Sunday afternoon

We went hope from morning church and ate leftovers. It was fairly quiet at home with both girls off traveling the state.

We had a send off (Memorial Service) for Mike Henderson. He died a week ago and this gave out of town family enough time to travel. It started at 4 PM. I called to tell JF that I could make the 6 PM service but not practice. This was approved by phone. I help solidify the lower notes but I'm certainly not essential. I was told we were doing "Ride that Chariot" a really fun anthem to do that involves the basses getting the main part.

Generally the service songs are well known to me and practice is nice but not usually necessary. It turned out that was right this time.

Mike Henderson had had a very public fight against cancer for over two years. The church was involved through prayer, corporate fasting, and some fund raisers. We prayed and prayed for him and he took the risk to let us. He was very brave through all this.

The service included several witnesses of his life. We learned about his work life. I learned a lot new about Mike. The few things we had done together, elementary Sunday school mostly, I got to relive a little. But a lot was new. We memorialized his life. He is at rest with Jesus now. He will be missed.

I had to finally leave around 5:20 PM. About that time MP was beginning a sermon where he took 2 Samuel 12, the story of David praying for his dying child, as his text. I can see how it fit. The interesting thing was that the service scripture for the 6 PM service included 2 Samuel 11, the story of David's murder of Uriah. It ends with the prophet saying that the child he had with Uriah's wife would die as God's judgment. This is all part of one story.

I thought that was a bit coincidental and wondered if MP doesn't sneak a peek at the standard lectionary for inspiration from time to time.

I did not listen too much to LH's sermon at 6PM preferring to try to translate Galatians 2, another one of the lectionary passages for tonight, from the Greek. I did not get far but was interested in the word for circumcision.

I did hear him mention a great illustration from the Alpha class. It was about a 19th century tightrope walker called Blondin (Jean-François Gravele). The story has it that after walking a 1,000 foot tightrope extended across Niagara Falls he then asked if people watching believed that he could carry a man in a wheelbarrow across. When the crowds enthusiastically yelled "yes!" he responded, "Hop in." There is a difference between verbal agreement and actually acting on it. True belief involves life changes. I don't think any of the crowd took him up on his offer.