RVCC Pastor's Sermon

Sermon - November 2, 2008

“All-Saints Remembrances”

By Rev. Nancy Foran
1 Corinthians 15:51-55

Today’s worship service is one that could boast as much breadth as it does depth. Not only is it the time when we regularly share in the Lord’s Supper together, it is also Stewardship Commitment Sunday, when we offer our pledges and promises of gifts for 2009. In addition, it is All-Saints Sunday as well. As many of you know, it is our tradition here at RVCC on that day to remember those in our church community and extended church family who died this past year.

How to mesh those somewhat disparate themes during this meditation time is, of course, the preacher’s dilemma. Do I focus on the future and really work the stewardship piece one final time? After all, if pledges fall below our expectations, what we – you and I - do in 2009 and how we minister to the Raymond community and to the world will be compromised.

Or - do I emphasize the past and call to mind those men and women who at one time touched our little church family and who have recently passed away? After all, even though most of us did not know all of them, each one of those departed ones was near and dear to some number of us who are worshipping here this morning.

Past or future? For me, the issue comes down to answering a more fundamental question, and that is this: What lies at the essential foundation of our church? Is it the dollars we reap, or is it the community we share?

I firmly believe that it is the latter, that at our core we are a family first and foremost, a family whose roots extend far beyond you and me sitting in these pews today who have come to worship the God who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

You see, I trust that the tendrils of our community enfold in a very important way those men and women who no longer walk on this earth among us – those who at one time lived on our lakes and ponds as summer people, those who were spouses who dearly enjoyed the fellowship this church offered, who sometimes were not even members and who many of us never knew but whom we loved just the same, those who were long time members long gone from the area, those who were long time members who found their way back to this little church in their waning years.

You see, I really think that if we entrust to God our identity as a family and if we act day to day as if we really did believe that being a caring community is what is most important to us, then, the money will follow, the stewardship pledges will come, and we will reap the dollars we need in 2009.

That being said, rather than hammer home the need and hope for your generosity (important as that may be for this church), it is even more important today to celebrate the indisputable fact that we are a caring and compassionate family.

Not only that. We are a family with wonderful memories of those who have gone on before us. We are a family that embraces our past as much as our future because we are a family that understands the need to look to and for a moment rest in the past even as we prepare for the future.

And so it is with a bit of sadness but also with profound thanksgiving that on this All-Saints Sunday we remember those people in our church family whose passed away this year and who have moved on to whatever it is that comes next and to an eternal peace that passes all our understanding.

HELENE BENT – who found her way back to this church after many years away. Sitting with Kathleen in one of the very back pews, Helene loved to listen to the choir and sing the old hymns as much as she relished chatting with Frances and others after worship – a cup of coffee and plate of goodies close at hand.

Helene was a soft spoken and gentle woman with a sparkling and vibrant laugh. I remember sitting on the deck of her beloved home on Lake Sebago enjoying lunch in the sun with her and Kathleen – as well as sitting with her in a nursing home, her hand shyly having taken mine as we watched some afternoon entertainment together.

You might remember Helene sitting all bundled up at the edge of the church parking lot on Halloween giving out candy. All of our college students would surely remember the treats she baked for the Young Adult/College care packages. Helene was generous, kind, and always put the needs of others before her own. She had a warm and loving spirit. As Kathleen remarked, she was a “silent wonder.”

RALEIGH DUTTON – who was a retired pastor who lived with his wife, Ruth, for many years as neighbors to Ernie Knight on Panther Pond. Every Sunday in the summer, he and Ruth took the ferry together to Frye Island where Rollie would preach and lead worship and Ruth would play the piano. However, they always made it back to RVCC in time to join in worship here as well. In addition, Rollie was generous in filling the pulpit in this church for Dana Reed, who considered him a mentor.

I spoke with Ruth on the phone this week about Rollie. She shared with me how much he enjoyed making pastoral and hospital visits and volunteering at the Ronald McDonald hour in Portland. Rollie was committed to taking care of others. Ruth, his wife of 55 years, described him as a “people person” and someone with a special warmth and selflessness and a most generous spirit.

