A pastor thought it clever...
Illustration
A pastor thought it clever to add a new section to the church's monthly newsletter. He
decided to call it "Alpha and Omega," using the well-known symbols for the Greek
letters he had learned in seminary as a heading. He listed all the births and deaths in his
parish in this column, and was proud of his innovation. Until Esther, the aged and nearly
blind but still keenly insightful widow of a one of his predecessors, called him up. "I
disagree strongly with that Alpha and Omega," she said. "Someday, maybe soon, the
newsletter will list my death. But there will be no 'Omega,' no end to my story. For
believers, death is not the end, but a beginning!" Esther understood the spirit of
Revelation 21:1-6a better than did her pastor. Chastened, he changed the title of that
column and has remembered the lesson.
