had a good, brief visit with each of the families. When I was finished, I returned and we all climbed into the car and drove the 15 miles to Johannesburg Central. As we were driving, I began to realize what a predicament we were in.
By the time we had parked the car and walked into the church hall it was 9:00 pm. The party was supposed to have begun at 7:30 pm!
The people had been patient and were gracious, but I felt devastated by my lack of careful planning. Would I ever survive the embarrassment of arriving an hour and a half late?
We were late for our important meeting and it was most unfortunate! I know Someone else who was four days late for an event (John 11:17), but it proved to be a great blessing. My experience was the result of poor planning; Jesus’ arrival at Bethany was well-planned and done with divine purpose. We were going to say good-bye to a church family; Jesus was going to raise Lazarus, then to say farewell to his disciples face the cross of Calvary. My delay was thoughtless and selfish; Jesus’ delay was purposeful and planned in order to display the glory of God.
Sometimes we have to choose between the good and the right. It was a good deed for me to say good-bye to our two neighbors, but the right thing was to meet the hundreds of waiting members on time. My act was good, but selfish; the right and proper act was to meet the church members on time.
After the farewell I realized that there was nothing I could do to restore what I had done. Our decisions are important and consequential and we cannot change them.
The only thing I could do was run to the Man who always knew when to do something on time and when it was important to delay. I found comfort, healing, and forgiveness in the One who went to Calvary and carried all my weaknesses, follies, and sins. Praise His name!
We are moving towards Easter and we are reminded that the Christ of Calvary is the answer to all our weaknesses. “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4, 5).
The only place I found forgiveness, restoration, comfort, and healing was in the Man of Calvary who has given me the assurance of wholeness in this life and the assurance of eternal life with Him.
Since that challenging experience, I have tried my best never to be late again.
Eric Webster is the father of John Webster and grandfather of Raewyn Orlich. He and Ruth enjoy attending Destination Sabbath School when visiting from Michigan.