Death and life

I attended a funeral yesterday for my husband's Aunt Priscilla. From time to time, my husband and I talk about what we would like/would not like to have in our own funerals. Yesterday was a perfect example of what I do NOT want to have in my funeral. I won't get into it - but it sure did make me stop and think about what I DO want:

1. I want a Christ-centred service. No eulogy, no "tributes". 'Cause it's not about me and my "works"; it's about Jesus and His Finished Work on the Cross. That's where true hope and true comfort are found. I do not wish to give the impression, however subtly, that human works are connected to our redemption in Christ.

2. I would like my immediate family to receive Holy Communion immediately preceding the service to strengthen and console them. In the Eucharist, which we understand to be the very body and blood of Christ, we are connected to all the saints - those living and those who have gone before us.

3. I would like the following Scriptures used -

• The Old Testament Lesson: Zephaniah 3:14-17 Because it so beautifully expresses not only not only the promised redemption but also the Lord's love for me. He takes great delight in me! The Creator of the Universe rejoices. Over me. Try and get your head around that.
• Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 2:4-10 Two reasons: one, it is my confirmation verse and two, it points clearly to grace through faith in Christ as the way to salvation. Gift of God, people.
• The Holy Gospel: John 21:15-19 My very favourite Scripture. Actually, it needs to be paired with Peter's denial of Christ, to understand the true impact of what this verse means to me. See, I'm no theologian, but I think it's significant that Jesus asks Peter not once, not twice, but three times "Do you love me?". Imagine Peter. He has denied His Lord - THREE times - and then the Lord is put to death and Peter has no chance to take it back, to say "Wait! I didn't mean that!". And then...the Lord comes back from the grave and just how wretched do you think Peter felt then? Because of course he KNOWS that Jesus knows. This is how our blessed Lord demonstrates His grace and mercy to Peter: He reinstates him not once, not twice, but three times - once for each denial. It's just such a powerful reminder for each of us that He does the same for us. He never stops forgiving. He took it ALL upon Himself at the Cross. I think it makes for an appropriate funeral message, because when I am gone, who is to say what the totality of my life will look like? Perhaps it will look to others as if God's love won't be enough to cover my sin. This Scripture of John's reminds us: My sin - what I did or didn't do in this life - is not the measure of God's love. God's love is measured by the cross of Jesus Christ. (Credit goes to Dr. Norman Nagel for illuminating this final thought. )

4. I had a hard time choosing the hymns: there's so many I cherish! A rough cut (from which the pastor could then choose from) would look like this:

Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure

Jesus Lives! The Victory's Won

For All the Saints

Just As I Am Without One Plea

When Peace Like a River

I Know My Faith is Founded

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

If you're interested in the words and melodies of these hymns, they may be found here. They all focus on Christ and His work.

And finally, though this is not part of the funeral, (more part of the funeral planning process) I have decided to take the advice of a Christian financial planner that I know and the include following preamble to my will:

___________________________________________________________________

"...You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8b)

With these words Jesus calls us to bear witness to the salvation which He won for all believers through His suffering and death on the cross.

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spririt has come upon you..." (Acts 1:8a)

And with this promise He enables us to serve as His witnesses through the Holy Spirit working by way of the Word.

I, ______________, of the City of __________ and Province of ___________, being of sound and disposing mind and memory and being under no restraint, do make, declare and publish this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all Wills and codicils hereto made by me.

First, realizing the uncertainty of this life I place full confidence and trust in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who promised: "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die" (John 11:25-26).

Second, knowing that the wages of sin is death, I believe that Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, suffered and died for the forgiveness of all my sins, which I neither deserve nor merit, but receive as a free gift of God, who is rich in grace and mercy.

Third, I urge my heirs not to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but to take hold of the life which is life indeed through faith in Jesus Christ.

(Body of will follows.)

___________________________________________________________________

My hope is that even in death, I will proclaim Christ crucified.

New blogger

Hey everybody...meet Lee!

Lee says she is new to blogging and she is trying to meet up with some "older women" bloggers, but she's been rebuffed a few times trying to get to know others. Now, I don't know how old she means by "older" (hey, I'm 40 and she found me, lol!) but one thing I am sure of is that MY fellow bloggers, young and old(er) are the most gracious, welcoming bunch of ladies I know, and I felt sure that you all would want to meet her. So check out her blog, Soul Journey. Trust me, she's one of us!

