January 26, 2014
Welcome Home
- 1 Samuel 31:1-13
- Dr. Teri Thomas
On the Bravo show- Inside the Actor’s Studio James Lipton asks his famous guests a series of 10 questions. Question number 10 is-
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
My response was always spontaneous and automatic- Welcome home.
For me, the verses we read this morning from the gospel set the stage for that welcome.
These verses go to the core of our faith, but they also go to the core of our being as children of God. They are a warm embrace. They are comfort food, plain and simple. Nothing is more soothing, more evocative of being cared for, than the words, "Your room is ready and waiting for you. Why don’t you go on up?"
There is something inexpressibly calming about knowing that no matter what happens,
we have a place, somewhere, that is waiting for us; a place that is ours.
Most of us don’t like to think about dying,
and the only thing worse than having to think about it
is being asked to talk about death and make plans for that day.
The conversation is not one most folks begin voluntarily.
But trust me when I say-
the conversation will happen
some day
sometime
with you or without you.
As many of you are aware it came up last week in the life of this community with our dear friend David McDonald. During one of the recent snow storms David was in a terrible car accident resulting in devastating brain injury. Once the extent of his injuries was determined the family was asked-
what are his wishes?
does he want to be on a respirator?
does he want to be resuscitated?
does he want a feeding tube?
Then the questions shift
burial or cremation?
funeral or memorial?
hymns? scriptures?
Every day, families find themselves faced with these questions.
How can we answer these questions for someone we love if we have never talked about it?
The decisions are rarely clear cut .
Some folks want to die at home, surrounded by family and friends. Some prefer the hospital to offer every last chance for medical intervention and to take the pressure off the family. More and more people are opting for hospice- where the goal is to allow nature to take its course with as much peace and comfort as is possible.
Most hospitals now require a living will before a patient is admitted. This document outlines a number of the what-ifs and clarifies the patient’s wishes.
No one wants to die before their time.
No one wants to suffer.
But how long and to what extremes we want to be kept alive is a matter of personal preference, and sometimes a matter of faith.
After death, there are still decisions to make.
How do you want to be remembered?
Sometimes Ruth and I do this planning with a family member after the person has died.
But more and more often we have the privilege of meeting with folks to talk about their own service. Not the date, just the content.
Where will it be held?
What music would you like?
What are your favorite passages of scripture?
It almost always turns into a story telling session.
I get to hear stories from childhood and school days.
I hear about major accomplishments and terrible mistakes.
I hear stories of faith and hopes for life eternal.
And another important question-
what would you like to have done with your body?
A decent burial has always been important to humans.
We see it in this morning’s OT lesson.
Where a person was buried was important.
There has always been a sense that the right place is in some sense “home”.
We know the expressions
"to sleep with one's fathers"
and "to be gathered to one's kin"
as synonyms for "to die."
As soon as early Christians began to build sanctuaries, churches, or houses of worship.
the traditions developed of burying the remains of believers on or adjacent to the church property. Many of the great cathedrals of Europe have the remains of church leaders buried within the walls of the building.
The countryside of the entire mid-west is dotted with cemeteries that are adjacent to little country churches. In recent years, a number of churches have reclaimed this ancient tradition by providing a sacred place for the remains of believers to be placed. Such a place is called a Columbarium; a sacred place for cremated human remains.
In the months ahead you are going to be hearing about the possibility of a columbarium
here at Northminster.
I am not trying to sell you a niche.
I am trying to encourage a conversation.
A columbarium is one of many ways to honor our loved ones.
It allows God’s people, so desiring, to be buried in their church home,
with their family of faith.
A columbarium fulfills the obligation of the church to serve its members from baptism to death;
offering a final homecoming for us all.
We spend a lifetime showing others what is important to us by the way we live our lives.
As your pastor, I encourage you to take the time
to tell others what is important to you in the way you die-
and how we can remember you
and where God can welcome you home.