As we celebrate All Saints’ Sunday this weekend, we’ll remember two special people in our family. Pictured above are Dave’s mother, affectionately known as ‘Bestemor,’ and Liam Andreas, son of Ahna and Oren Bersagel-Briese. One died at the age of 99, the other died at the age of 9 weeks. Both are missed. We grieve for both. Our lives are not the same without them.
They both are saints of God. In their baptism God claimed them as God’s own and made them saints. Bestemor lived a long and productive life that had it’s share of sorrows and hardship. In spite of that she frequently said that she was very blessed. Liam lived a short life that produced an effect on those around him. He lived courageously even as he always needed the help and support of those around him. We grieve that we will not know what other good he might have done in the world. We were blessed by his presence in our lives.
We don’t believe God needed them more than we did. We do believe that in all circumstances of life that God’s steadfast love doesn’t ever desert those God calls saints. We believe in the wonder of life now, our call to God’s purposes in the world. We believe in a life to come when we will gather with them around the throne of the lamb, We will gather with the angels and archangels and all the host of heaven to praise God. We believe we practice for that great day as we gather as Christians to worship, to praise and thank the God who makes saints out of 99 year olds and 9 week olds and all of us.
November 6, 2011 at 3:16 am |
Thank you for sharing your thoughts for All Saints Sunday. The candles you light will shine brightly! Praying for God’s comfort.