08-19-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 19, 2023
Yesterday was my mother’s memorial service at First Christian Church in Lincoln, NE. Rev. Kara Hillhouse, the Interim Minister of the church, presided, and she was brilliant. As I often tell others, the funeral/memorial service is only part of the grief process, but there are comforting rituals woven into the experience through which great truths are proclaimed. And of course, there are the people who show up. We were blessed beyond measure by those who were able to be there. We had friends and relatives that drove and flew great distances just to share in the experience, and their presence was an enfleshed emblem of kindness and love. Each service is going to look different as it seeks to reflect the deceased along with the needs of the family. But today, my heart is full for the ways my mother’s life was honored.

Gracious and Gentle God, I am forever thankful for the way you show up in all of life’s moments, in the highest moments of joy and the lowest moments of grief. You have an amazing way of utilizing human beings to communicate the Good News of love, especially in those times when we most need it. Amen.