In recent years I attended the funeral of a man in his 40’s, who left a wife, and 3 daughters under 11.  There were hundreds folks there who either were related to him, or knew him well.  The service was led by an older pastor and 2 younger associates.  They did not greet the attendees as they entered the funeral home, nor did they speak of grief and the slow but necessary grieving process.  And worse, none of the 3 pastor types approached the young daughters to listen to them or comfort them.

Instead, the pastors kept asking, in one way or another, if any of us had not yet accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.  These guys felt that their mission was to convert as many of us as possible, rather than to bring the comfort of Christ by their actions.

It was a shocking scene to me.  Family members and friends have been dying around me since I was 5.  I’ve been a pall bearer since I was 10.  I’ve attended funeral services in a range of denominations.  Never before had I seen such a rude treatment of the Gospel and God’s people by clergy.  Instead, I’ve seen pastors of all types bring the love of Christ to a wounded room.  No. they couldn’t bring the person back, but they could and did demonstrate why commitment to Christ and faith in Christ are critical to our personal and community lives by being understanding and empathetic, just as Christ was at the tomb of his good friend Lazarus.

I bring this event up, not to focus on loss as much as to relate it to how Martin Luther’s teachings continue to counsel us.  With his continuing guidance we can see our nature as both glorious creations of God, and at the same time fallible, imperfect.  In Martin Luther’s Catechism, he very simply lays out how we should work for good in ourselves, our families and community, but then when we fall short, to realize that God knows and forgives us even before we ask (although we need to to ask!).

How can I put that in simpler terms?

To me it seems that God is asking us to work toward the Good, knowing that we’ll never get ALL the way there until we are reunited with Him.  But working toward God shouldn’t be seen as our “Personal Perfection Project”, but a daily process.  In fact, being “in process” is quite a wonderful goal for all of us.  Martin Luther in his Small Catechism gives short, simple directions on how we should do Blessings in the Morning and Evening, and at Table.  The theme is elegantly simple- give thanks, then ask for guidance and protection going forward, then ask for forgiveness for our inevitable falling-shorts, and a good launch for the event and time ahead.

I remember the hymn “Jacob’s Ladder” from my childhood.  Beautiful music.  Climb that ladder to heaven!  But there’s to mention of possibly slipping a rung, let alone how to deal with such an event.  Martin Luther talks about what to do in those situations right up front, which is a much more realistic, more human, and more motivational and forgiving approach to our human nature.

Similarly, we can apply that same “logic of the person” to our life as a church community.  Our lives change many times as we age.  So does the life of any institution, including a church.  Me?  I may not be able to run up and down a mountain any more, bit I’ve gained a bit in patience, listening and maybe even a bit in other areas as well?

Over the past 2 years, I’ve heard some folks say how they miss having meals in the hall downstairs.  Some of them also add that they don’t miss carrying heavy items up and down the stairs, or the long cleanup process.  So we found a way, now and then, to have a decent meal and time of fellowship together without those negatives. 

Who knew?

Feels to me that there might be more opportunities to look at ways to take advantage of who we are and who we’ve become. 

What do you think?  Send an email to Shawnee with your thoughts, and ask her to forward them to me.  Thanks in advance!

Looking forward in faith,

Rich (that Vicar guy)

✝️ ALL SAINTS SUNDAY REMEMBRANCE ✝️

November 1, 2026

On All Saints Sunday, we will remember and give thanks for those who have entered the Church Triumphant. If you would like a loved one who has passed this year to be included in the All Saints Sunday insert, please email requests to Christlutheran@gmail.com by October 27, 2026.

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." - Revelation 14:13