A Thanksgiving and Celebration for the life of Jane Leonaitis
I shall pass through
this world but once.
If, therefore, there
be any kindness
I can show, or any
good thing I can do,
let me do it now;
let me not defer it
or neglect it, for
I shall not pass
this way again.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Psalm 42:1-7
Romans 8:14-19, 34-35, 37-39
Psalm 23
John 12:24-26
In loving Memory of
Jane R. Leonaitis
March 28, 1927 - March 3, 2010
March 27, 2010 – 11:00 AM
Fairwinds Brighton Court
6520 196th Street
Lynnwood, WA 98036
What I want my funeral to do:
Witness to others.
Be a consolation to those who will miss me.
With these words alone you know that Jane was an extraordinary and loving person. What she witnessed to was life and the goodness of it. She loved, well: and among those whom she loved are those present. She had the gift of joy, and shared it. She had the gift of compassion, and she used it well. Her life was proof that you never know what is coming next. But you know that you are not left alone to face it. She believed in a loving God. A God so loving that he could not be confined by the regulations of his followers. She believed in a present God. A God so present that we are free in this moment to live life fully and truly. She was frank enough to tell us what she thought, what she felt, what she believed. She was a gift to all who met her, however briefly.
Her quiet patience as she came to the altar rail one last time in January; she could not make the steps, she was getting too weak; was just a final testimony of her love, her gentleness, her faith.
She believed in the God that people who don't believe in God yearn to believe in. She believed in God who is love. God who is compassion. God who is mercy. God who is wise - and God who is honest.
She would not want us - or me or you - to confine ourselves in expressing our belief, our trust, in the ultimate power behind the universe. Because she believed that power to be more than power, to be benign and loving. Real power is not in what you take; it is in what you give.
Jane gave; and knew that she was given the gift of life by a loving Creator. We share in that gift of life. It came to us most perfectly in Jesus, whom we Christians know as the ultimate self-expression of divinity, the word of God in person. Through him we come to know the love and mercy and compassion of God; through him we come to believe; in him we find eternal rest.
Gone before us into a great city that has been awaiting her arrival for years; gone before us on strange and wonderful adventures; gone before us into a union with God that makes all occasions ones of celebration, of life, of thanksgiving; of a dance with joy.
Jane led the way.
+
Showing posts with label Romans 8:14-39. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romans 8:14-39. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Legh Kennerley Priest (July 23, 1912 - December 18, 2009)
Christ our good shepherd be with us today as we celebrate the life of Legh Priest. Help us cherish the memories and hear our thanks for your walk with here. For you walk with each of us all our days - from before we are born until after we die.
Some of our lives have many chapters, some few: but whether the volume is thick or thin, you are there on every page.
When the family were younger they lived near here on a few acres, and there were, indeed, sheep.
Are we like sheep? We do stray, we do depend on our shepherd for leading us to the gifts of life.
Jesus our shepherd walks out with us, into the green pastures, stays with us, and sees us safely home. This is the good news in a nutshell: that Jesus came to humankind, comes to us, to lead us through life - and by his sacrificial offering of himself, laying down his life for us, and by his calling of us to be his people, he cares for us, nurtures us, sustains us, redeems us.
When we stumble or fall into the shadow, when we make wrong turnings or choices, he brings us back - he sets us on the right path; when we are threatened - when the safe place he made for us is in danger - he comes to protect us.
Whether the folly is inside ourselves or out, he is there - his rod and his staff, they comfort, they correct, they protect, and they guide.
We celebrate the good long life of Legh Priest today: in the presence of God and one another let us remember her with joy, with gladness, and with hope - as Christ welcomes home one of his own.
Good Shepherd, be our guide, be our comfort.
Good Lord Jesus, in your name is all our praise.
Amen.
JRL+
Thanksgiving and Celebration for the life of Legh Kennerley Priest (July 23, 1912 - December 18, 2009)
St Alban's Episcopal Church, Edmonds, Wash., January 16, 2010 - 2:00 PM
+
Hymn 405 - All things bright and beautiful
Hymn 397 - Now thank we all our God
Hymn 383 - Fairest Lord Jesus
Hymn 470 - There's a wideness in God's mercy
+
Some of our lives have many chapters, some few: but whether the volume is thick or thin, you are there on every page.
When the family were younger they lived near here on a few acres, and there were, indeed, sheep.
Are we like sheep? We do stray, we do depend on our shepherd for leading us to the gifts of life.
Jesus our shepherd walks out with us, into the green pastures, stays with us, and sees us safely home. This is the good news in a nutshell: that Jesus came to humankind, comes to us, to lead us through life - and by his sacrificial offering of himself, laying down his life for us, and by his calling of us to be his people, he cares for us, nurtures us, sustains us, redeems us.
When we stumble or fall into the shadow, when we make wrong turnings or choices, he brings us back - he sets us on the right path; when we are threatened - when the safe place he made for us is in danger - he comes to protect us.
Whether the folly is inside ourselves or out, he is there - his rod and his staff, they comfort, they correct, they protect, and they guide.
We celebrate the good long life of Legh Priest today: in the presence of God and one another let us remember her with joy, with gladness, and with hope - as Christ welcomes home one of his own.
Good Shepherd, be our guide, be our comfort.
Good Lord Jesus, in your name is all our praise.
Amen.
JRL+
Thanksgiving and Celebration for the life of Legh Kennerley Priest (July 23, 1912 - December 18, 2009)
St Alban's Episcopal Church, Edmonds, Wash., January 16, 2010 - 2:00 PM
+
Hymn 405 - All things bright and beautiful
Hymn 397 - Now thank we all our God
Hymn 383 - Fairest Lord Jesus
Hymn 470 - There's a wideness in God's mercy
+
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)