Fly to Jesus...

Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. (John 1:32)

On our way home from church last Sunday, Karen and I received word that a close friend of our family, Amanda Burrell, only 22 years old, had been killed in a motorcycle accident on Saturday. This was especially hard on Karen because she had mentored Amanda through the confirmation classes in church and had served as her advisor in Rainbow, an organization that she was a part of. Amanda’s entire family has been close to ours for many years.

I believe that the main reason that I selected the topic of "When is it too late?"that I did for the mini sermon that I wrote about this week was because of the feeling of loss that occurs when someone so young with such a bright future is taken from us. Our prayers and sympathy goes out to Amanda’s family, her sister and brother and grandmother Norma, and to all of those who loved her and cared for her. I was especially saddened as I watched her four year old son Rylan at the funeral. It is only by God’s grace that we are able to get through these difficult times.

I would like to share with you something that happened at the graveside yesterday. Several of the recent funerals that I have attended have included the release of a single white dove. The dove release begins with the gathering of the family and friends, a prayer and the playing of the song “Come to Jesus” that I shared with you above. When the song reaches the climax and says fly to Jesus the dove is released starting low and circling higher and higher, ultimately finding his sense of direction and flying home, simply a beautiful moment.

The part that is most meaningful to me however, actually occurs after the ceremony concludes. After the people begin to move away toward their cars, the bird handler releases 3 or 4 more doves into the air who also begin circling until they meet up with the single dove who was released earlier and altogether they fly home.

I asked the funeral director about why he does this and he explained that even though the dove could probably find his way home by himself, when they are allowed to fly together, it is much less likely that they will become lost or attacked by predators on the way.

I think that this is the perfect example of how our lives touch each other. As I have thought about Amanda and the impact that she has had on our family I realize how important that each of us are to the well being of those around us. We may indeed be able to fly home alone, but that is not how God intended for us to be. God created us to rely on each other, to care for each other and to nurture each other.

It is my prayer for you today that you understand that you are never alone, and that when it is sometimes hard to find the way to go, and the predators are circling around you, know that God will always be there and that when you find yourself unsure of the way to go, simply do as the dove released at the graveside did and look right beside you and find the Holy Spirit ready to lead you through.

Blessings