📖 Huduma za Kichungaji — Sehemu ya 5: Harusi, Mazishi, na Matukio ya Mzunguko wa Maisha katika Huduma ya Kichungaji📖 Pastoral Ministries — Unit 5: Weddings, Funerals, and Pastoral Life-Cycle Events

UtanguliziOrientation

Kuna upande mmoja wa huduma ya kichungaji ambao hakuna darasa la seminari linaloweza kumwandaa mtu kikamilifu. Ni upande unaokutana na watu katika vilele vya juu kabisa na mabonde ya chini kabisa ya maisha ya mwanadamu. Siku ya harusi. Mazishi. Kitanda cha hospitali. Simu ya dharura saa tisa usiku. Hizi ndizo nyakati ambapo familia hugeuka na kumtafuta mchungaji — kwa sababu hakuna mwingine atakayefaa. Daktari hawezi kuwapa wanachohitaji. Mwanasheria hawezi. Jirani hawezi. Wanahitaji mtu anayeweza kuweka mkono begani mwao na kuyainua macho yao kwa Mungu wa milele.There is a side of pastoral ministry that no seminary classroom ever fully prepares a man for. It is the side that meets people at the highest peaks and the deepest valleys of human existence. The wedding day. The funeral. The hospital bed. The crisis phone call at three in the morning. These are the moments when a family turns around and looks for the pastor — because no one else will do. The doctor cannot give them what they need. The lawyer cannot. The neighbor cannot. They need a man who can put a hand on their shoulder and lift their eyes to the eternal God.

Sehemu hii inachunguza wajibu wa mchungaji katika matukio makuu ya mzunguko wa maisha. Tutajifunza kuhusu harusi — furaha ya kuunganisha maisha mawili — na mazishi — huduma ya upole ya kuzisaidia familia kuvuka bonde. Tutaangalia jinsi ya kuwahudumia wafiwa, jinsi ya kushughulikia mazishi magumu, na jinsi mchungaji anavyoitunza nafsi yake mwenyewe katika miaka mingi ya kusimama madhabahuni na makaburini.This unit examines the pastor's role at the great life-cycle events. We will study weddings — the joy of joining two lives — and funerals — the tender ministry of helping families cross the valley. We will look at how to minister to the grieving, how to handle the difficult funeral, and how a pastor cares for his own soul through years of standing at altars and gravesides.

I. Fursa Tukufu ya Huduma ya Mzunguko wa MaishaI. The Privilege of Life-Cycle Ministry

Mchungaji hualikwa kuingia katika vyumba ambamo karibu hakuna mtu mwingine anayekaribishwa. Yupo kando ya kitanda daktari anapotoa matokeo ya uchunguzi. Yupo mezani jikoni usiku ule mwana mpotevu anaporudi nyumbani. Yupo mbele ya kanisa bibi arusi na bwana arusi wanapotoa nadhiri zao. Yupo kando ya jeneza familia inapoaga kwa mara ya mwisho upande huu wa umilele.The pastor is invited into rooms where almost no one else is welcome. He is at the bedside when the doctor delivers the diagnosis. He is at the kitchen table the night the prodigal son comes home. He is at the front of the church when the bride and groom say their vows. He is at the casket when the family says goodbye for the last time on this side of eternity.

Haya si makatizo ya huduma. Haya ndiyo huduma. Mchungaji anayeichukulia harusi kama kazi ya kuchosha na mazishi kama wajibu tu amekosa kiini cha wito wake.These are not interruptions to ministry. They are ministry. The pastor who treats a wedding as a chore and a funeral as a duty has missed the heart of his calling.

