Broomfield UMC

I Want to Be Like June

by Ken Brown, ken.brown@broomfieldumc.org

 

Yesterday, at 3:32pm, the office phone rang and the call was transferred to me. “Ken, June is in Hospice now, can you swing by the house?” It’s a triage time and I dropped everything to hurry over. The front door was cracked open in anticipation of my arrival, and I followed the trail of sun-washed interior lighting to the master bedroom. June’s husband of 64 years raised a sinewy finger to motion me bedside. I offered meager words that sounded trite, and forced a smile to keep from weeping. I stood in the “There” that I’ve known before and “There” is as awkward as ever.

June’s husband asks, “honey, is there anything you to want to say to Ken?” Her reply was, “thanks.” She prayed one of the three essential prayers we’ve been talking about in Sunday worship, “thanks.” I wondered as I drove home, “what would I say to a pastor if I had been in June’s “There”?” If I were dying today I would probably mutter regrets of wasted moments away from family, muse about an unfinished bucket list, and the prayer “thanks” would be a lot lower on my list of final lines to a pastor. May I grow up to be like June!

This Sunday in worship I will preach about the power of revelation when God’s Word frames us to be like Christ. If you are a work in progress, and you are committed to being in worship more often in 2013, then I will see you Sunday as we dare together to grow in Christ.

Originally posted on the BUMC Blog on Jan. 25, 2013.