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On behalf of the family at Hunter Funeral Home, I'd like to welcome you to our annual Remembrance time. I'm Topher Wiles, minister at Central Church of Christ. The invitation we all received said at the top, "Someone is missing at Christmas." Those words right there bond us all together in this community. We've all experienced the loss of someone important in our lives.
This year, there were memorial services for around 150 people here ranging from infants all the way up to 101 years old. And it doesn't matter, whether young our old, whether you've made a trip to the funeral home 1 time or 10 times this year, when you lose someone special, they are missed throughout your life, but especially this time of year.
The Telling of Three Tree Ornaments
Grandma Nell was so sweet when she gave us her tree about 16
years ago. That Christmas tree has seen
a lot of years and we were happy to keep putting it up year after year when she
no longer could. As our first Christmas
tree in the Wiles family, our ornaments took on the personality of the tree. We began decorating with mostly hand-me-down
ornaments donated by Grandma, my mom, sweet friends, and dirty-Santa game
winnings. Now that old tree is
completely filled with memories of sweet times and sweet people long past. I’d like to tell you about three of our
ornaments that will bless some families this year who may find some struggling
moments during the Christmas holiday season.
One of my favorite ornaments to put on the tree makes me
laugh out loud as it comes with a story.
As we pull this delicate ornament out of the box my kids wait expectantly
on the edge of their seat for the coming hilarity of the story. During our first Christmas together as
husband and wife, my Ashley decided to cheaply make ornaments for our
tree. Her chosen materials for the
ornament were cinnamon and apple sauce.
Did you know you can bake them together to make a cute star shape, bell,
or heart through which ribbon can be threaded?
Yes, we have cinnamon based ornaments that have been on our tree for 15
years. And they taste horrible. I would know, because 15 years ago I took a
bite out of one of those ornaments. They
may smell sweet, but they taste like dirt.
My kids laugh every year as I tell the story of my ornament tasting
time. Some ornamental memories make us
laugh.
I have another ornament that I alone get to hang on the tree
near the top. It’s a little blue plastic
star framing a nativity scene. It’s not
anything special, but with a family that doesn’t profess or practice a lot of
religious faith, my late Grandma Marge’s makes me smile as it signifies her own
belief in Christ. She hung it every year
at the top of her tree, and that ornament is one of the few things I have left
from my grandma who passed away 24 years ago.
When I hang the ornament I remember the sweet times of eating chicken
pot pie at the bar in her kitchen or visiting the humane society where she
worked. Some ornamental memories make us
smile.
There is another ornament that completely caught me off
guard. My mom was always crafty and
handmade so many things for us kids through our years. Annually, my mom would handmake a few new
ornaments on our tree, most of them were odd, like crocheted lollipops or paper
stars, but I kept them every year anyway and dutifully hung them on the
tree. When mom passed away in May a
couple years ago, I didn’t think a thing about those Christmas ornaments until
I started hanging them on the tree six months later. I pulled out the pink crocheted lollipop and
was surprised as tears started welling up in my eyes. I had cried little over mom’s passing, as I’ve
been a minister and hospital chaplain for years, often comforting others in the
passing of their loved ones. Yet here I
was six months later breaking down in tears remembering mom and all her
handmade ornaments. Some ornamental
memories make us cry.
Laughing, smiling, and crying are all perfectly normal
emotions during the holiday season as we remember the good times, the sweet
people, and the lives that we miss. If
you are struggling through missing a loved one this Christmas season, I want
you to know that it is perfectly ok to experience all of those emotions. There is a song on youtube from the Piano
Guys and Craig Evans called “The Sweetest Gift” that will help you in
expressing all those emotions. Simply
search for that song title and artists and you’ll be blessed with a song that
expresses some of our tough sentiments.
There's a stanza I
love in that song.
The memories flood my mind
As I place your ornament upon our tree
Although this year I have a broken heart
It gives me hope and joy as I remember where you are
One of the best
services I attended this year was simply a service of remembering. It was for an older fella who played a joke
on my family one time with his brother.
That service of remembering was for Joe Pat Clark. Oh, it was funny, it was heart warming, it
was endearing. We all left grateful for
investing time there to honor Joe Pat and his family. What I'll remember most about Joe Pat is how
he looked like Santa Clause at the Holidays.
What you remember
about your loved ones at the holidays?
I remember my mom buying me a nerf gun every year for Christmas even when I was an adult.
Remembering the good times while we acknowledge our grief can be very healing.
I think David had Jeduthn do just the same thing in Psalm 77:1-13a as he laments the tough times, but ends on remembering the good times God has given.
I
cried out to God for help;
I
cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I
was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at
night I stretched out untiring hands,
and
I would not be comforted.
3 I
remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I
meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You
kept my eyes from closing;
I
was too troubled to speak.
5 I
thought about the former days,
the
years of long ago;
6 I
remembered my songs in the night.
My
heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will
the Lord reject forever?
Will
he never show his favor again?
8 Has his
unfailing love vanished forever?
Has
his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God
forgotten to be merciful?
Has
he in anger withheld his compassion?”
10 Then I
thought, “To this I will appeal:
the
years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will
remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes,
I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will
consider all your works
and
meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13 Your
ways, God, are holy.
What you can do:
- Serve others in their name
- Make a donation to their favorite charity in their name
- Set a vase of their loved one’s favorite flowers in front of an empty chair
- Share a memory of their loved one and observe a moment of silence before enjoying their holiday meal.
- Prepare your loved one's favorite dish from their recipe for the holiday meal.
- In our church, we purchase poinsettias in honor of those who have passed as a reminder of special memories with them.
- Create a scrapbook of items that remind you of your loved one.
- Visit the grave-site
- Watch their favorite movie or TV show or listen to their favorite song.
- Now, What are some of your ideas to honor your loved one?
One of the best ways we can honor them is to live a life they would be proud of. Linda Ellis expresses that well in her 1996 poem titled, The Dash.
I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone,
from the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read,
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say
about
how you spent YOUR dash?
Linda Ellis captures one of the best ways we can honor someone else, through how we live our lives.
I believe the person we should strive to honor most of all is Jesus Christ. John 14:1-6a expresses well what He's done for us that is worthy of honor.
I believe the person we should strive to honor most of all is Jesus Christ. John 14:1-6a expresses well what He's done for us that is worthy of honor.
“Do not let your
hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house
has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going
there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4
You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to
him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life."
Jesus has provided us a way to the Father's house. May we remember Him and honor Him with our lives this holiday season.
In honor of those who have passed away, here are my screenshots set to background music of 3 songs.
Supermarket Flowers - by Ed Sheeran
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven
Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Supermarket Flowers - by Ed Sheeran
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven
Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
You can probably find Hunter's professional video by clicking the link here: https://www.hunterfuneralhome.net/
My prayer for you this holiday season is that you find God's peace during this season as you remember those you miss. God bless you.