Friends, Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
We have gathered here today to remember the life and death of Frances Laura Weidenburner – your mother, your grandmother, your great-grandmother, your aunt, and I understand, cousin Freddy’s little sister, your neighbor, your friend, and one devoted co-worker here in Christ’s church.
Fran liked everybody and everybody liked her. As Diane and Jill told me, Fran was personable and outgoing (I experienced this). She was precisely the person you’d want to sit next to at a wedding or social function where you hardly knew a soul because Fran would put you at ease – you’d make an instant friend – I experienced this 15 years ago as her new pastor and I even have a photo from a social function to prove it! Fran knew everybody and kept up her connections even with hospital roommates from when the kids were born. She never forgot a soul. She was like a walking directory – people were Fran’s life, especially her family, and she dearly loved each and every one of you.
Fran was a life-long resident of Linden. She was trained as an executive secretary – “bright eyes” as Warren called her – met the love of her life at DuPont her first job. Many other jobs followed after her years as a homemaker and many promotions, while she served the Linden Board of Education, retiring as Transportation Coordinator and having served as president of the NJ Educational Secretaries Association.
You all have a ton of wonderful memories about Fran, who never cursed and always knew she was smart enough to think of a better way to say things. Fran was never judgmental. She was always giving something to someone, especially cookies – maybe chocolate chip or almond crescents – bent cookies as Jill called them – and her seasonal cookies with shapes and sugar: stars or crosses or bunnies.
Fran loved Lancaster, PA. She enjoyed the Pennsylvania countryside and you all have good memories of trips she took to other places, many of them, historical – those are the kind of trips I like too. Fran and Warren were very devoted to the Garden State Basha CBI, the China Burma India Veteran’s Association. Warren served in India in WWII and Fran dutifully took minutes at meetings serving as secretary, producing the group’s newsletters, attending conventions and she was honored for her many, many years of service to this chartered organization.
I could go on with beautifully homemade Easter outfits and doll clothes and holiday celebrations and Sunday dinners. We have our own wonderful memories of Fran’s devotion to Calvary Lutheran Church for well over 50 years – our Altar Guild Women’s Group and Christmas Bazaar; her ornaments will still hang every year – but I want to focus for a few minutes on the Scripture you chose: Psalm 121 – it happens to be a favorite of mine. If you don’t know it by heart, try to memorize a little of it, some scary night it will come in handy, I promise – I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. I realized something as I read this text yesterday. It perfectly describes not only God’s care, but also the kind of care Fran gave to you. Stay with me, this isn’t difficult at all, this care of God’s and Fran’s manifests itself in two ways: first, through a careful eye, and second, a protective hand. (Repeat.) First of all, the careful eye – did you hear it in the Psalm? He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. You are the apple of God’s eye Scripture says and this text is clear – morning, noon or night – God never ceases to watch over you. That does not mean, however, that troubles do not come, you know they do. Death and suffering came to God’s own Son. What it does mean is that you are never alone – God in Christ strengthened Fran at all times and God in Christ offers you that same companionship. The careful eye certainly describes Fran Weidenburner, you have multiple pieces of counted cross-stitch to prove it. She did needlepoint and some crocheting and she liked to knit. But it was the very precise, very specific counted cross-stitch that she loved and she turned out gems; complicated, gorgeous pieces. The watch of God in Psalm 121 is described like that – in very precise terms – God’s eyes never fail to hold us in His care just as Fran loved and cared for you.
Secondly, and lastly this morning, we read of God’s protective Hand in this Psalm: The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Fran’s love and nurture in your life is a reflection I believe of God’s care which the psalmist describes. Warren’s shift work changed all the time, but it didn’t matter, homemade meals were served on their usual schedule. Fran worked, bringing home a needed paycheck, but the house still was spotless, fresh laundry carefully done. Warren called her the energizer bunny and she was close to being a super woman. Fran was forever grateful that God’s care for her in Christ was super like that – never missing a thing – strengthening her, always providing for her and her needs. God did that for her last Sunday morning as the kids gathered around her bed. God scooped her up and took her home, not because of the good she’d done, but because of her baptism as Christ’s child. She went to the mansion prepared for her that Jesus promises each of us even today in John 14. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
And with this I close: Fran died on Pentecost, which we actually call the birthday of the church – it’s when the promised gift of the Holy Spirit came to the early believers. I understand that Fran made birthday dinners very, very special. Everyone got their favorite entrée and dessert. Carl, I think yours was spaghetti and meatballs and chocolate cake. Diane asked for chicken Paprikash and strawberry shortcake. Jill likes the plainer side of things and chose steak and angel food cake. We are about to partake in this Holy Meal which keeps Fran forever connected to her Savior and Lord and this meal offers you the very same blessing, Amen.
Pastor Carol Lindsay - June 8, 2017