Have you ever fantasized about what you might say, if given the opportunity, on the last day of your working career to your friends and colleagues who had gathered to hear you? The room is full, a hush has fallen over the group, and your moment has come. What might you say to your fellow teachers, or factory workers, or business associates? I”m not thinking so much of the retirement party, because they tend to be lighter affairs. Rather, I am thinking about your last full and authentic day on the job. In my own case I have sometimes asked myself, What will I preach about the last time I am in the pulpit? What will be the content of my homiletical swansong?

Even as I paint this picture I am aware of some who will say in response, “I sure hope they give me the opportunity to take a few part…