Claimed, gathered and sent

I received a call a short time ago from my daughter that her grandfather has gone home to be with the Lord. The chorus from an old Gaither song kept going through my mind: It is finished, the battle is over It is finished, there'll be no more war It is finished, the end of the conflict It is finished and Jesus is Lord It seems very fitting that today, Veterans Day, should be the time of his homecoming as a World War II veteran. Thank God for the hope we have in Christ. As Paul wrote, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Cor 15:19). It is good to know that he is in God's loving care and has no more pain or sorrow. Thanks be to God for this amazing gift.

Birth, baptism, marriage, and many other times of our lives are defining moments. Yesterday, I participated in several of these, culminating in one profound one. At the left is my granddaughter, Grace, who was baptized yesterday. After Greek class, which ends at 5:45 Friday afternoon, we packed and started the trip to Rochester, NY for Grace's baptism. We rejoiced as we witnessed this momentous event in her life. Hearing, "Grace, child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever" ( Evangelical Lutheran Worship , p. 231), was an answer to prayer. For Grace, this was a defining moment. This was the capstone of our visit and why we were here, or so we thought. That was only part of the reason as far as God was concerned however. We found out that Grace's great-grandfather was in a hospice and was not expected to live much longer. His name is Fred and he has been like a father to me from the time I met him. I felt closer to ...