LBW #496, "Around You, O Lord Jesus"
Devotion
Six months earlier, my dear friend, Beverly, had laid her husband of 40 years to rest in the national cemetery near Tacoma, Wash. Now she sat behind the steering wheel of her car, her young grandson next to her in the passenger seat. American flags whipped in the breeze as the two looked up the entrance into the manicured cemetery.
Beverly wanted to teach Tommy a lesson in patriotism before proceeding to the gravesite. "Tommy, do you know why Grandpa is buried here?" There was awkward silence. Tommy looked uncertain and nervous. Finally he answered with a question, "Because he’s dead?" Beverly laughed, realizing the limitations of her question. "Yes, Tommy, that’s right. But why is Grandpa buried in this particular cemetery? "Oh," Tommy said, "I know the answer to that. Grandpa’s buried here because he’s a hero!" Beverly wrapped Tommy in her arms and they sat together wiping tears and sharing memories of a great man.
Prayer
“Around you, O Lord Jesus, your own you gather still, to share the feast you give us with grace our lives to fill," LBW #496, v. 1.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the heroes of our lives. As we revel in the light of your Resurrection, let us also rejoice in the saints who have gone before us. Amen.
Text: Frans Mikael Franzen; tr. Joel W. Lundeen © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. All rights reserved. Reprinted using OneLicense.net #A-703924