Another Celebration

This past week my great-uncle, Austin, passed away. I don't know why, but I always thought it was normal for kids to have four sets of grandparents: my mom's parents, my dad's dad and stepmom, and his mom and stepdad, and "Pa Pritchett and Grammy Ruth." Austin and Ruth were grandparents to me, and great mentors to my parents. We spent Christmas with them, and many wonderful family gatherings were held at their home.

Ruth passed away when I was very young, but I remember her energy and love for her grandchildren. Austin was the storyteller. If it had not been for him, I never would have learned the history of my family or of the community in which I was raised. These weren't gossipy stories, they were the way history was passed down from generation to generation. And Austin was the keeper of those stories. Even the one's we may have felt ashamed about - or the one's that held great pain. There was something to learn from our story.

Storymaking God,
help me remember Austin and his stories.
Guide me in telling those stories, and
challenge me to become a storyteller, too,
that the story lives on and never dies; that it becomes
something new in each and every moment.
Amen.

Celebrating Rodney

This morning, the United Methodist Church lost a devoted brother, an ardent advocate for social justice, and vocal conscience.

I met Rodney about six years ago when I started attending Dumbarton UMC. Rodney had been long retired from the UMC's General Board of Church and Society, but Rodney's advocacy didn't end with retirement. Rodney's work for the rights of women and against nuclear proliferation continued well into his nineties. Even from his retirement home, Rodney pushed church and govenment leaders in the fight against nuclear arms.

In the last few months of Rodney's life, I came to admire his tenacious character, as well as the grace and dignity, and maybe some impatience, that he shared with so many people as he prepared to die. Rodney's vision and passion were not only gifts to our congegation, but the the entire Church.

Passionate God,
Brother Rodney responded to your call in his life
by seeking justice, advocating for peace, and standing up when others were sitting down.
Be with us as we mourn our loss.
Help us to respond to you call.
Let us seek.
Let us advocate.
Let us stand.
Amen.