I can hardly believe it, but yesterday it was one month since Tom Findlay passed away.  Tom was a dear, dear friend of ours, and he is truly missed.  Tom was the first Scot I met in Scotland.  I’ll never forget the day he collected me from the train station in Perth.  He and Anne took me to the Glover Arms (mmmmmhhhhhh Fisherman’s Pie and Fish Cakes!) before driving me out to Octhertyre.  It was the beginning of a long friendship.

Unfortunately, our friendship was cut short, just a few months before we would have been able to see him again.  Now we’ll have to wait much longer – but we will see him again.

Here is a short statement about Tom and his impact on Lauren and I that I wrote for his funeral.  My good friend Derrick Thames had the opportunity to speak for a few minutes and asked me to put it together.  I have no idea how much of this he was able to share, so I figured I’d just put it here in my blog.

A few months before Lauren and I left Scotland in 2009, Tom helped me with the process of getting our little car past all the yearly inspections.  I asked Tom for a recommendation of a mechanic.  Tom took that as a challenge to fully take care of the entire process, regardless of the cost, and having not been asked to do so!  £600 later, our Peugeot was in good shape again (at least until Derrick & Dayna bought it from us! )  When I told Tom that I should pay for it, he said this: “Rusty, I know that money is tight for you right now, and it is not for me.  I want to do this.  One day, you will encounter a young minister with promise and they will be in need of a blessing, and of mentoring – when that day comes, you can pay me back by helping her or him.  Until then, don’t worry about it.  You don’t owe me anything at all.  I want to do this.  As a matter of fact, I’ve already done this!”  Then he said, “Just do me a favor Rusty, don’t tell Anne!”  That was the kind of man Tom was.  Anne, Tom spent £600 fixing our car.  We didn’t ask for it, but honestly at the time we couldn’t really afford it either.  It came to us as grace.  Your Tom was a man of grace.  I hope you can forgive him for keeping that from you!  :-)

Several weeks ago, as the Lenten season drew near, I began considering what I might give up – and then how I would replace that time or activity, etc… with devotional time or service. Immediately, I was struck by the idea of giving up not eating meat (double negative intentionally used!).
For a year I have been a pescatarian meaning that I eat only seafood in addition to vegetables, dairy, etc… Lauren had done this for many years and I wanted to have my diet be in solidarity with hers. It just gets complicated to have a household divided by dietary needs, and with a new little one, I just thought it would be best.
I didn’t regret my decision at all, nor did I miss meat all that much. (I should clarify that by meat I mean poultry. Lauren and I haven’t eaten beef or pork, except in situations where kindness and hospitality dictated that we do so, in many, many years.) But while I felt good about not eating meat, both ethically and physically, I also hated how complicated my diet made life for others. Those who wanted to cook for us, or have us over for dinner, seemed often stuck scratching their heads over what to cook.
While I might feel strongly about a dietary decision, I hate it that that decision makes the basic hospitality of others overly complicated and even tenuous. I hated that I was often stuck explaining my diet, along with all the why’s and why not’s. I hated the self-righteousness that it would often instill in me, as I, essentially, explained to everyone else how I was “better” or “more sensitive” than they were.
Now, of course, this was not my intention at all. It is, however, often how life played out. I also found myself often complaining about the lack of options I had at certain restaurants, again, somehow making the situation more about me than about fellowship or community.
So I considered giving up not eating meat for Lent. But in the end, I didn’t.

Then, a dietary concern that Lauren had (she has to be very careful, as she needs food not just for herself but for Lily too!), caused her to suggest that she (she didn’t ask me to do it) needed to once again eat poultry, at least temporarily. After a brief discussion I agreed with her and said I wanted to join her (for the same reasons listed above). That was about two weeks ago. Since that time, we’ve been trying to navigate the world of careful meat eating – trying not to overindulge in meat, and trying to still eat a primarily vegetable and seafood diet, but with poultry sprinkled in.

My report: it’s been pretty good. I think in the end, this will allow hospitality to reign much more supremely in our life together. For me, especially, I think this will help to prevent so many situations from being driven back to me and my choices and beliefs. (I need all the help I can get with pride and my ego…) Instead, we can just be.

