A number of years ago I had the privilege of studying it, in depth, in a Bible Class. This text was used in the Burial Office and is familiar to many from the 1928 Prayer Book. As with so much in the Book of Job, this verse states in an unadorned manner the fragility of life, at least in its outward in earthly forms, and yet the constancy of the Lord's presence and providence in it all. This past week, we had the privilege of baptizing Blaise Caldwell, daughter of Mary and Bernie Caldwell. In the next few weeks we will be baptizing Lincoln Sanders and Jackson Ford.
New life is totally and unequivocally a gift.
Last week, I received the news that a dear friend of my mother and a surrogate Godmother to me had died at the age of 89. I was so glad that my mother and I had gone to visit her during my stay in Wisconsin. It turned out the visit was only about 3 weeks before she died. Last Saturday we all received the devastating news that Bruce Brashears, who had gone to New Orleans to be evaluated for a heart-lung transplant, died unexpectedly. He was buried this week.