The Blessing of Love & Living Hope

“May the blessing of love embrace you, 
treasured memories comfort you, 
and God’s gift of a living hope sustain you." ​

March 7, 2023

Beloved,
          Funeral words find me everywhere these days. The verse above was written to my colleague upon the recent death of her dad, with the note, “Your dad wrote this to me when my own dad died three years ago.”  What a comfort that must have been.
          Funeral words are the words of Christian hope, of course, the most basic language of our faith.  Language for the grieving and the lost, the traumatized, the exhausted who can’t imagine getting through another day.  As Jesus put it, the healthy have no need of a doctor, but rather those who are sick and hurting.
          We lost the best among us just over a week ago.  Don Lewis died suddenly at home.  He didn’t suffer.  His son was visiting from Florida, so June wasn’t by herself either.  We are so grateful to God for that.  All last week was ministry to their family and preparation for his service this past weekend.  So many grandkids, great-grandkids, nieces, nephews, siblings and friends attended, even more via livestream.  The military rites at the cemetery were deeply moving.  (Don’s first career was in the US Air Force.)  And now we begin that strange time of living in a world without him.  His beloved June is now left in our care, and what an honor it is to serve her.  She watched over our congregation and now it’s our turn to watch over her.
          What a privilege to serve with the likes of you, beloved, to watch over the flock and serve the least of these – who is any one of us on any given day, amen?  I am both proud and humbled for these years among you and by the faith you bring to bear when one of ours is hurting and in need.  Because of you, our life together is the blessing of love and the living hope with which God sustains us in these days.  

~ peace & prayers, 
pastor annette