If you were able to be part of Tam Weik’s celebration of life this week, then you experienced a Love Fest! Hundreds of people gathered from many parts of her life to pay tribute to this gifted and compassionate woman who touched so many lives. They connected in the gathering space, fellowship hall, front entry, sanctuary, and even pulled together for conversations in the hallways and by the drinking fountain. The building was packed for hours with hugs, tears, and laughter.
For some, it was a trip down memory lane as stories were shared from raising kids together, women’s retreats, Al-Anon meetings, creative projects, and other places where Tam’s life intersected theirs. We also confronted the realities of our present sorrow. We know that our acute pain won’t last forever, but these days are difficult as we face the gaping hole her death leaves in our lives. Tam’s legacy of beauty, love, compassion, and joy will continue to fuel us as we move forward and celebrate her legacy of hope.
Isn’t it interesting how we are always simultaneously living in three tenses: past, present, and future? Everything we do and everywhere we go is connected to where and who we’ve been, where and who we are, and where and who we will be. Our experiences and relationships are like the constantly shifting mosaic we see when we peer into a kaleidoscope.
We encounter something similar each week when we assemble around the communion table to share a holy meal in the name of Jesus. As we gather, we take a trip to the past, recalling how God showed up throughout history to bring liberation and freedom to God’s people. We retell the story of Jesus gathering around a table with his disciples, sharing this meal, and saying, “When you are together, eat and drink to remember me.”
Landing in our current time, we remember that Christ is present here and now, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus, the host of the communion meal, invites everyone to the table. As we pass the bread and the wine around, we join countless other communities of Christian faith all around the world who are also savoring this meal of grace.
As we eat and drink, we also look forward to a time when we will share in the great feast that is to come. There will be a day when we’ll sit down at the heavenly banquet for what Canadian singer, Bruce Cockburn, calls the “Festival of Friends.” In that place, Revelation 21:4 promises that, “God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
I am reminded of one of my favorite prayers from our Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) resource and offer it here as a reminder of who God is, has been, and continues to be.
O God, you have called me to ventures of which I cannot see the ending,
by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.
Give me faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where I go,
but only that your hand is leading me and your love supporting me;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God has been faithful. God is with us now. God promises to guide and accompany us into all that is ahead. May you step forward in confidence and hope, trusting that God’s hand is leading you and God’s love is supporting you.
In hope and expectation!
Pastor Lowell Michelson