March 20, 2013

Wander with me to a memorial service.  Sounds like a different route for wandering, doesn’t it?  This one was a celebration of the brief life of a young man in his early 20s.  He was an employee of a long time client; he was valued.

The meeting was held in a small town community church, so I was expecting a service that would be familiar. Not!  No introductory hymn, only a brief comment of who the service was for, then the introduction of his parents and his employer sharing their memories.  OK, well and good, but then the script went off my expected tracks.

A group of guys who appeared to have come out of the woods lined up at the microphone.  They looked scruffy, some were long haired and bearded.  They were not articulate.  They were awkward and mumbling, but they were unanimous and passionate about the character of the friend they loved.   A friend who accepted who they were, who affirmed them whether they were off-roading, motorcycle riding, doing wheelies, hanging out or playing in their rock band.  There were a few more remembrances shared after that, and the pastor spoke a few words about having Jesus in one’s life.  He then invited them as rock band to play one of their compositions in memory of their friend.  They did…loudly (and well, I would say).

What the guys said and how they said it was a more potent offering to the memory of their friend than any long sermon.  The music was not traditional, but It was accepted by the more than 200 friends who attended.  It had heart and emotion.  It had love.  It was outside the box.

Can I say it rocked?

– Norm