June 3, 2022
My sweet grandma died just before Memorial Day weekend at the beautiful age of 102. As many of you know, she was one of the loves of my life, and one of the guiding lights of my life. Her own life wasn't always easy, but at least a few times each day she would find something for which to "thank the good Lord above!". She loved a good shoe sale, babies, the Episcopal Church, animals, and Aldi's, possibly in that order (but don't tell the good Lord above!).
My grandma's funeral was held at her small Episcopal church in Northern Wisconsin. The service was beautiful, as the Episcopal funeral liturgy always is, but the most beautiful part was the group of church members who did what church members do: they took care of us. They greeted us at the door. They offered us tissues. They baked bread for Eucharist. They set out tablecloths and flowers. They served food. They washed dishes. They shared with us how much they loved my grandma. They sent her out in the way she lived her entire life: by serving as Christ's hands and feet.
There were very few Sundays, in her entire 102 years, that my grandmother missed church. Oh, she loved God alright. She also talked to God constantly, she didn't need church for that. But she knew that a church community is unlike any other. A place to learn and grow, to laugh and cry, to serve and be served. It is not a small thing, to be part of a community like that. A community like Saint Anne's. One reason I am so looking forward to beginning outdoor worship again is the chance for our two services to be blended again, into the one congregation we are at heart. And, at our service this Sunday we will officially be welcoming "new" (and not-so-new) members into this beautiful community of people doing our best, the same way my grandma's church does, to follow Jesus. A community which laughs together and cries together - and does plenty of dishes together. A place to serve and be served, and then take that love and care beyond ourselves. We are blessed. Thank the good Lord above!