Buried the Dead

Last week, an extraordinary event happened in the parking area of my church. While I practiced vocal group with my Sunday school children, a woman screamed in a panic to a boy among us, “Anton, let’s go and get in the ambulance!”

Picture: Gereja Kristen Pasundan Jemaat Cimahi

In short, Anton’s father passed away while he was waiting for Anton to finish Sunday school and going to take him home. It was all of a sudden. Anton had no idea that that morning was his last time greeting his father. As people witnessed, his father was sitting in the corner of the parking lot. Suddenly, he fell unconscious. There was a doctor in our church who quickly helped him and did an emergency procedure. A minute later, the doctor said, “He’s gone. There is no pulse.”

Picture source: counselingoneanother.com

Last night, I read the passage about ‘the Death of Sarah,’ Abraham’s wife. Just after I read the title, my memory flew to Anton’s experience last week. Anton is an 11-year-old boy. I did not see him cry at the burial. Maybe, he did not understand the concept of ‘pass away’ yet. However, his mother could not stop crying and mourning. She wept over her husband’s dead body. Similarly, Abraham did the same. He went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

Death is one of the most certain things in this world. Abraham and Anton’s mother had already experienced the grief of losing their loved one. They were suffering. Mourning. I could not imagine the pain they felt because of this life reality, for I have never experienced the feeling yet of losing someone I love.

The event last Sunday and the passage I read remind me that God is absolutely the supreme Owner of our lives. When He wants us to come back to heaven, it will happen. Also, God provides help through people around us. Abraham was helped by the Hittites and Ephron the Hittite to provide the burial site for Sarah. Anton’s mother was helped by the church members to find out her husband had died and she received help during the funeral. God is the Owner, and God will provide assistance to lighten our burden.

Jangan Panggil Aku “Ibu Pendeta”

Di atas adalah tangkapan layar dari Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia daring. Ada beberapa alternatif artinya, tapi kali ini mau bahas sedikit kaitan definisi nomer 3 dengan hidup saya. Dalam tradisi gereja Protestan, pendeta itu jabatan/posisi/amanah yang harus ditahbiskan. Lihat definisi nomer 1.

Baik, sejauh ini sudah dapat gambaran ya bagaimana posisi pendeta di jemaat/gerejanya? Sekarang mari melihat lagi ke judul. Informasinya adalah saat ini saya istri seorang pendeta. Beberapa belas tahun lalu, saya menikah dengannya saat BELUM menjadi pendeta. . Karena kebiasaan patriarki yang memanggil seorang istri dengan nama/posisi/jabatan suaminya, maka banyak pula anggota jemaat gereja yang memanggil saya dengan sebutan ‘ibu pendeta’. Terima kasih atas penghormatan dan kesantunan yang ditunjukan kepada saya dan keluarga saya. Tapi mari kita tilik lebih dalam tentang makna panggilan itu. Lihat lagi tulisan di awal alinea ini tentang pendeta. Seorang pemimpin jemaah yang ditahbiskan. . Saya istri pendeta. Saya TIDAK ditahbiskan menjadi pendeta. Jadi, menurut saya, memanggil saya dengan sebutan ‘ibu pendeta’ itu sebutan yang ngawur ya. Maksudnya memang sopan, tapi perlu diluruskan tentang itu. Yang ditahbiskan ke dalam jabatan pendeta adalah suami saya. Maka dialah yang bisa dan dipersilakan dipanggil dengan sebutan ‘Bapak pendeta’; bukan saya (yang belajar Ilmu Hubungan Internasional dan saat ini mengajar Bahasa Indonesia) :) Setiap berkenalan, saya selalu memperkenalkan diri dengan nama saya. Silakan mau tambahkan ‘Bu’, ‘Mbak’, ‘Teteh’, ‘Kak’ atau bahkan tanpa embel-embel pun saya tidak keberatan. . Jadi, yuk yuk yuk, belajar sama-sama bahwa bersikap santun juga perlu dilihat lagi latar belakangnya, tidak asal-asalan mengikuti kebiasaan :)