IVAN GERRY – whose connection to RVCC was, of course, through Rita. When I first met Ivan, I thought he was a gruff old man who sat at this computer playing solitaire all day. How wrong I was! He was an introverted and private person, and you would likely not see him here on Sunday mornings, but you often would encounter him at Rita’s side at the Calendar Dinner and the pot roast suppers.

He was the one with the quiet manner, warm smile, gentle laughter, and eyes that would turn all soft when something moved him deeply. Ivan was a hard worker – toiling for long hours and sometimes at more than one job - and he did it all for his family, for they meant the world to him.

And his relationship with Rita – Mom, as he called her? They were there for each other, caring for one another through health crises that would have undermined less faithful marriages. If there was one thing Ivan taught all of us here at church, it was what those wedding vows – “in sickness and in health” and “for as long as we both shall live” – really mean.

CLEMENT HIEBERT – whose ties to RVCC were through his summer home on Lake Suzanne in Windham. Clem was first and foremost a physician and at one time was Chief of Surgery at Maine Medical Center, where he practiced cardio-thoracic surgery. In addition to his career in medicine, he was an author, teacher, and one who compassionately shared his gifts and talents. The altruism that characterized him as he lived out the Gospel message was demonstrated in numerous ways. Clem practiced rural medicine at one time. In addition, he enlisted for two tours on the S.S. Hope hospital ship, traveling to Guinea, West Africa, and Sri Lanka. In the late 1970’s, he also established a program where area surgeons offered second opinions for free – way ahead of his time when it came to the cost of health care in this country!

HARRY MCKENNA – whom we know through Linda, his wife of 28 years. We offered her our support, our hugs, and our prayers as together she and Harry confronted and lived with his cancer diagnosis for over a year.

How they met is like a fairy tale, you know. They first saw one another in an airport, each waylaid by a bad snowstorm. She was traveling on business, and he was a truck driver. Though meeting in older and wiser years, they carried on one of those youthful long distance relationships – convoluted travel arrangements, exorbitant phone bills –for two years until they were married. They both believed that whatever it was that brought them together, they were soul mates.

Harry was a romantic. He carefully chose his greeting cards. He sent flowers, and he both loved and wrote poetry. Harry loved Maine and hunting and just being in the woods. He was a collector – of bottle or anything old, especially if it had something to do with turkeys.

In fact, he worked with the state ornithologist on a plan to reintroduce wild turkeys to Maine. I am sure we all know how successful that was, but the next time your see that flock on Route 85 crossing the road, think of Harry McKenna.

MARY WINANT – who was a long time member of this church. I met Mary less than a month before she died when the hospice chaplain at the Marguerite D’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston contacted me. That phone call came just as we were preparing to honor those who had been members of our church for 30 plus years, and so I was able to present Mary with a framed certificate for her more than 50 years of membership in our church. She was thrilled.

Mary was actively involved here, volunteering her time as a Sunday School teacher and a leader of the Youth Fellowship. In addition, Mary was a school teacher who played key roles at the Raymond Library, PTA, in various teacher associations, and with the Girl Scouts.

Her family knows that she will best be remembered for her “perfect apple and blueberry pies” (many of which undoubtedly were donated to fairs and fundraisers here at RVCC), her genuine smile, love of family and friends, gentle and generous heart, and her faith in the goodness of people and the beauty of life.”

These are some of the wonderful men and women who have been part of the foundation of our church. They have taught us about sharing, laughing, and compassionate caring for one another and for the world. May God bless them. May we always remember them and the legacy they leave to us. May their spirits remain with us always. Through them may we learn of life and new beginnings. May we learn of God’s vision of healing and wholeness.

Sermon - November 2, 2008

“All-Saints Remembrances”

By Rev. Nancy Foran 1 Corinthians 15:51-55

By Rev. Nancy Foran
1 Corinthians 15:51-55