8 December 2021
Funeral of Barbara Walker Sharpe
Revd Nicholas Mercer
Today we meet to say our goodbyes to Barbara
Dearly beloved wife
Mother, Sister, Grandmother, Mother-in-law, cousin and friend
“A kind and generous soul”
She was for many years a member of this parish
Unfortunately, I am relatively new to the parish so did not know Barbara
However, I found that Barbara was still in our phone directory
So, either the phone directory had not been updated for a very long time/or it was not so long ago that she departed for Lytham St Anne
Barbara died nearly a month ago on the 11th November
Her death fell in a season of Remembrance –
Just twelve days before her death we celebrated the feast of All Souls
And immediately afterwards we had Remembrance Sunday
Her death fell right in the middle of the season of Remembrance
Which is, in part, why we are assembled here today at Bolton Priory – to remember Barbara’s life
Remembering plays an important part in the Christian faith
The last words Jesus hears in his earthly life are “Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom”
Similarly, at the Last Supper, Jesus to his disciples, says “Do this in remembrance of me”
Both stories gives us a clue as to how Christians are meant to approach Remembrance
First and foremost, to re-member something or someone stands in contrast to the word dis-member
When we dis-member something, we pull it apart
But when we re-member something we put it back together
And we do that today
Today we put back together all our lovely memories of Barbara
However, the last words Jesus hears, and those used at the Last Supper are not just a simple reminder not to be forgotten
It is something far more
It is about inviting us to be re-made, re-newed and re-deemed
Re-made, re-newed in our memories
And re-deemed – by being in Christs’ company in heaven
Barbara will be in God’s arms today as we commend her to Almighty God
Remembrance brings together both past, present and the future at the same time – and makes everything whole again
And we rejoice
But whereas Barbara’s death fell in the season of Remembrance, her funeral service falls in the season of Advent
We straddle both seasons
But Advent also speaks to us all here today
Advent is a season when we wait and prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ into our lives
· A season of waiting
· A season of preparation
· And a season reminding us all of the ultimate destination in all our lives
Our final destination when we meet Christ face to face as the shepherds did on Christmas morning
Christmas so often gets drowned out by the commercialism and preparation for the festivities
And whilst it right to celebrate the birth of the Christ, we must not lose sight of Christ himself
Similarly, when we come together today to remember Barbara, we must also not lose sight of her Christian journey here on earth
She was a faithful servant of the Church all her life
Someone who faithfully made her communion and tirelessly worked for the Church too
She journeyed as a Christian all her life and today she completes that journey
When she is commended to God and committed to His loving care
She has fulfilled her Advent journey
And today that wait is over
Today is not so much a day of sorrow, but, like Christmas itself, a day for rejoicing
Whenever you think of Advent, think of Barbara and your own journey of faith
The Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission (ARCIC) said
“The believer’s pilgrimage of faith is lived out with the mutual support of all the people of God. In Christ the faithful, both living and departed, are bound together in prayer”
This beautifully articulates the final Christian dimension of today’s service which can be so easily lost
As a Christian community, we are not just a communion of the living but also a communion of the departed.
In our journey on this earth to see the Christ child
We worship together, both living and departed
We pray together, both living and departed
And we celebrate Holy Communion together, both living and departed
And we will, one day, all be in God’s Kingdom together,
re-made, re-newed and re-deemed