As I type this blog post, I am sitting in the sanctuary where the funeral will begin in a few minutes. Christmas trees are beautifully lit on either side of the platform and funeral flowers adorn the pulpit and altar area. One word hangs on the wall at the back of the platform. The word “Wonder!” No doubt it was the Christmas Advent theme for the local church during December.
I will testify that attending a wedding and a funeral all
within the span of just two sunrises and one sunset has been enough to activate my wondering mind and to fill my heart with wonder as well. The Psalmist prayed before the Lord: “Teach me to number my days.” That is underway in my own life right now.
As I reflect, I think about my own wedding some 38 years and realize that I am somewhere between my wedding and my funeral. It’s good for my eternal soul to have this earthly experience. I feel sad for people who only attend weddings but avoid funerals. The writer of the Ecclesiastes also said...
A tender wedding
A tender funeral
Note: Both yesterday’s wedding and today’s funeral were sacred celebrations to my own soul. And yes, I unashamedly admit that I cried tears of joy at both venues. By attending the wedding and the funeral, I feel my current experience is best described in the first three letters of that word “wonder” — yes — I feel like “I Won!”
I am now praying the words of an old faithful hymn of the church... “Great is Thy Faithfulness — Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”
A final thought: “Whoever believes in Jesus will not be disappointed...” — The Bible, Romans 10:11
Presence Matters Most!
That is... Presence. Unity. Souls. Love.
Pastor Kerry Willis
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