Olivia asked me earlier in the week if I would write the reflection for this Sunday. I said sure.
As I sat down to read the scripture lessons, I was hit with a wave of emotion. The Psalm for
this Sunday is Psalm 26. That was the Psalm that we used for my Dad’s funeral. It had
been the Psalm on the Sunday before he died and so many verses described my dad and
how he lived. My dad died August 30, 2005. That week was when Hurricane Katrina hit
New Orleans and much of the Gulf coast. That area has again this week braced for
Hurricane Laura. You can see the similarities I am sure.
My dad was a quiet, kind, and patient man. He was raised with two sisters. He had three
daughters and his first grandchild was a girl. (He thought he would never see another male
but ended up with 4 grandsons.) We grew up with many of Dad’s sayings that were part of
every day life. I doubt that they were original, but to us, it was Dad. I would like to share
with you a few of the “Wisdoms According to Buck” and how they tie in with our lessons today.
1. “You can learn something new everyday, just open yourself”. In our Gospel lesson, Jesus
predicts his death for the first time. Peter has just professed that he is the Messiah. He can’t accept that Jesus would suffer and die. He has a lot to learn but is open to it.
2. “You do the best you can with the tools you have.” Jeremiah was disheartened. He felt
like he had done everything that God had asked him to do. Things weren’t going well. God wasn’t done yet. God had equipped him with everything he needed.
3. We never left Dad’s presence without the reminder, “Be a good girl”. We are not perfect
and not blameless. Psalm 26 is a reminder to “be good”, to make good choices, to walk in God’s truth and love. I proclaim as the Psalmist did in vs 8, “I love the house where you live,
O Lord, the place where your glory dwells.”
Pat Erickson
Special thanks to those who helped make our online worship possible this morning, a powerful witness that even though space may separate us, it is the love of God in Christ which connects and re-connects us this day and always (The Cheesman Family, The Martin Family, Dale Moquist, Aaron Pyle, Allyson Pryor, and The Vanicek Family).
