God.

In conversation with you one day, someone prayed, “I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.”

That was the request of my mom, too. 

Gathered with three generations of her family, standing in the cemetery where five generations are buried, we remembered her yesterday as we buried her ashes. 

But at her request, we remembered you. 

And at her request, we remembered us. 

She wanted a memorial service that was about you and us, about your faithfulness to many generations, about our opportunity to live well, for you, in our own generation. 

We know that each generation, each day, has troubles of its own. 

This cemetery has influenza, heart attack, cancer, pneumonia, Alzheimer’s, and simply wearing out. 

And all of the attending grief. 

But we are aware, God, that you have been mindful of us in and through each of these lives and each of these deaths. 

May your comfort continue, through the presence of your Spirit, through the resurrection of Jesus, through your ever-telling of our stories. 

Amen.