Sunday, March 31, 2002
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Sunday, March 31, 2002 |
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The Easter fork By REV. JUSTIN
KOLLMEYER
(I dedicate this story to the memory of Dave Hamrick, who is now living the eternal reality of its meaning. This is not my original story, but I've heard it and read it several times in different places, and I don't know to whom to give the original credit.) Once upon a time there was a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and been given three months to live. Her Dr. told her to start making preparations to die. (Something we should all be doing all of the time, of course.) So she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which hymns she wanted sung at her funeral, what Scriptures she wanted read, and what she wanted to be wearing. The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing quite what to say. "That shocks you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman explained, "In all my years of attending church social functions where food was involved (and let's be honest, food is a very important part of almost any church event, spiritual or otherwise) my favorite time was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say, 'You can keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming. When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something great was about to be given to me. It wasn't Jell-O or pudding, it was cake or pie, something with substance!" "So I just want people to see me there in my casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'what's with the fork?' Then I want you, Pastor, to tell them, 'She knows something BETTER is coming so she's kept her fork! It's her Easter fork! It's her Resurrection fork! Something much better is definitely coming for her now!' The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that this woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW she would be resurrected! She knew she would have her personal TRUE Easter! She knew that something BETTER was coming! At the funeral, people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing, her favorite Bible, and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over the pastor heard the question, "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled and smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people about the conversation he had had with the woman shortly before her death. He also told them about the fork and about her witness as to what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right. We will all be doing a lot of eating and feasting this holiday season. My hope is that at the end of the main course someone will lean over to take your dishes but say to you, "You may keep your fork" and you'll know that something better is coming. My prayer is that you will carry around with you every day an imaginary spiritual fork, knowing that because of the meaning of Easter because of the resurrection of Jesus in your life, as in mine, even when we die, SOMETHING MUCH BETTER IS COMING! This is what Easter is all about! May the blessings of the Risen Christ Jesus be with you and yours throughout this blessed holiday season! "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!" (Kollmeyer is Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Hwy. 314 in Fayetteville, between Lowe's and The Pavilion. He invites anyone without a church home to worship in Easter Services 6:30 Outdoor Sunrise Service; 8:00 Sanctuary Service; 9:30 "Life Center" Contemporary Service; or 11:15 Traditional Sanctuary Service. For more information log on at www.popdove.com or call 770-461-3403.)
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