I think that our ultimate position will be this: when at home, we will still eat a, for-the-most-part, vegetarian diet, but we will eat poultry at times, and definitely seafood. In public, and especially when joining others for a meal, we will gladly eat poultry, seafood, and vegetables. We will continue to refrain from beef and pork, unless our host does not know that we don’t eat these things and prepares a beef or pork dish for us. In that case, we will gladly eat the meal that is prepared for us, enjoy it, and we will be grateful for the hospitality and sustenance.

Well those are my thoughts about this recent development in our lives this Lenten season.

I’d love to read your thoughts about all of this.

People disagree about this topic, but as a theologian, a pastor, and also just as a human being, I am convinced that our pets – indeed all animals – play a part in the eternal Kingdom of God, and thus, truly, all dogs do go to heaven.

I believe that God created the world, indeed all things, good.  This includes water, rocks, dirt, and especially living creatures such as plants, trees, animals, and paramount of the animals, humans.  Humans, possessing free will, chose the destructive path of self-sovereignty for themselves, and as a result, all of creation pays the price.

I believe that God created all things, and especially the earth, for a purpose.  That purpose, being to reside in loving communion with His creation.  God’s hope for the world is that it will be a place where His will will be done, a place where there will be no weeping, mourning, pain, and especially no sin or death.  Those things, especially the last two, were never invited to the party – at least, not by God.  Humanity, literally, created these last two in choosing our own ways over God and God’s ways.  God’s ultimate plan is for these things to be eradicated, and for death to be no more.

I believe this great work has already begun in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Finally, as Jesus himself pointed out, if we do not praise Him, the very rocks themselves are ready to do so.  If the rocks can praise God, I’m pretty sure that complex living creatures can do so as well.  Just as we enjoy animals, so does our benevolent creator [why else would God create the Platypus?!].

In the end, according to the Book of Revelation, the new Jerusalem will descend out of heaven, the old heavens and the old earth will pass away, and the new earth will be established.  In other words, the world will die and rise again, itself being baptized into the new life of Christ Jesus.  Prairies will again flourish with wild flowers and bison, Mountain springs will flow undammed, Polar Bears, and Great whales, and Tigers will roam free, and not threaten humans [and humans will not threaten them!] – in short, all of creation will actively proclaim God’s goodness in a complete manner.  The animals that many of us consider to be pets will be no exception.

Finally, and I truly believe this, just as we believe that we will be raised with Christ, so will all the dead that have gone on, including little dogs.

Today we lay our beloved wee pup Mitzi to rest.  She has brought joy and laughter to our lives for almost 14 years.  She has lived in New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Scotland, and Arkansas.  She’s even been to London.  She’s seen more of the world than many people have!  Where ever she went, people fell in love with her immediately.  That was certainly true for both Lauren and and I as well.  We love Mitzi – we always will.  One day we’ll see feisty little Mitzi again.  She won’t limp, she won’t fall, she will no longer be confused and unsettled, and she’ll have all of her teeth [she is one tough dog!]  We look forward to that day.  Until then, Mitzi, may you leave this world in peace, may you be greeted by a loving Savior and Creator, and may you join the ranks of Bilbo, Shasta, Baby, Abby, and Sophie.

Until that day, may you be at peace.

So yeah, I was overweight.  Now before you think I’m being overly hard on myself, I was also pretty healthy.  Up until the last few months (due to budgetary cutbacks) I went to the gym 3-4 times a week, I ride my bike to work as often as I can, and routinely school the teens in my Youth Group in basketball!  That being said, though, I have steadily gained weight, a few pounds here and a few there, over the last few years and I knew that it was time to change.  So, a few months back, after Lily was born, I scheduled a routine wellness check with our doctor.  He told me that everything looked great, except that I was overweight.  This means, that while everything looks fine now, things won’t stay that way.  I was risking heart disease, putting undue stress on my bad knees, and just not taking care of myself.  We chose to wait to have children (yes, there will be more!  No, not yet!), after all, and so I need to take care of myself, if I want to be able to keep them on their toes when they are, God forbid, teenagers!

So, Dr. Johnson, who tries to keep himself very healthy, recommended that I try the 17 Day Diet.  He said that it was designed for rapid weight loss, and that my body type and exercise level would be a perfect fit for this particular diet.  So, I went online and bought the Kindle version from Amazon.

Basically, the diet has four phases beginning with an über strict cycle moving to a more laid-back, balanced, cycle that is a suggestion of how to live everyday.  Each phase is easier and more lenient than the previous one, and will usually, therefore, result in less weight loss.  The final cycle is aimed at that all-too-tricky concept of maintaining the weight you achieve after you go through the first three cycles.

