The first funeral I ever did was during my first semester of seminary. I had come home for the Thanksgiving holiday and a friend of our family died. He had been ill for some time, so his death was not a complete shock. What was a surprise though was the phone message I received from his family, wanting me to do the funeral. I had just begun seminary. I had no books or resources with me. What was I to do?
After Thanksgiving dinner my mother and I went over to the house to see our friend's family. Seated there were four children, three daughters and a son, plus his ex-wife. They were coping fairly well-sad, but united in spirit. They had something very important they wished to say to me.
"We want you to talk about reconciliation," they said. It was apparent. They were thankful. They hadn't waited to make things right. When their father died they were on good terms-they were reconciled. And they wanted me to share that message with everyone at the funeral.
You see, for many years their father had suffered from alcoholism. There were bad years. Years of hurt and anger, years of suffering and rejection, years of not communicating. But a miracle had happened in their lives. Things changed. Their father reached out to them, dealing with his illness, putting aside his pride, asking his children to give him another chance.
And it took. They were reconciled. They were able to share the love that they felt. He was able to die in peace and they were able to live in peace. Their lives were filled with memories, good and bad. They were thankful for the right relationship they had been gifted with. They were thankful for a right relationship with their father.
There is nothing more painful than a relationship that has gone astray-especially the one between children and parents. Some of the saddest conversations that I have been privy to were those regarding a parent who had died and the child they had not spoken to for years-twenty or thirty or forty years. What a tragedy! What sorrow! As we begin this Lenten season, we are given the opportunity to reconcile with our heavenly father, to make our relationship right, to share the love that we feel. The season of Lent that begins today marks the forty days and six Sundays that we prepare to meet the resurrected Christ-our Lord and our Savior.
When we meet Him, face to face, in all His glory, how do we want our relationship to be? Our beautiful readings for today's worship give us some very practical advice and even examples of how to enter into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father.
In Joel, we find God pleading through the prophet's voice for us to return to Him-with fasting, with weeping, with mourning. Show me with your actions that you love me, says our God. And, give me your hearts-not your garments, God says to the people. The external alone is not enough, I want all of you-external and internal-all that I made you to be-to be reconciled to me.
Matthew's gospel tells us to be humble-don't pray and fast for others to see-do it all for God, Jesus says. Your reward is from God, your Father. Your treasures are in heaven. So humble yourselves and come before your Creator as the child of God that you are, limited and needy. Then you will be reconciled to your God.
Second Corinthians opens with a beautiful statement about reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ. Accept the grace of God, Paul says. Let God's salvation permeate your being. Christ died that we might be in right relationship with our God. Accept it. Live it. We entreat you-please do this!
And of course, the perfect example of the penitent psalm is found with psalm fifty-one, which we will read responsively and the choir will sing. God have mercy, wash me, cleanse me, make my heart clean and put a new spirit in me, the pslamist sings. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, keep your Spirit with me and make my spirit willing. I need you, O God! I sacrifice my spirit to you! Make things right between us!
Being reconciled to God is what Lent is all about. The journey begins tonight. How will we meet God when we leave this earthly life? Can we wait forever to make things right, or is there a time when it is too late? When I remember that first funeral that I was honored to participate in and the message of reconciliation that came from four thankful children, I know the answer. Amen.
Peace,
Rev. Cynthia Bacon
Minister
You may email at:
cbacon@heritagemadison.org
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This page was last updated on March 07, 2003.