The End is just as the Beginning

It is one of the eschatological maxims - The end is just as the beginning or the beginning is just as the end. In the beginning God created the garden of Eden to fellowship with man and at the end God will dwell with men in the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21). As for me, I could not have worked up the script for my ending any better. I ended where I began at the SIB Pekan Ranau church.
I preached there 4 years ago before the denomination's President and on Saturday the roles were reversed as the President preached to the graduands. Ironically it was also the first and last time I heard the President preached in the past 4 years and likewise it was 4 years ago the President listened to me preached though I had preached in 3 or 4 HQ organized events in his absence. The end is just as the beginning. It was also in the same church that I received my appointment as pastor of SIB Muhibbah another Ranau church and yesterday I went back for one last time before leaving Ranau for KK. My wife has not worshipped in the church since I resigned as pastor in Feb 2016 and it was good for her to reaquaint herself with her friends at church. I took most of my clothes with me and only God knows when I shall be returning to Ranau and for what purpose. I suppose I will take a complete break and rest for the next 3 days to recharge my battery and catch up on sleep. It has been erratic. I could not sleep the whole night before graduation but after the end I slept like a baby throughout the night at my Namaus lodging. Whatever it is the journey from Namaus to KK was as demanding as ever and I saw the mileage went past 86500kms which means in a fortnight I have travelled more than 1,000kms making numerous trips back and forth the College and KK and my tour of the interior. Even tonight I have been called up for one last elders' committee meeting. I thought last week's meeting was the last but I guess a few more essays and applications must have reached the HQ in the last couple of days. One syndrome I intend to cure the church from if I ever get back to serve is this last minute syndrome. The graduation on Saturday went smoothly enough because the extension programme certificate graduates do not attend the ceremony anymore as in the past 2 years. The attendance was sparse in church on Saturday as I remembered when I preached 4 years ago it was packed with worshippers. It is paramount for leaders to get ordinary members to get excited with our annual events like graduation as these pastors will be sent to their churches. No wonder the numbers entering College are falling. We need more excitement about theological education all round and it is only healthy for the larger church when that happens.