Kuna mtengenezaji wa saa aitwaye William Jenny aliyeweza kukisia saa sahihi ya siku ndani ya nusu dakika, mchana au usiku, bila kutazama saa yoyote. Alikuwa ametumia siku nne za kila wiki kuzitia ufunguo saa 1,505 katika jengo alimofanyia kazi, na hisia ya ndani ya wakati ilikuwa imekuwa sehemu yake. Chama cha Madaktari cha Uingereza (British Medical Association) kilimpima kwa kila njia waliyoweza kufikiri na hakikuweza kuiondoa saa yake ya ndani. Mchungaji anayejitoa kwa huduma ya mzunguko wa maisha kwa miaka mingi hukuza kitu kinachofanana na hicho — hisia ya ndani ya majira ya maisha ya mwanadamu. Hujifunza kuusoma wakati husika. Anajua wakati wa kusema na wakati wa kunyamaza, wakati wa kulia na wakati wa kufurahi. Mhubiri katika kitabu cha Mhubiri aliandika, "Kwa kila jambo kuna majira yake, na wakati kwa kila kusudi chini ya mbingu: wakati wa kuzaliwa, na wakati wa kufa; wakati wa kulia, na wakati wa kucheka; wakati wa kuomboleza, na wakati wa kucheza" (Mhubiri 3:1, 2, 4). Mchungaji husimama katikati ya kila mmoja wa nyakati hizo.There is a clockmaker named William Jenny who could guess the correct time of day within half a minute, day or night, without looking at any clock. He had spent four days of every week winding the 1,505 timepieces in the building where he worked, and an internal sense of time had become part of him. The British Medical Association tested him every way they could think of and could not dislodge his inner clock. The pastor who gives himself to life-cycle ministry over the years develops something similar — an internal sense of the seasons of human life. He learns to read the moment. He knows when to speak and when to be silent, when to weep and when to rejoice. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes wrote, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2, 4). The pastor stands in the middle of every one of those times.

II. Mchungaji na HarusiII. The Pastor and the Wedding

Muujiza wa kwanza wa huduma ya hadhara ya Yesu ulitokea katika arusi (Yohana 2:1–11). Jambo hilo peke yake linapaswa kumkumbusha kila mchungaji kwamba harusi ni ardhi takatifu. Yesu alipogeuza maji kuwa divai huko Kana, hakuwa tu akimwokoa mwenyeji aliyeaibika — alikuwa akitakasa taasisi nzima ya ndoa kwa uwepo wake na uweza wake.The first miracle of Jesus' public ministry took place at a wedding (John 2:1–11). That detail alone should remind every pastor that weddings are sacred ground. When Jesus turned the water into wine at Cana, He was not just rescuing an embarrassed host — He was sanctifying the entire institution of marriage by His presence and His power.

Wajibu wa mchungaji katika harusi huanza muda mrefu kabla ya sherehe yenyewe. Ushauri kabla ya ndoa ni mojawapo ya mambo ya kichungaji kabisa ambayo mtu anaweza kufanya. Wanandoa wanakuja kwake wakiwa wanang'aa kwa furaha na wenye matumaini makubwa, wakiwa na uhakika kwamba upendo wao utatatua kila tatizo litakalowahi kutokea. Mchungaji, akiwa ametembea kando ya ndoa nyingi kwa miaka mingi, anajua zaidi. Hutumia vikao vya kabla ya ndoa kushughulikia mawasiliano, fedha, wakwe, matarajio, migogoro, ukaribu wa kimwili wa ndoa, uongozi wa kiroho wa nyumbani, na — muhimu kuliko yote — hali ya kiroho ya kila mmoja wa nafsi hizo mbili zinazokaribia kufanya agano.The pastor's role at the wedding begins long before the ceremony. Pre-marital counseling is one of the most pastoral things a man can do. The couple comes to him radiant and idealistic, certain that their love will solve every problem that may ever arise. The pastor, having walked beside many marriages over many years, knows better. He uses pre-marital sessions to address communication, finances, in-laws, expectations, conflict, sexual intimacy, the spiritual headship of the home, and — most importantly — the spiritual condition of each of the two souls who are about to make a covenant.

Mchungaji anayewafungisha ndoa watu wawili wasioamini chini ya sura ya sherehe ya Kikristo hajamtendea yeyote kati yao wema. Mchungaji lazima aliulize swali kwa msisitizo: Je, umeweka imani yako kwa Kristo kama Mwokozi, na umejitoa kujenga nyumba ya Kikristo? Ikiwa jibu halieleweki, harusi inaweza kusubiri. Nadhiri ni takatifu mno kubadilishwa na watu ambao hawajajisalimisha kwanza kwa Bwana aliyeziweka.A pastor who marries two unbelievers under the appearance of Christian ceremony has not done either of them a kindness. The pastor must press the question: Have you placed your faith in Christ as Savior, and are you committed to building a Christian home? If the answer is unclear, the wedding can wait. The vows are too sacred to be exchanged by people who have not first surrendered to the Lord who instituted them.