We sure like our toys

I finally had enough of my pokey computer. After running a number of different tools to look for viruses, spyware etc. and finding nothing out of the ordinary, I finally had to admit that maybe the computer was just running out of adequate disk space and memory resources to do what I wanted it to. After pricing out what it would take to upgrade the disk drive, RAM, optical drive and operating system I realized it would be cheaper to just buy a new machine. And since I'm "in the biz" I can get them pretty reasonable. My boss lets us order parts at cost and gives us 30 days to pay, so I can computers, parts, ink supplies, etc. at quite a discount from retail. It's a nice perk!

Anyways, last week I found one that I liked for $250 off the price I have to pay. With all the discounts I am getting, it ends up being 50% off of retail price! I really thank God for that. The only catch was it would take a few days longer to order in - ordinarily they come overnight - and this one took 5 days. Who cares, right? I was really tempted to splurge on an LCD monitor, but in the end I exercised self control, lol! My old clunky CRT will do for now.

Tonight my husband will migrate over our data from the old one to the new one and this old thing will go downstairs for the kids. (It's funny, I'm the one who works for a computer services company, but I always get him to do the computer stuff at home.) I'm going to wipe the old thing clean and they can use it for their stuff. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well. Last time we got a new computer we had a heck of a time adding it to the network - I'm hoping that this one goes smoothly. I can hardly wait to use it, after all! Perhaps I'll blog and comment more now that it won't take and age for the pages to load, *wink*...Honestly, sometimes I thought Jesus would come back before those pages would finish loading...

Saturday meme

I feel like sharing...

1. What time did you get up this morning? I woke up at 7:39 a.m. but I got up at 8:20

2. Diamonds or pearls? I'm not a big fan of pearls so I guess it's diamonds by default.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The last film I went to see was Ghostrider, about a week ago. It was *supposed* to be PG, but I ended up having to leave about 30 minutes into the film. It was just too intense for my 13 year old daughter - NOT a good movie for kids! Before that it was Pirates 2 last summer. We don't go to the show very often.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Don't laugh. I have all seven seasons on DVD.

5. What did you have for breakfast? English muffin with cherry jam.

6. What is your middle name? Nancy (my mom's name)

7. What is your favorite cuisine? any kind of seafood

8. What foods do you dislike? mushrooms and onions, blech

9. What are your favorite chips? plain with dip (not onion dip)

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Can't think of anything right now

11. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Grand Caravan

12. Favorite sandwich? Reuben

13. What are characteristics you can’t stand? I honestly would rather not say. I'll say this though - the characteristics that I least like in others are mostly characteristics I don't like about myself.

14. What are your favorite clothes? My navy blue hoodie.

15. If you could go anywhere on vacation where would you go? Egypt and the Holy Land

16. How old were you when you had your first date? 15

17. Where would you want to retire? I'm leaning towards North Carolina. *wink*

18. Favorite time of day? The afternoon when there's nobody home but me

19. Where were you born? Kitchener, Ontario

20. What is your favorite sport to watch? Hockey!

21. Coke or Pepsi? I prefer Coke over Pepsi, but Diet Pepsi over Coke.

22. Beavers or ducks? Oh come on now, BEAVERS!!!

23. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I'm a mid-morning person

24. Pedicure or manicure? Manicure, although I would have to say I NEED the pedicure more.

25. What did you want to be when you were little? A doctor, which is weird because I get lightheaded at the sight of blood.

26. What is your best childhood memory? My mom and I used to play Little Red Riding Hood at bath time. I had this towel with a hood and I used to wear it and ask her, "Grandma what big eyes you have" etc. and then when we got to the "all the better to EAT you with my dear" part, my mom would scoop me up and kiss and tickle me. I couldn't have been more that 4 or 5, but I remember like it was yesterday.