What I really like about this diet is that you do not have to buy anything special, like supplements.  It is very sustainable, and very effective.  It can be really, really strict – even more so than the Adkins diet!  But it can also be very, very lenient.

One downside, is that the first and second cycles are so protein based that it made my diet VERY monotonous.  (I am a pescatarian, which means I am a vegetarian that also eats seafood.)  For most people, I do not think the diet would be as monotonous.

The main thing is that it WORKED!  Between starting the diet at the end of August and finishing in early November (almost three months of dieting) I lost close to 30lbs!  (If I go off the weight I was at the Dr.’s office, it was 30 lbs.  I had some clothes on there, though.  Based upon my home scale, it was 26lbs.)  Either way, it worked!  And what is perhaps more important, I learned portion control, and healthy eating habits.  After now spending a month in the fourth cycle, which is the maintain cycle (and it is the holidays, so I’m splurging more than I normally would!) I am only about 2-3lbs heavier than my lightest weight!

Looking ahead, if I want to get down to what the Dr. said my ideal body weight is, I need to lose just over 20 more pounds.  That is 10 more than my original goal, but hey, why not?!  I’ve already had to go down in pant size to the size I wore in High School, put new holes in my belts, and my shirts all either fit wonderfully, or are too large!  I suppose having to buy all new clothes wouldn’t be the worst that could happen.

I won’t be going back to cycle one or two anytime soon, though.  I’m trying to learn to maintain.  I’m hoping that our finances will allow me to be able to return to the gym in the new year, and then I would like to really try to go through the cycles again.  Who knows how much weight I might lose!  Oh, that reminds me, the suggestion of the Dr. who writes the diet book is to exercise at least 17 minutes a day.  I achieved my weight loss by doing a bit more, but I wasn’t going to the gym or doing anything heavy.  He does state that for continued weight loss and healthiness, that you should strive for more than this amount of physical activity.  That number is simply a beginning goal to get a person used to being more active.

So, I highly recommend this diet.  As someone who has never dieted before, I can’t really compare it to anything that I’ve tried.  I know about other diets, though, and I know of other diets that worked.  I found this one to be very effective at rapid weight loss, and with discipline, at keeping the weight off that you lose.  Finally, I should add that the word “discipline” is key here.  I think you need to be highly self-motivated and disciplined to succeed at this diet.  It begins VERY strict, with almost no room for cheating.  You’ll probably need to be disciplined to achieve your goals.

Well, good luck!  If I can help at all, let me know.

On Wednesday, I preached my grandmother’s (Mommo as I called her) funeral.  It was a difficult task for sure.  It was strange, and difficult, and also a blessing to be both the only grandson, but also a pastor to the family.  I wrote my first Obituary, preached the homily at the service, and led the graveside service.  If you’re interested, I’ve attached the obituary, and the manuscript for my homily below.

I love you Mommo.  May you rest in peace.  We will meet again…..

Obituary

Mary Beth Brian, 73, of Clovis, died Saturday, October 8, 2011, in Lubbock, TX.

Beth was born on December 10, 1937, in Clovis, NM.  She married Russell Eugene Brian June 13, 1955.

She was a homemaker, and she also worked as a secretary for the Clovis Hospital, Steed Todd Funeral Home, and Central Christian Church.

Survivors include her husband, Gene Brian; mother, Enola Echols; siblings, Dick Echols, Jim Board, Judy Board, and sister-in-law Darlene Harrison; three sons, Randy, and wife, Barbara, Ken, and Steven; three grandchildren, Rusty, and wife Lauren, Kara, and China; one great-granddaughter, Lily; two nieces, Casey Board-Bender, and husband Andrew, Kari (Board) Johnson, and husband Mark; and many other cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, J.K. Board, step-father, Horace Echols, and two siblings, Jesse Irvin Board and Nancy Echols Garrison.

The family requests that instead of flowers, memorial gifts be given to your favorite charity in Beth’s name.

Services to be held at 2pm, Wednesday, October 12, at Steed Todd Funeral Home, with a graveside service for family to follow.

For more information call 575-763-5541.

Funeral Homily

I am the Resurrection and I am the Life, says the Lord.              (John 11)

Whoever has faith in me shall have life,

even though they die.

And everyone who has life,

and has committed themself to me in faith,

shall not die forever.

