This past Wednesday was the 12th annual Light of Remembrance Service sponsored by the Ladner/ Tsawwassen Ministerial and Delta Funeral Home. For those of you not able to attend, it is a time that we come together as a community and an individual to honor the loss of a loved one.
As a pastor, I have found this service helps people to grieve for the loved ones who have died this past year and before. This year, however, not only did I participate as one of the ministerial, but also as someone who grieves.
This past February my four-year-old niece Angelina died of an illness she was born with, and I often think about her and her wonderful smile. Although I have no doubt she is with her Saviour Jesus Christ in Heaven, and that she is without any suffering, during this first Christmas without her, it can be difficult.
However, it is in my grief that I am reminded of my favourite verse in scripture, John 11: 35 Jesus wept. A friend of His had died, and although He knew where Lazarus was, He still grieved.
I have always found great hope in knowing that, and as I make new memories with family and friends, I know Angelina is in good hands with God.
As we enter into this Christmas season, may we remember our loved ones, but also find joy as we celebrate this Christmas.
Published in Delta Optimist November 30 2012
Photo courtesy of Flickr: Roger Glenn
Saviour Lutheran Church 
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