Paul Kim is pastor emeritus of Antioch Baptist Church in Cambridge, Mass. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (BP) — At his father’s deathbed, Bob Sparks made a promise to his father that he would find the remains of his father’s dear brother, Army Corporal Ron Sparks, who died in a POW camp in North Korea during the Korean War. The good news came one day when the DNA sample he had given came back from an army lab with a 100 percent match.
On August 16, 2016, a military procession brought the remains of Corporal Ronald Sparks to Cambridge (Mass.) City Hall. Family, friends, veterans, local government officials, fire fighters, police officers, a sizable contingent of the Korean community, and a throng of patriotic supporters had gathered to honor the memory of the city’s native son and long-lost fallen soldier.
It came to be a significant event, with the local media giving it wide coverage. The mayor of Cambridge spoke poignantly of how Sparks, who had sacrificed his life for our freedom, was finally home. The Korean Consul General of Boston presented the Ambassador of Peace Medal to Sparks’ sister. As a clergyman and national assistant chaplain of the Korean War Veterans Association, I was privileged with the opportunity to offer my remarks of gratitude. The next day Cpl. Sparks was given a full military funeral and was laid to rest next to his parents, who never got to see their son after sending him off to war. The surviving family members had waited 65 long years for this unforgettable moment.
Waiting is a way of life. In our day-to-day existence we wait for so many things. In Samuel Beckett’s well-known existential play “Waiting for Godot,” two characters wait for the mysterious Godot, who never shows up. The play makes us ask ourselves, what are we waiting for in this life? Are you waiting for graduation, career, marriage, house, children, retirement, etc.?
All these things will eventually fade away. Doesn’t it make sense then to wait for something that is eternal? At the return of the Lord Jesus, He will take His church, the family of God, to be with Him in a loving relationship forever. Since our Lord and His angels promised that this will happen, it is worth waiting in faith for its fulfillment.
Source: Baptist Press
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