Sherehe yenyewe ni ibada. Si maonyesho, si tamasha, wala si onyesho la muziki. Maandamano ya kuingia, nadhiri, kubadilishana pete, maombi, tangazo la kuwa mume na mke — kila sehemu inamwelekea Kristo na injili inayoonyeshwa katika muungano wa mume na mke (Waefeso 5:22–33). Mkao wa mchungaji mbele unapaswa kuwa wa kicho lakini si mgumu, wa furaha lakini si wa mzaha. Anatekeleza mojawapo ya majukumu matakatifu kabisa aliyopewa mhudumu.The ceremony itself is a worship service. It is not a show, a performance, or a concert. The processional, the vows, the ring exchange, the prayer, the pronouncement — every element points to Christ and to the gospel pictured in the union of husband and wife (Ephesians 5:22–33). The pastor's posture at the front should be reverent but not stiff, joyful but not flippant. He is performing one of the most sacred duties given to a minister.

Baada ya harusi, huduma ya mchungaji kwa wanandoa haijamalizika. Ndiyo kwanza inaanza. Hufuatilia. Huwaombea. Hupatikana kwa ajili yao. Ndoa nyingi zilizokufa katika mwaka wao wa pili zingeishi kama mchungaji angeendelea kushiriki katika maisha yao.After the wedding, the pastor's ministry to the couple is not finished. It is just beginning. He follows up. He prays for them. He is available for them. Many marriages that died in their second year would have lived if the pastor had stayed engaged.

III. Mchungaji na MazishiIII. The Pastor and the Funeral

Ikiwa harusi ni rahisi zaidi kati ya hizo mbili, mazishi ni muhimu zaidi. Kila mchungaji ataongoza mazishi mengi katika huduma aminifu. Atasimama kando ya jeneza la mtakatifu na jeneza la mwenye dhambi, jeneza la bibi mzee na jeneza la baba kijana aliyefariki ghafla. Kila mazishi yana uzito wake. Kila moja linadai uwepo kamili wa mchungaji.If the wedding is the easier of the two, the funeral is the more important. Every pastor will conduct many funerals over a faithful ministry. He will stand at the casket of the saint and the casket of the sinner, the casket of the elderly grandmother and the casket of the sudden young father. Each funeral carries its own weight. Each demands the pastor's full presence.

Kifo kinapokuwa kifo cha mwamini Mkristo, mazishi huwa mojawapo ya fursa zenye nguvu zaidi za injili ambazo mchungaji atawahi kupata. Wanafamilia ambao hawajaingia kanisani kwa miaka mingi wataketi kwenye safu ya mbele. Wafanyakazi wenzake, majirani, na marafiki watakuwapo. Jeneza lenyewe ni mahubiri — kikumbusho kinachoonekana kwamba sisi sote tuna miadi na umilele. "Na kama vile watu wanavyowekewa kufa mara moja, na baada ya kufa hukumu" (Waebrania 9:27).When the death is the death of a Christian believer, the funeral becomes one of the most powerful gospel opportunities a pastor will ever have. Family members who have not been inside a church in years will be sitting on the front row. Coworkers, neighbors, and friends will be there. The casket itself is a sermon — a visible reminder that we all have an appointment with eternity. "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

R. A. Torrey, mwalimu mkuu wa Biblia na mwanzilishi wa kile kilichokuja kuwa Chuo Kikuu cha Biola, alipitia kipindi cha huzuni isiyoelezeka binti yake Elizabeth wa miaka kumi na miwili alipofariki kwa ajali. Mazishi yalifanyika siku ya giza na ya mvua. Yeye na mke wake walisimama kuzunguka kaburi lililo wazi na kutazama mwili wa msichana wao mdogo ukiwekwa ardhini. Walipogeuka kuondoka, Bi. Torrey alimwambia mume wake kwa utulivu, "Nafurahi sana kwamba Elizabeth yuko pamoja na Bwana, na hayumo ndani ya sanduku lile."R. A. Torrey, the great Bible teacher and founder of what became Biola University, went through a season of unspeakable grief when his twelve-year-old daughter Elizabeth was accidentally killed. The funeral was held on a gloomy, rainy day. He and his wife stood around the open grave and watched as the body of their little girl was placed in the ground. As they turned to leave, Mrs. Torrey said quietly to her husband, "I'm so glad that Elizabeth is with the Lord, and not in that box."