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives             (Job 19)

and that at the last He will stand upon the earth.

After my awaking, He will raise me up;

and in my body I shall see God.

I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him

who is my friend and not a stranger.

For none of us has life in themself,               (Romans 14)

and none becomes their own master when they die.

For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord,

and if we die, we die in the Lord.

So, then, whether we live or die,

we are the Lord’s possession.

Happy from now on                 (Revelation 14)

are those who die in the Lord!

So it is, says the Spirit,

for they rest from their labors.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray:

O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our sister Beth.  We thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage.  In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn.  Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

I should state right up front how strange it feels to keep referring to my grandmother as “Beth” rather than Mommo.  And yet Beth was her name, and that is how almost all of you know her, and so I will stick with Beth.  Forgive me, though, if I slip in a few Mommo’s here and there!

I believe that there is something very powerful about a name.  In ancient times, names were given to children less for novelty, and more for destiny.  It was believed that to name a person, was to bless and direct them toward becoming who God wanted them to be.  And think of the stories of people like Abram whose name was changed to Abraham; Sarai, whose name was changed to Sarah; Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel; and Saul, whose name was changed to Paul.  In each of these instances, the changing of the name was a changing of identity, and of destiny.  Each of these figures had their names changed by God, and each of these figures went on to do great things in service to the Lord.

While we don’t often name our children in the same way today, a name still has a high degree of power.  The mere mention of a name, evokes memories and emotions, a name can even bring particular smells and tastes, and experiences to the brain.  In short, a person’s name, is powerful, because a person’s story is intimately wrapped up in their name.  And so, by merely saying the beloved name of Beth Brian, I have brought up the story that is Beth Brian.  It is her life, her story, that we celebrate, and mourn, this afternoon.

Beth’s story is a good story.  Though not as long as we would have liked, it is a long story.  It is a story of love, and laughter, of family, and friends, and perhaps, more than any other word, it is a story of help, of being helpful.  As I listened to stories from the rest of my family about Beth, a single, unifying theme began to emerge – Beth always desired to be helpful.  She wanted to help others.  When I think back to my own memories of my “Mommo” I can only affirm that thought.  And so, Beth’s story is one of help, or helpfulness.  And finally, Beth’s story, is a smaller story in a grand narrative.  She was a wife, a daughter, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a grandmother, a great grandmother, and she was a friend.  All of those stories continue, and so Beth’s story, and her legacy, continue as well.  Moreover, Beth was a firm believer in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In that, she was a part of God’s great story of redemption.  She was a child of God.  In all of these ways, Beth’s story continues.  Hers was not an isolated life, but rather a life lived with family, friends, and Her God.

I can honestly say to you this morning, that when her life was finished, and when she stood before her Lord, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, I have no doubt that the Lord God said to her, “Well done, my good, and faithful, and helpful (!) servant.”

This story – Beth’s story – begins on December 10, 1937 here in Clovis.  Her mother, Enola (or Mommo Echols as I know her!) said that as a little girl she was very helpful.  “She always wanted to help.”  As well-intentioned as she was, though, she was only a little girl, and sometimes her desire to help did not bear the intended fruit!  Enola told me of one particular incident, where she needed her Duncan 5 dining room table extended and the leaf put in.  Beth wanted to help, and so she climbed under the table and attempted to spread the table apart.  She certainly did spread the table apart!  She accidentally knocked the braces for the table over, and the table came apart so far that all the plates came crashing down!

Enola had many other such stories to tell.  Beth’s desire to be helpful seemed to resonate in all of them.

Her desire to help often led her to help her mom do the grocery shopping.  Like a lot of folks did back then, they went to the local grocer Hubby’s.  Often, Enola and Beth would go to Hubby’s to buy their groceries, or sometimes Enola would call to have something delivered.  This is yet another instance, though, of where Beth’s desire to help backfired a bit, or at least her mother would have said so for a few years.  I’m confident that she no longer feels that way today.

You see, there was a young man who worked at Hubby’s, by the name of Gene, and he tells me that he always looked forward to Beth coming into Hubby’s with Enola!  If you haven’t guessed, Gene is Russell Eugene, my grandpa, Beth’s husband of 61 years!

• Do you know that years later my dad, Randy, and my uncle Steven (who went by Greg at the time) worked at Hubby’s, and I was going to as well, but they closed just before I was able to start working.

