Jesus’ Word to Southern Baptists — “What Goes Around Comes Around”

It was not necessarily a typical summer afternoon in the Texas Panhandle because it included a rainstorm, but that’s not why I remember the day. The preceding events began three days earlier when a mother was killed in a car accident. I knew the woman but primarily through her former husband, who had become a friend of mine.

Jose was a farmhand working in the community where I was pastor. He traveled frequently back to Mexico during the winter but always returned for work in the spring. His wife lost a ton of weight (a slight exaggeration) which provided better prospects for marriage than an illegal immigrant, so she divorced him. They had a daughter who was about five at the time of the accident.

Even though it had been some time since Jose had seen his ex-wife, he wanted to attend the funeral, primarily to see his daughter. I offered to go with him and even provided a sport coat and tie. We made the 20-mile drive and entered the church. The pastor, a friend, met us in the sanctuary and offered to escort Jose to the family gathered in the fellowship hall. I waited alone in the church foyer.

In a few minutes, the pastor returned and said, “Terry, I don’t know what to say!”

“What happened?” I asked.