HELLO!

I just returned from a day trip to Summerside PEI, where Bethe and I presided at a funeral for Verna Phillips, mother of June Rigden, Woodlawn United Church’s beloved choir director. Bethe’s husband Rick did all the driving, and provided wonderful stories to make the journey seem shorter than it was. Adelia, who has sung in our choir for many years, a good friend of June’s, and the kind of volunteer every organization loves: committed, creative, compassionate, was there too. Adelia is VERY funny. Rick and Adelia have heard I do not like driving, nor to be a passenger in a car. Today they saw up close and personal, what my family already knows, I have acute anxiety driving in a car. Rick was very patient.

My highlight for the day was Suzanne Rigden’s singing (June playing) The Lord’s Prayer and Steve’s reaction, as he sat in the front row moving his hands like they were clapping but palms not touching. Silent applause, only I could see. A song of love from a granddaughter and daughter, a gesture of pride from a father and husband. A moment in time.

The service was built around the old Children’s hymn, “Jesus Loves Me”, chosen because Verna was seen and heard playing it after Suzanne’s wedding many years ago. For those who have never heard the story, the great theologian Karl Barth was speaking at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago during his lecture tour of the U.S. in 1962. After his lecture, during the Q & A time, a student asked Barth if he could summarize his whole life’s work in theology in a sentence. Barth responded, “Yes, I can. In the words of a song, I learned at my mother’s knee: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Verna was a teacher, and Suzanne remembers her grandmother remembering how she would make up songs to go with the name of all the children in her class. Further, when she would take them outside, she would use all ten fingers to hold hands with ten of the children. I included Matthew’s Gospel story, “Let the children come to me” in the service. Everyone who is gifted with life needs someone like Verna who plants the seed of love in them. What a gift she was to those students.

At our faith study on Wednesday, I shared a summary of a book written on the Beatitudes. I explained, everyone needs to know they are blessed. I was reminded of the movie, “Cider House Rules” and the way Michael Caine’s character (a doctor who ran an orphanage) would say to the children he cared for, “Good night, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41jwRPJJxgQ

Jesus Loves You. Good night, you Kings and Queens of Nova Scotia!

Peace, Kevin