Anyway, apparently Enola had spotted the loving glances between Gene and Beth, for Gene tells me that one day Enola called and placed an order for a loaf of bread to be delivered.  The person who took the order, after hanging up the phone, told Gene that Enola requested, “a loaf of bread as ‘fresh’ as that delivery boy!”

Pretty soon, Gene said that he and Beth, “started going together and never quit.”  Yesterday, Gene told me, that while he did date a few girls before Beth, he said, “I don’t really remember any other girls.”

It wasn’t long before they wanted to get married.  Beth was only a Sophomore, though, and Gene a Senior.  They talked to Enola, and she said, “absolutely not,” that they were too young!  Knowing how two young people in love can be, however, she told them that if they would wait until Beth graduated from High School, she would give them her blessing.

Usually, young people in love are so impetuous, that asking them to wait, would be just fine, as they would probably break up long before graduation day.  Enola will tell you that is exactly what she figured would happen.

Well, Gene and Beth’s love for one another proved to be far more than a fleeting fancy!  After his senior year, Gene moved off to join the Navy.  He told Beth that he’d be back after boot camp, after her graduation, to marry her, if she’d still have him, and off he went to San Diego.

Beth graduated from CHS in May 1955, and in June, Gene came home on leave, after having completed boot camp.  He arrived on a train, and if you’ll notice one of these pictures is of the first time that they saw each other when he stepped off the train.  Just after Gene stepped off the train, I’m told that Beth ran to him, and put her arms around him, and the rest, well, is history!

Just a few days later the two were married, in Central Baptist Church.  According to Gene, Beth was a “derned-old-Baptist” when they got married, and he was determined to fix that!  He went to Central Christian Church here in Clovis his whole life, and the couple alternated Sundays between CBC and CCC when in Clovis.  Years later, when they moved back, Beth joined CCC and they two have gone there ever since.

Shortly after they were married, Gene and Beth moved to Norman, OK for Gene’s Aviation Boot Camp.  Gene’s Navy career also took them to Memphis, TN, Pensacola, FL, and Jacksonville, FL.  In Jacksonville, their first son, Randy, my father, was born.  In 1959, Gene got out of the Navy, and the family returned home to Clovis.  Soon after arriving, their second son, Ken, was born.

Upon moving back to Clovis, Gene began working for the railroad.  Gene’s job had him living out of a suitcase a good deal of time, and during those trips, apparently Randy and Ken liked to wreak havoc upon their mother.  I’m told that Beth had terrible eyesight.  One morning, the two boys hid their mom’s glasses, and then proceeded to systematically dismantle the kitchen, taking everything out of the refrigerator, eating what they wanted, and just basically making a huge mess!  Beth finally called her mother in tears, who promptly came over, set the boys straight and helped retrieve Beth’s glasses!

I’m also told that a common practice during this time was for Gene’s sister Darlene to come over when Gene was called out for work.  Darlene and Beth would make sausage pizza at night for the family, and then in the morning they would use the leftover sausage to make a big breakfast for the whole family.

Five years after Ken was born, a surprise named Steven came along, and the family moved to a bigger home – the house on Sandia where they live today!

With three boys, and the way they behaved, Beth clearly had her hands full!

I’m also told of a comical, almost “I Love Lucy-style” birthday party at Aunt Ibby’s house, when Beth tried to help Ibby cut her home-made layer cake, which proceeded to slide all over the place!

During the early years of their marriage, Gene attempted to introduce Beth to his second love: fishing.  Gene has two types of photo albums: those of family, and those of fish!  (There may be more of the latter.)  Gene tried repeatedly to get Beth to go fishing with he and the boys.  She went at first, but never really enjoyed it.  The family said she was much happier just sitting and reading a magazine.

You might have heard that magazine sales are down dramatically today, with many people choosing to go to online sources for their news.  Well, Beth, was doing her best to keep magazines in business.  Her magazine subscription list rivals that of a public library in a major, metropolitan city!  Gene’s going to have quite a chore, cancelling all those subscriptions…..

Once the boys were older, and had left the house, Beth began working as a secretary at a few different places.  Perhaps the title, “Professional Helper” might be more apt, though.

She worked for the old Clovis Hospital, Steed Todd Funeral Home, and Central Christian Church – working as a secretary at each.  The job she held the longest was here at the funeral home.

