March 14, 2018 | Articles by NANCE Hall
Today, I stand in front of you with heavy heart as 2 days ago, we at Buckingham Presbyterian Church in Berlin, laid to rest our pastor, Reverend Matt Trask. At the young age of 49, he went home to be with our Lord. While we celebrate in his being in a better place and free of pain, those of us left behind selfishly feel a huge void in our church community and in our hearts.
For those who did not know Matt, he was afflicted with diabetes that became quite aggressive in his last couple of years. But while he struggled mightily, he was always committed to his church, its congregation and his constant drive to be a good shepherd to his flock. To watch Matt preach, was to see the Holy Spirit in action. On bad days, we could hear him praying for God's strength prior to a Sunday service. As soon as it was time to start preaching, the Holy Spirit would fill him and the result would be some of the most powerful sermons many of us have ever heard. God gave him a job to do and he would not let his Lord down.
Matt worked hard for God's kingdom. He was extremely bright and used his intelligence in his preaching and creative messaging to enable us to experience Jesus on a deeper level. He cared hard and loved hard. He left a legacy so strong to many in our congregation. He knew he didn't have much time left on this earth, but he enjoyed every minute he could; bringing laughter, love and the understanding of God to so many.
I am honored to have known such a great man of God, even if for only a short time. But I am reminded that Jesus only walked on this earth for a short time also. And look what He accomplished. So many of us first came to church as “Sunday only” Christians, but because of Matt, we were taught how to develop that personal relationship and ultimately learn how to walk with Jesus.
Matt was a gift from God to us. And to anyone in this room who was initially involved in the search that resulted in Matt being chosen as the pastor for our church, we thank you immensely. We are extremely thankful. We will forever be blessed to have been a part of his flock.
We love you Matt. We will miss you. But, we promise to carry on your legacy. We pray for strength and peace for Tracey, Erin and Matthew as well as the rest of the Trask family.
~Presented in Reverence by Nance Hall at the 839th Stated Meeting of New Castle Presbytery (Beach Retreat) in Ocean City, Maryland on March 3, 2018
