Last week, four plaques were installed on the wall of the Memorial Garden by Stu Allen for Pat Dindinger, Betty Bonham, Carolyn Hensley, and David Stahl. They join 24 other plaques on that wall that honor Covenant folks whose ashes have been interred in that sacred ground since 2014. The names bring back a host of faces and memories from across the years, people who shaped my life and our Covenant life together. It is heartening to see folks take time to stop to look at a plaque and remember with a story or a prayer, or a sigh.
The Memorial Garden was created to offer an alternative final resting place for the ashes of Covenant folks who are cremated. In placing their ashes into the garden, we repeat the words of the committal liturgy: “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Blessed are those who die in the Lord, says the Spirit. They rest from their labors and their works follow them.” The ground is raked back, the words are repeated, the ashes are spread, and the ground is raked back over the ashes, returning the remains of the body to the ground from which we all were created by God. It is a holy rite in a space made sacred by the lives of the saints who are remembered there. But it is also a living place, full of blooming plants and greenery, a place where people gather to visit during Happy Half Hour between services, or for a preschool chapel, or for a quiet place to sit a spell. The words on the face of the wall amid the plaques echo Jesus’ words to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life…” and it is in the assurance of that promise that we remember those Covenant brothers and sisters with heavenly hope.
If you have not taken time to walk through the garden lately, I encourage you to do so this summer when it is in all its blooming splendor. Whether you are on your way into Worship or grabbing lemonade at Happy Half Hour or are just passing through, take a moment to notice the names and remember the people and give thanks to God for their lives and for God’s continuing promises for them and for us in Jesus Christ. And if someone happens to be with you as you stand there, perhaps share a story or memory of one of those folks who means something special to you, for in doing so we perpetuate their memories – not just with sorrow but with resurrection joy!
— John Peterson