Huo ndio ushuhuda wa mwamini kando ya kaburi la mwamini. Mwili ulio ndani ya sanduku ni wa thamani — utafufuliwa tena katika ufufuo — lakini nafsi tayari iko pamoja na Kristo, jambo lililo bora zaidi sana. Kazi ya mchungaji katika mazishi ya mwamini ni kuyaweka macho ya watu wote waliopo kwenye tumaini hilo. Huzuni ni halisi. Machozi ni halisi. Lakini huzuni ya Mkristo, Paulo asema, si huzuni ya wale "wasio na tumaini" (1 Wathesalonike 4:13). Mchungaji huliinua tumaini juu ya huzuni, bila kamwe kujifanya kwamba huzuni haipo.That is the testimony of a believer at the graveside of a believer. The body in the box is precious — it will be raised again in the resurrection — but the soul is already with Christ, which is far better. The pastor's task at the believer's funeral is to keep the eyes of the room fixed on that hope. The grief is real. The tears are real. But the Christian's grief, Paul says, is not the grief of those "who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The pastor lifts the hope above the grief, without ever pretending that the grief is not there.

IV. Mazishi MagumuIV. The Difficult Funerals

Si kila mazishi ni ya Mkristo. Mapema au baadaye kila mchungaji ataombwa kumzika mtu ambaye hali yake ya kiroho haieleweki au ambaye maisha yake yanaonekana kuishia katika kutoamini. Mchungaji mmoja niliyemfahamu aliniambia kwamba jambo gumu kuliko yote aliyowahi kufanya katika huduma lilikuwa mazishi ya mwanachama wa genge la waendesha pikipiki ambaye, kwa kila dalili, alikufa akiwa amepotea. Alilia akinisimulia habari hiyo miaka mingi baadaye.Not every funeral is the funeral of a Christian. Sooner or later every pastor will be asked to bury a person whose spiritual condition is unclear or whose life appears to have ended in unbelief. A pastor I once knew told me that the most difficult thing he ever did in ministry was a funeral for a member of a motorcycle gang who, by every appearance, had died lost. He wept telling me the story years afterward.

Hakuna njia ya kuyafanya mazishi ya namna hiyo kuwa rahisi. Lakini mchungaji aminifu bado huenda. Bado husimama mbele ya familia. Bado huihubiri injili — si kumhusu mtu aliye jenezani, bali kwa watu walioketi vitini. Mazishi ya mtu asiyeamini si wakati wa kutangaza tumaini la uongo; pia si wakati wa kutamka moto wa jehanamu juu ya mtu ambaye hali yake ya mwisho anaijua Mungu peke yake. Ni wakati wa kuwaelekeza walio hai kwa Kristo wakati bado kuna nafasi. Nafsi nyingi zimeletwa kwenye imani katika mazishi ya mwanafamilia ambaye hakuokoka. Machozi ya mchungaji, injili inayohubiriwa kwa wazi, Neno linalosomwa kwa uwazi — hivi ndivyo vyombo vyake.There is no way to make such a funeral easy. But the faithful pastor still goes. He still stands in front of the family. He still preaches the gospel — not about the man in the casket, but to the people in the chairs. The funeral of an unbeliever is not the time to declare false hope; it is also not the time to pronounce hellfire over a man whose final state only God knows. It is the time to point the living to Christ while there is still time. Many a soul has been brought to faith at the funeral of an unsaved family member. The pastor's tears, the gospel preached plainly, the Word read clearly — these are the tools.

Mazishi ya mtoto yanahitaji neema ya ziada. Maneno hukosekana. Kazi ya mchungaji si kueleza yasiyoelezeka bali kulia pamoja na familia, kusimama pamoja nao, na kuwaelekeza, watakapoweza, kwa Kristo aliyewakumbatia watoto na kusema, "Maana watoto kama hawa ufalme wa Mungu ni wao" (Marko 10:14).The funeral of a child requires extra grace. Words fail. The pastor's job is not to explain the unexplainable but to weep with the family, to stand with them, and to point them, when they are able, to the Christ who took children into His arms and said, "Of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14).

