Garth George: Not always true that the good die young

Garth George

What a joy it was to read this week the obituary of Tauranga's Catherine Hollister-Jones, whose lifetime of selfless service to others epitomised the true spirit of a commitment to her faith in God and his son Jesus.

We can be sure that right now she is in the presence of her Lord, held forever in his everlasting arms, and that she has heard those timeless words reserved for so few: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant ... enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

Catherine, a lifetime servant of the Presbyterian Church, was 94, which gives the lie to old adage that "only the good die young".

But the thing that struck me when I read of her selfless life in the service of Christ is that she leaves us with literally tens of thousands of others throughout this land who are living lives just as dedicated to the welfare of others as she was.

These are the folk who make up the real Church - that body of born-again, Spirit-filled believers who can be found in every denomination - which is today stronger than it has ever been in this nation and is going about the Lord's work with commitment and vigour.

I am persuaded that if this were not so, our nation would be in much direr straits than it is; that the salt and light being spread in all walks of life by committed Christians is slowing down the putrefaction and holding back the darkness to which the powers of evil would condemn us.

They are not just to be found in the obvious places, the churches and high-profile Christian charities and agencies, but in schools, hospitals, welfare agencies, the armed forces, the police, prisons, the courts, sporting organisations, every trade and service and in all manner of business.

They beaver away quietly doing their best to show Christ's love by living exemplary lives rather than by talking about their faith, and spend hours in prayer and service on behalf of others.

They are men, women, young people and children who have had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and have watched, sometimes with awe, while his Holy Spirit has transformed their lives.

As it was for Catherine, for them the most important thing in life is their belief in, love for and obedience to their Saviour.

Their first aim in life is to try to be like him so that they might serve him and carry out his commandments, in particular, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself".

The love they seek to shed abroad is that which is so wonderfully described by St Paul in the 13th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, a love that is patient, kind, generous, humble, courteous, unselfish, good tempered, guileless and sincere - the sum of which describes the nature of their Master.

They study the scriptures so thoroughly that they are pretty much immune to the dogmas of religion and the blandishments of theology, which they recognise as man-made constructs which are not necessarily in accordance with the teachings of Christ.

They have their feet firmly planted on the ground, are fully aware of the world around them, and live life to the full in all its infinite variety and excitement. They are the Church - alive, vital, carrying out the great commission and, as Jesus said, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it".

Like Catherine Hollister-Jones, they are the salt of the Earth. And I wonder how much more rotten life around us would be if they stopped spreading that divine preservative.

garth.george@hotmail.com

Garth George is a veteran newspaper journalist, retired and living in Rotorua.