Steven recalls her saying that while it was a job that many would find difficult or unpleasant, she believed it was a job where she could help people at their most vulnerable – when they were most in need.  She said she was there to help and love people.  She loved the funeral home’s values, and their constant attempts to help families who were grieving.

Gene said she took great pride in tracking down help for families from insurance companies.  It is often the case that insurance companies sell off their policies to other companies, or banks, and so on.  In the pre-digital era, tracking down a person’s policy info, on a policy that they might have held for 40-50 years was difficult.  Beth prided herself in doing this.  You would think, then, that with the introduction of computers into the funeral home, that she would have found this to be an even easier task – but not Beth!

She hated computers!  As a matter of fact, we all remember the day when she was told at work that in six months, the funeral home would be fully computerized.  Beth’s response was, “well then, in six months, I’ll be gone!”  She held to her word, and after 20 years here at Steed Todd, when the computers came in the door, she went out it!

At the hospital, she prided herself in helping others, at CCC she did the same, and especially, here at the funeral home, Beth helped many, many families who found themselves in the same position that we find ourselves in today.

In reflecting back upon their long, happy life together, Gene said that one of the things that stuck out to him the most was her constant desire to help him when he was called out for work.  “Being a railroader’s wife must have been very difficult on her,” he said.  Gene was a railroader for 44 years, and in the Navy before that.  These two jobs are both difficult jobs for a spouse, and Beth always maintained a helpful, supportive role.  Gene said that when he was called out, no matter how late, or early it was….2am, 3am……she would wake up, make him a homemade breakfast, and help him get out the door.  I know that was true, because I remember sleepovers where I was awoken early in the morning by the smell of bacon and eggs, and saw Beth fixing her husband breakfast.

Beth loved and served Gene, was a faithful wife, and their love has left a lasting imprint upon many of us here.

During all of this time, I remember sleepovers, weekly lunches together in the summer, a cabinet full of treats, and many, many wonderful family dinners, Christmas’, and so many more wonderful memories.  I was glad to hear that Casey and Kari both had fond memories of Mommo’s assortment of candy that she kept out for her visitors (us, really).  They also recalled sitting at the little bar together, because the large kitchen table was just too full of family – all of whom were older, and took precedence over us kids.

In recent years, Beth took to helping her mother Enola a good deal.  And then over the last few months, as Beth’s health deteriorated, the two were a help to one another, and Gene was able to return some of the help that Beth had always given to him.  I can’t tell you how glad I was that last month Lauren and I were able to bring our new little daughter Lily home to Clovis, to introduce Beth to her only great granddaughter.  I knew when I saw Beth last month, that she was not doing well.  But her eyes glowed with joy when she held Lily.  She was so excited.  I was able to get a photo of five generations of Brian women all together.  Little did I know, that it would be the last time those five generations would be together in this life.

I was told that a few weeks ago, when Beth was taken to the hospital after a suspected heart attack, the doctors were asking her about her family, specifically how many children she had.  She spoke up, though, and said, “and one beautiful little great granddaughter!”  I’m so glad that she was able to hold little Lily even if just a few times, before she passed away.

Beth’s life, her story, truly was one of help.  Beth helped others, she took joy in that.  On behalf of all of those who Beth loved and helped, Beth, I say, “thank you.”

In the last days, Beth suffered some.  The doctors were able to ease her pain, but it wasn’t pleasant.  Its hard to accept, its hard to see your wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, your friend suffer, and as we close, I want to read you a passage of “good news” – a passage that Beth fully believed in.  It is a passage about the end of all things, about God’s plan for the redemption of the world.  Its about the hope we have for the Resurrection of the body, and of life everlasting.

This is a passage of hope.  It is perhaps my favorite passage in all of Scripture, and I hope that it offers you comfort as well.

Closing Scripture – Revelation 21:1-7

Closing Prayer

And now let us pray,

“Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.

You only are immortal, the creator and maker of humanity; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return.  For so did you ordain when you created us, saying, ‘You are dust, and to dust you shall return.’  All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song:  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.

 - Turn to face the casket. -

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Beth.  Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming.  Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light.  Amen”

Benediction: “Family and friends of Beth Brian, go forth in the strong hope of an even stronger Savior, trusting in the Father who raised the Son from the dead, and relying on the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit, both now, and forevermore.  May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

May you go in the comfort of this: that you will meet again.  Until that day….  Go in peace.

You are dismissed.”