Mazishi ya mtu aliyejiua ni nyeti. Familia hubeba mzigo ambao hakuna familia nyingine inaoubeba. Mchungaji lazima aepuke majibu mepesi na lazima akaze macho juu ya neema ya Mungu kwa waliovunjika, upendo wa Kristo kwa waliojeruhiwa, na faraja ya injili kwa wale walioachwa nyuma. Lolote alilofanya marehemu katika dakika zake za mwisho, familia yake sasa iko hai na inaomboleza. Kazi ya mchungaji ni kuwahudumia wao.The funeral of a suicide is delicate. The family carries weight no other family carries. The pastor must avoid easy answers and must focus on the grace of God toward the broken, the love of Christ for the wounded, and the comfort of the gospel for those left behind. Whatever the deceased did in his final moments, his family is now alive and grieving. The pastor's job is to minister to them.

V. Kutembea Pamoja na WafiwaV. Walking with the Grieving

Huduma ya mchungaji kwa wafiwa haiishi na mazishi. Kwa njia nyingi huanzia hapo. Sehemu ngumu zaidi ya huzuni mara chache huwa ni siku ya mazishi yenyewe. Sehemu ngumu zaidi ni Jumanne ya pili mchana, Krismasi ya kwanza bila mpendwa, kumbukumbu ya kwanza ya siku ya harusi akiwa mjane, mjukuu wa kwanza kuzaliwa baada ya babu kuondoka. Mchungaji aminifu hukumbuka. Hupiga simu. Hupita kuwatembelea. Hutuma ujumbe mfupi katika tarehe ile.The pastor's ministry to the grieving does not end with the funeral. In many ways it begins there. The hardest part of grief is rarely the day of the funeral itself. The hardest parts are the second Tuesday afternoon, the first Christmas without the loved one, the first wedding anniversary as a widow, the first grandchild born after grandfather is gone. The faithful pastor remembers. He calls. He drops by. He sends a note on the date.

Huzuni huenda kwa hatua, ingawa si mara zote kwa mpangilio, na kamwe si kwa ratiba. Mshtuko na kukana — akili haiwezi kukubali kile ambacho moyo tayari unakihisi. Hasira — wakati mwingine dhidi ya Mungu; mchungaji hapaswi kuogopa jambo hili. Mungu anaweza kulibeba. Kujadiliana na hatia — mfiwa hurudia akilini kila mazungumzo, kila fursa iliyopotea, kila neno lisilosemwa. Msongo wa mawazo — uhalisi hutulia moyoni: kiti kitupu, nyumba iliyo kimya, upande wa kitanda usiotandikwa ambao zamani ulikuwa wake. Kukubali — hatimaye, kwa neema ya Mungu, maisha hupata umbo jipya. Huzuni haitoweki kabisa, lakini hubadilika umbo, na mtu hujifunza kuibeba.Grief moves in stages, though not always in order, and never on a schedule. Shock and denial — the mind cannot accept what the heart already feels. Anger — sometimes at God; the pastor must not be afraid of this. God can handle it. Bargaining and guilt — the grieving person replays every conversation, every missed opportunity, every word unspoken. Depression — the reality settles in: the empty chair, the silent house, the unmade bed on the side that used to be his. Acceptance — eventually, by the grace of God, life finds a new shape. The grief never disappears entirely, but it changes form, and the person learns to carry it.

Kazi ya mchungaji katika hatua hizi zote ni uwepo kuliko maneno. "Furahini pamoja nao wafurahio; lieni pamoja nao waliao" (Warumi 12:15). Unaposema, sema Maandiko. Usipoweza kusema, lia pamoja nao. "Yesu akalia machozi" — mstari mfupi kuliko yote katika Biblia (Yohana 11:35) — pia ni mmojawapo ya mistari ya kichungaji kabisa. Alijua kwamba alikuwa karibu kumfufua Lazaro. Hata hivyo alilia, kwa sababu dada wale walikuwa wakilia, na upendo wa Kristo haukukubali kusimama mbali na huzuni yao.The pastor's job throughout these stages is presence more than words. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). When you do speak, speak Scripture. When you cannot speak, weep with them. "Jesus wept" — the shortest verse in the Bible (John 11:35) — is also one of the most pastoral. He knew He was about to raise Lazarus. He wept anyway, because the sisters were weeping, and the love of Christ would not stand at a distance from their grief.

