Take care of things...

"Take care of things until I get back"
Those words still echo in my mind. I was all of 10 years old, the oldest child in my family and my Dad was leaving.
He had to leave a lot when I was young, he worked at a pipeline company and sooner or later a pipe somewhere would start leaking. It was usually far enough away that Dad would have to be gone for weeks at a time, coming home only on the weekends.
Being 10 I really didn't think about it that much, Dad always came home. When he would walk in the door Friday night my sisters and I would jump on him and hug him, just tickled to death to see him again. I will never forget that oil smell in his clothes. It didn't matter what he smelled like.
Dad was home.
As I grew older I began to realize what "take care of things while I'm gone" meant. Dad's job was dangerous, he would weld on pipes that only moments before had oil, gasoline or other flammables running through it. I watched them carry my dad home once, he had broken his foot. He had been on fire, had a ditch cave in on him, and eventually he was crushed by pipe rolling down a ditch on top of him. He survived but it damaged his back to the point he couldn't do his job anymore. I never thought for a moment he wouldn't come back.
On the weeks he was gone my job was to take care of the chores, mowing and keeping wood in the stove. When we lived in the country, I fed the chickens and slopped the pigs (thankfully we only had 7 pigs and it didn't last very long). Dad counted on me to keep things going while he was gone. To keep an eye on things, help Mom and look after my siblings. Mom did most of it herself but I helped where I could.
Now that my father is with the Lord I still hear his words, "take care of things". What that means to me is that my responsibilities are to my family. My wife, children, Mom and my brothers and sisters. Dad would want me to watch over things for him in his absence. It was taught to me in my youth and I take that very seriously.
I have thought about what Jesus said when He left earth. He was saying take care of things until I get back. Take care of my family, my children. I will return, but until I do I want you to continue the work I started. Love each other and care for each other.
If I had to sum up what the church needs to do, it's to take care of things until our Father comes back. We are the Jesus that people are going to see. We are his representatives in His absence. We are to follow in His footsteps, not because of our feeling of duty, but because we love our Lord so much, we want Him to return and be pleased with us.
Church isn't about membership, money or service times.
It's about taking care of things until He returns.