About Dusso

There is a scene near the beginning of the movie "About Schmidt" in which 66 year old Warren Schmidt sits at work in his empty office, staring at the clock, alone, waiting for his last day of a lifelong career to come to an end. Well, here I am in my empty office, and I feel a whole lot like Mr. Schmidt.

It's a goofy feeling to be saying goodbye to a life, a space and a community that has been so important in your life. In the empty office or empty house all you can think of is the people that have walked through and events that have occurred in this vacant space. The feeling is melancholy and a bit sad. It's no wonder Mr. Schmidt had a breakdown.

But as I sit in my empty office alone, I quickly am reminded that actualy I am never alone. The Word of God comforts me in Psalm 121 when it says "The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore." (Ps 121:8) Regardless if the transition is the end of a 45-year career or a 3-year job, Jesus transforms the melancholy of leaving into the comfort and hope that comes through his gospel. In Christ there is more life to live, more spaces to occupy, and more people to love. August 31 is an end for me, and my office is empty, but September 1 will be a new beginning and my new space will be crammed with the chaos of boxes, clutter and kind, friendly, new people asking to help.

God's grace promises that even when we face our final day on earth, the day of our death, we will not be alone. The hospital room or hospice room might be bare and white and cold, but the warmth of the Lord will also be present. And after we die, we will still live with the promise of a tomorrow: a new life, new space, and new people to meet at the great feast to come. Thank you Lord for taking away our melancholy on the cross and bringing us hope and joy, even as we sit in an empty room.