Kuna mambo ya kufanya na mambo ya kutofanya. Fanya kuwapo. Fanya kusikiliza. Fanya kuwaruhusu wazungumze kuhusu marehemu — wanahitaji kufanya hivyo. Fanya kuwahakikishia msaada wako kwa muda mrefu. Usiseme, "Kila kitu kitakuwa sawa." Hakitakuwa sawa kwa muda mfupi, na mfiwa analijua hilo. Usiwageuze mbali na uhalisi wa msiba. Usiepuke kulitaja jina la marehemu. Usiwaache peke yao baada ya mazishi kwisha.There are things to do and things not to do. Do be there. Do listen. Do allow them to talk about the deceased — they need to. Do assure them of your support over the long haul. Don't say, "Everything will be all right." It will not be all right in the short term, and the grieving person knows it. Don't divert them from the reality of the loss. Don't avoid mentioning the deceased's name. Don't leave them alone after the funeral is over.

VI. Huzuni ya Mchungaji MwenyeweVI. The Pastor's Own Grief

Miaka mingi ya kuhudumu makaburini huathiri nafsi ya mchungaji. Hubeba huzuni elfu zisizo zake. Mchungaji mwenye hekima analijua hili na huutunza moyo wake mwenyewe. Huomboleza pamoja na wanaoomboleza, lakini hajifanyi kwamba haguswi. Yeye pia ana misiba yake, na lazima afanye kazi yake mwenyewe ya kuomboleza mbele za Mungu.Years of ministering at gravesides take a toll on a pastor's soul. He carries a thousand griefs that are not his own. The wise pastor knows this and tends to his own heart. He grieves with those who grieve, but he does not pretend he is unaffected. He has his own losses too, and he must do his own grief work before God.

Babu yangu aliishi hadi umri wa miaka tisini na minne. Alikuwa peke yake kwa miaka kumi baada ya bibi yangu kwenda kuwa pamoja na Bwana, na hakuwahi kuzoea kabisa upande mtupu wa kitanda. Karibu na mwisho wa maisha yake aliandika barua akisema hakujua kwa nini Mungu alikuwa akimbakiza katika ulimwengu huu, lakini alitamani kumkumbatia bibi yangu tena. Alipofariki, familia iliniomba nihubiri katika mazishi yake.My grandfather lived to be ninety-four. He had been alone for ten years after my grandmother went to be with the Lord, and he never quite got used to the empty side of the bed. Near the end of his life he wrote a letter saying he did not know why God was keeping him in this world, but he longed to hold my grandmother in his arms again. When he passed, the family asked me to preach his funeral.

Siku ile nilihubiri kuhusu mbinguni. Sijawahi kumjua mtu yeyote aliyemjua Kristo kwa ukaribu kiasi hicho na aliyekuwa amewagusa watu wengi hivyo kwa ajili ya Bwana kwa maneno yake na matendo yake. Kama nisingeweza kusema kuhusu mbinguni siku ile, basi nisingeweza kamwe kusema kuhusu mbinguni hata kidogo. Mazishi yalikuwa ya huzuni, lakini pia yalikuwa sherehe, kwa sababu tulijua kwamba tayari mikono yake ilikuwa imemzunguka bibi yangu, kitukuu aliyekuwa ametangulia, na ndugu na dada katika Kristo waliokuwa wamemkaribisha nyumbani.I preached on heaven that day. I have never known anyone who knew Christ so intimately and had affected so many people for the Lord with his words and his deeds. If I could not speak of heaven on that day, then I could never speak on heaven at all. The funeral was sad, but it was also a celebration, because we knew that already his arms were around my grandmother, around a great-granddaughter who had gone on before, and around the brothers and sisters in Christ who had welcomed him home.