27. Ever been to Africa? No

28. Ever been toilet papering? I don't know what that means??

29. Been in a car accident? Just a couple of minor fender benders.

30. Favorite day of the week? I like them all!

31. Favorite restaurant? Baton Rouge. It's an hour away in Mississauga; for special occasions.

32. Favorite flower? Primula

33. Favorite ice-cream? Soft serve Dairy Queen. Yes, I know that it's mainly whipped lard. I don't care.

34. Favorite fast food restaurant? McDonald's for their breakfast

35. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? None

36. From whom did you get your last e-mail? Ilene Fortin, the administrative assistant at the Lutheran Church Canada East District office

37. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Nothing is coming to mind

38. Last person you went to dinner with? My husband

39. What are you listening to right now? My daughter blowing her nose. You asked!

40. What is your favorite color? butter yellow

41. How many tattoos do you have? None. But my husband has many.

42. How many are you sending this Email to? None

43. What time did you finish this e-mail blog entry? Well I'm not done yet, am I?

44. Favorite magazine: Don't read 'em.

45. Coffee or tea? Cooooffffeeeee

46. Do you tan easily or burn easily? Burn.

47. Do you color your hair? Yep. The women in my family start going gray in their late teens. Under the colour I am not totally gray, but close to it.

48. What was the first car you ever purchased without the help of your parents? Ford Taurus.

49. What is your most dreaded household chore? the litter box

50 Who do you tag to complete this meme? Anybody who's interested!

No baby yet

Sara's husband John left me a message:

No baby yet; Sara has been in labour "on and off" for 6 days now. They'll be seeing her caregiver for a sonogram on Monday to see what's going on. She is really not feeling very well (I can imagine!) and she asks for prayers. Gladly my dear! She will be in touch when she is feeling up to it.

May I ask you to add your prayers to my own?

Taste of the South

My folks came back from Florida bearing gifts. Along with the usual oranges, grapefruit (my fave!) and paper shell pecans, there was a surprise - a big old bag of JIMMY DEAN SAUSAGE!!!!! Yeah, baby!

You may remember that "American-style" sausage is wildly popular in our home. You can't get Jimmy Dean up here and the pork sausage that we get in this area is, quite frankly, disgusting. It's made mostly from fat and cereal and whenever I eat it (which is not often) it always tastes to me like they didn't wash the pig before they made him into sausage.

There is one brand of sausage that we can get here that closely resembles "American-style" sausage. It is called "Brown and Serve" or something like that and I think it is made by Swift. It comes in packages of 10 itty bitty sausage links and costs a whopping $3.99! Needless to say, we don't eat it often at that price, but occasionally I will break down and get it when I'm jonesing for some real sausage. Other times I make my own sausage. It's not that hard: you just buy ground pork, add the seasonings and mix it all together and then cook it up as sausage patties. It's a passable substitute in a pinch, but it ain't Jimmy Dean. To say that we are excited about this bag o' sausage is an understatement, lol!

Ah, Jimmy Dean...it always reminds me of visits to the Southern states and is yet another reason I'm tempted to head to Debbie's part of the world! Look out, Debbie, I'm weakening!

Sneaking in the back door

Just a quickie: I'm around - just still having trouble with my 'puter at home. Very slow. Very frustrating! I'm taking a moment now from work to let you all know I haven't gone AWOL or anything. *smile* Hope to have things resolved sometime this week - I miss you all!

One other thing...if anybody hears from Sara, please let me know!

Why we are not to forsake the assembly

I don't know whether it was because of Daylight Savings Time or March Break or maybe a combination of both, but Sunday School attendance was WAY down this morning. Our Sunday School/Youth Group/Adult Bible Class begins at 9:40 a.m. We all meet together in the activity centre first and have our opening devotions, then around 10 a.m. we go off to our classes.

During opening this morning I noticed that none of my students had arrived yet. By 10 o'clock my students were still all MIA. I was pretty dejected. I went off to my class anyway, hoping that there might be stragglers, but when I arrived there it was empty. I looked into the class across from mine and saw that Hildegard's class was empty as well. Hildegard looked up and said, "Oh hi, how are you?" "Fine," I lied. "No, you're not," she said and came over and put her arms around me. "Tell me," she said.

And so I began to cry and told her how it hurt my heart when "my kids" didn't come. I wondered if they knew how much they mean to me - how much their very presence is an encouragement to me and how when they don't come I feel somehow empty and incomplete. How do you explain to little ones how much it means to us "older ones" that they simply come? When they don't come, I miss them, I even worry a bit about them. All I can do is pray for them, I concluded.

Hildegard, who is very kind, and very wise, agreed. "And why should we pray alone?" she wondered. "Let's pray for them together," she said, leading me to the tiny chairs in her room. And so we took turns praying, lifting up the children that weren't there - and their parents as well - to their Father in heaven.

