Isaiah 61:1-3, Psalm 121, Matthew 25:31-46
August 29, 2015
You can’t help but love a woman who wanted the song “God Save the Queen” and a New Orleans style jazz parade complete with marching band at her memorial service! (I hate to disappoint all of you, but the marching band is not coming!) Her wishes are a window into who Nancy was. She was the woman John fell in love with when he met her at Albany Medical Center where he worked in the pharmacy and she was a student nurse. Nancy was a determined woman, who learned to ski because that is what John and their children, John and Lisa did. She celebrated Boston Red Sox wins by parading through her neighborhood. John told me that she was an in-charge person, and, he said, that fortunately, she was very good at it. Married for 61 years, they were best friends. There is no end to love.
Our readings from Isaiah and Matthew reflect Nancy’s life of giving. Nancy saw the people society often dismisses and gave them back their dignity. Among other positions, she worked at Williamsburg Landing for almost 20 years. God called her to educate and counsel people about aging, dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Nancy welcomed the stranger, gave the naked clothing, took care of the sick, and visited those who were bound in their own prisons. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” The Lord anointed Nancy to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners. She did this with her wisdom and knowledge, with her compassion, and with her unique way of telling the truth in love. Those of you who are here today, who are witnesses to her life, represent only a fraction of the people she touched.
Her death was a shock not only to her family, but also to this community. Despite the fact that she was 82 years old, according to our human chronological time, her death came too soon. Her death was untimely, but her life was not. Nancy’s participation in God’s work of healing and her sense of fun were signs of God’s presence. She helped to bring God’s kingdom into our broken world, and the difference that she made continues.
We can ask God why this tragedy happened, but the truth is that God did not cause the car accident to happen. It was not God’s will. God came to be one of us in human flesh, in the person of Jesus. In his living, and loving, and suffering and dying, Jesus experienced what we do. Wherever we go, Jesus went before us.
So, where is God in all of this? God is right here with us, loving us, and weeping with us. I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121.1-2). When our grief becomes too much, when it is beyond our human capability to deal with our sadness and our fears, then the strength of the God of resurrection can be seen. God’s love is stronger than our grief. God’s love is stronger than death. Our God of resurrection heals and redeems.
It is not a coincidence that our service today echoes our baptismal liturgy. In our baptisms, we are joined to Christ Jesus in his death and in his resurrection. In our baptism, we are set free from sin and death. This is not dependent upon our goodness or our faithfulness, but God’s. It is by God’s grace that we are saved. Our salvation comes through Jesus Christ. In God’s deep love for us, God entered into our humanity. God promises never to let us go. We give thanks for God’s promise to be with us in life and in death. We give thanks for the power of the resurrection. That is where Nancy is, with God in the resurrection. Possibly in charge of something.
It is good to be together today in community, to remember and to honor Nancy’s life and to commend her to God in her death. It is good to be here so that we can lean on each other. We can share each other’s pain. We can stand together in a shared silence when we don’t know what words to say. Right here with us is Christ, blessing us through each other’s prayers and presence, blessing us in ways we might not be able to know or understand.
In Nancy, we caught a glimpse of God and God’s love for all people. Life will be different without Nancy, but in the days ahead, notice the in-breaking of the resurrection life in which Nancy now lives. That is what Nancy would want, –for us to live life as a gift to be shared. And to sing “God Save the Queen.” Feel the healing power of a hug, nestle in the warmth of friendship, listen to someone with your whole heart, and be a blessing to others by your willingness to help carry their load.
God has promised never to abandon us in life or in death. We can rest in that sure and certain hope, and take comfort that Nancy is with God, whose love never fails.
~The Reverend Cheryl Ann Griffin