Uzoefu ule ulinifundisha jambo ambalo nilikuwa nimesoma kulihusu kwa miaka mingi lakini sikuwa nimelielewa kikamilifu. Mchungaji hasimami kando ya kaburi kama mtu ambaye hajawahi kuonja huzuni. Husimama kama mtu aliyeonja huzuni na ambaye ameonja, hata zaidi, faraja ya Kristo katikati ya huzuni. "Atukuzwe Mungu, Baba wa Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo, Baba wa rehema, Mungu wa faraja yote; atufarijiye katika dhiki zetu zote, ili na sisi tuweze kuwafariji wale walio katika dhiki za namna zote, kwa faraja ile ambayo sisi wenyewe tunafarijiwa na Mungu" (2 Wakorintho 1:3–4).That experience taught me something I had read about for years but had not fully understood. The pastor does not stand at the graveside as a man who has never tasted grief. He stands as a man who has tasted grief and who has tasted, even more, the comfort of Christ in the middle of grief. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).

Mchungaji aliyewazika wapendwa wake mwenyewe na amefarijiwa na Mungu katikati ya huzuni hiyo huwa mchungaji wa namna inayoweza kuwahudumia wengine kando ya kaburi. Faraja anayoipitisha ni faraja aliyoipokea yeye mwenyewe. Hakuna njia ya mkato kwa jambo hili. Ni kazi ya polepole, ngumu, na takatifu ya kumruhusu Mungu amhudumie mhudumu.The pastor who has buried his own loved ones and has been comforted by God in the middle of that grief becomes the kind of pastor who can minister to others at the graveside. The comfort he passes on is the comfort he himself has received. There is no shortcut to this. It is the slow, hard, holy work of letting God minister to the minister.

HitimishoClosing

Madhabahu ya harusi na kaburi la mazishi ni ncha mbili za mzunguko wa maisha katika huduma ya kichungaji. Katikati yake kuna kuwaweka wakfu watoto wachanga, kutembelea hospitali, maadhimisho ya miaka ya ndoa, kurudi kwa wapotevu, matokeo ya uchunguzi yasiyotarajiwa, baraka zisizotazamiwa, na miaka mirefu ya uaminifu. Mchungaji hualikwa katika yote hayo.The wedding altar and the funeral graveside are the two ends of the pastoral life-cycle. In between are the baby dedications, the hospital visits, the anniversaries, the prodigal returns, the surprise diagnoses, the unexpected blessings, and the long faithful years. The pastor is invited into all of it.

Mwanaanga John Glenn alipoulizwa, baada ya safari yake ya kihistoria ya kuizunguka dunia angani, kama aliogopa kufa huko angani, alijibu kwa urahisi: "Miaka mingi iliyopita nilifanya amani na Mungu, na kwa hiyo sikuogopa." Hilo ndilo kila mchungaji aminifu analotaka kwa ajili ya watu wake. Kwamba siku ya harusi inapofika, wawe tayari kutoa nadhiri zao katika kumcha Bwana. Kwamba siku ya mazishi inapofika — kwa ajili ya mpendwa, au hatimaye kwa ajili yao wenyewe — wawe tayari, kwa sababu wao pia wamefanya amani na Mungu.When astronaut John Glenn was asked, after his historic orbital flight, whether he had been afraid of dying out there in space, he answered simply: "Many years ago I made my peace with God, and therefore I was not afraid." That is what every faithful pastor wants for his people. That when the wedding day comes, they are ready to make their vows in the fear of the Lord. That when the funeral day comes — for a loved one, or eventually for themselves — they are ready, because they too have made their peace with God.

Mchungaji haendeshi ndoa tu kama shughuli. Haendeshi mazishi tu kama shughuli. Yeye hutekeleza huduma — huduma ya kuwaelekeza watu wa Mungu kwa Mungu wa neema yote katika nyakati za maisha wanapomhitaji zaidi. "Basi, Mungu wa tumaini awajaze ninyi furaha yote na amani katika kuamini, mpate kuzidi sana katika tumaini, kwa nguvu za Roho Mtakatifu" (Warumi 15:13).The pastor does not perform marriages. He does not perform funerals. He performs ministry — the ministry of pointing the people of God to the God of all grace at the moments of life when they need Him most. "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

— Dkt. Wayne Cook
Chapala Theological Seminary— Dr. Wayne Cook
Chapala Theological Seminary

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