As we prayed, I gained a bit more understanding of why we are not to foresake the assembly. Our absence can actually hurt others! Imagine if Hildegard had not come today. I would not have had the benefit of being ministered to...and she would have missed the opportunity to minister to another. These are the very things that we are called to do and we can't do them if we don't assemble.

If you are wondering, eventually one of my students, Jacob, came in. We had our lesson and it must have been good because he told me "When the others find out what we did, they're going to be sorry they missed it!"

Thank you, Jacob. You just ministered to me.

Bad computer

It seems I've picked up a bot or something on my home system. Something is sucking up all my system resources making it next to impossible to connect to the internet. Guess I'm going to have to take my system to work and have one of the techs clean it up. (One of the perks of working for a computer services company!) In the meantime, I managed to get on today and so I am taking this opportunity to say hi! because who knows when I may be able to next?

It's March Break here - kids off for the week. I'm not taking the week off with them, but I am working from home a couple of days. The boys have been towing the line all week, but...I'm worried that all this free time on their hands will be tempting to them. Each of them has been assigned chores and extra studying to do during the day. In the evening when we are all home my husband and I have planned some "fun stuff": going swimming, indoor mini-golf, bowling etc. It's just been such a hard, horrible couple of weeks I really feel like we need to bond and have fun together as a family.

My husband and I have postponed our weekend away. Neither of us feels comfortable leaving the kids with someone just now. When things settle down there will be time for that. We are considering taking a weekend away somewhere as a family - discussing it anyways; it may be a bit more than we can afford at the moment, but again, bonding, family time etc. seems to be what's needed here.

Anyways, sorry this is so short - there is a huge lag time between what I type and when it appears on the screen and it is really frustrating!! Plus I have a Sunday School lesson to finish preparing *wink*.

Much love to all!

I'm Not Your Typical Lutheran

In some ways I am the quintessential Lutheran. I embrace our traditions in a big way, always looking for the meaning behind them that give them relevance. I am on board with Lutheran theology, as outlined in The Lutheran Confessions. I'm what they call "quia". I love the beauty and biblical basis for the liturgy and I find the predictable rhythm of the "church year" comforting. I love a good Law/Gospel sermon (shows our sins; shows our Saviour, remember?). In many ways, I'm as Lutheran as they come. *smile* But there's one way that I am VERY atypical for a Lutheran.

Lutherans are known for being reserved and ordered in worship. Maybe it is borne out of our German origins and the German desire for order, I don't know. It is at least partly due to Paul's admonition that worship "should be done in a fitting and orderly way". Some people find us "cold". (Now, I would argue strenuously that "ordered" does not equal "joyless", but that is how some perceive it.)

In this way I am different from the typical Lutheran worshipper. I am a little more...dramatic. *wink* I wear my heart on my sleeve and I cry pretty near every Sunday. Sometimes it's a beautiful hymn that brings me to tears. Sometimes it's something the pastor says in the sermon that makes me weep. I bawl like a baby - with joy! - at every baptism. (Yes, EVERY baptism. Come on, seeing a brand new creation in Christ? Never gets old.) I nod my head and murmur "yes, Jesus" in corporate prayer, but I do it quietly so as not to disturb the worship of others. It just comes out of me sometimes, you know? Sometimes I can't help it and laugh - heartily - out loud.

My reserved and ordered brethren accept my "dramatics" with good humour. Nobody admonishes me for it. I think they understand that is it just another way that I am "unashamed" - they are too, they are just better at keeping their emotions in check than I am. Plus, I see them demonstrate their emotions in different ways. For example, on their way to receive communion, some pause and rest their hand for a moment on the baptismal font, no doubt recalling their own baptism. After the service, people excitedly discuss the sermon and how it spoke to them. Outside of the Divine Service, people speak with emotion about their love for Jesus and longing to live according to His precepts. And sometimes I see that I am not the only one surreptitiously wiping away a few tears.

Ironically, it was the very order of the worship that first attracted my husband to the Lutheran church. He grew up in a tradition where emotionalism was seen (he felt) as "proof" of one's love of God. He always felt that there was something the matter with him because he couldn't cry in worship. He feels much more at home in a reserved and respectful style of worship. And then he ends up marrying one of the few Lutheran "cryers". *smile* I sometimes wonder what God was/is trying to teach him by that. If I had to guess, it would be that our outward emotions in worship are not a true indication of what is in our hearts. Whether our worship style is "swinging from the chandeliers" (as Beth says) or stoic like my husband, God knows what's really in our hearts.