Reviewed Book: The Word is Life: An Anthology of Funeral Meditations. Lima, Ohio: CSS Pub, 1994. Reviewed Book: This New Life Together: An Anthology of Wedding Meditations. Lima, Ohio: CSS Pub, 1994

Riegert, Eduard R.

English

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 21
Issue 1 Women and Men in Theological Education:
Exploring the Present, Creating the Future
Article 23
5-1-1995
The Word is Life: An Anthology of Funeral
Meditations
Eduard R. Riegert
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Riegert, Eduard R. (1995) "The Word is Life: An Anthology of Funeral Meditations," Consensus: Vol. 21 : Iss. 1 , Article 23.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol21/iss1/23
Book Reviews 151
the reader to keep one thing in mind. While Roland Cole-Turner does ac-
knowledge that the pursuit of new technology can be an ethically ambiguous
activity, this caution ocassionally gets lost in the author’s desire to affirm
genetic engineering as a mode of God’s creativity through humankind.
Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain
a general introduction to the topic. The author points to some very impor-
tant concerns which will challenge us over the coming decades. Through
his incisive summaries he provides the reader with a helpful doorway into
the often confusing ethical dialogue surrounding genetic engineering. But
most of all, his book demonstrates through its engagement with the topic
of genetic engineering, that there exists a serious challenge for Christians.
That is, Christians need to further develop a more adequate theology of
healing, one that sees life as a whole and engages contemporary bioethical
activities on an on-going basis.
Richard C. Crossman
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
I
This New Life Together: An Anthology of Wedding
Meditations
Lima, OH: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc., 1994
63 pp.
The Word is Life: An Anthology of Funeral Medita-
tions
Lima, OH: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc., 1994
74 pp.
The publishing of either wedding or funeral sermons is rare and there-
fore much appreciated; homiletical and pastoral thanks are due to C.S.S.
for presenting a volume of each!
The Foreword to each volume is by Michael L. Thompson, but he is not
identified as the editor, nor is there any indication of how either anthology
was composed. This seems to be part of general editorial carelessness at
C.S.S.
Twenty-one wedding meditations are ostensibly offered—but three are
not meditations at all: one is a marriage prayer (a good one!), one is a
liturgical candle rite (it looks and sounds like a summary of something),
one is a formula for a congregational pledge of support. One wonders where
editorial control went! An ecumenical roster of preachers is represented, in-
cluding one Roman Catholic. One meditation is for a Protestant-Catholic
I marriage; two are for older couples, both widowed; one is for a medical
;t
il
152 Consensus
student (though that fact fails to influence the meditation). Most rely on
lections (Song of Solomon appears twice), though there is a carelessness
in listing them (where, again, is editorial oversight?). Those meditations
which are deliberately based on a passage of Scripture are far away the
best; they are focussed, substantive, and worthy. One partial exception
(it has a background of three lessons and a Psalm) uses the biblical theme
of “memory and hope” to bring together the many elements present at
the second marriage of a couple who are both widowed and whose respec-
tive families are present. Excellent! One learns here negatively as well as
positively about preaching at weddings: the need to be brief; the need to
resist didactic advice-giving; the need for tight thematic focus; the need
for a central image (e.g., the house on the rock, ^2; not, please, a boxing
ring, ^10!); the need for a creative text (the volume is a fine source of
these); and, perhaps, the need to get off the theme of love: shall we put a
moratorium on 1 Cor. 13?
The funeral meditations are considerably deeper in substance and pas-
toral care. Here again editorial carelessness includes two offerings of wor-
ship resources (one is a graveside poem, the other suggests lessons and gives
some prayers for the funeral of a child lost through miscarriage), and two
general sermons which seek to help congregations deal with death. The
remaining 18 meditations helpfully address mourners grieving a variety of
deaths: a business leader; sudden illness; a child; an older man; a 12-year-
old with a history of medical problems; three suicides; an elderly cancer
victim; a Hodgkin’s disease victim; an Alzheimer victim; a murder victim;
a farm accident victim; a stillborn child; an infant; a retired pastor’s wife; a
seamstress; and one identified oddly as “Christmas” (it appears the person
died just before the Nativity). This variety is unquestionably the strength
of the anthology, and we benefit from the preachers’ struggles to address
really tough situations.
Several learnings come clear. (1) Funeral meditations bring out some
of the best dimensions of a preacher’s pastoral care: keen attention to the
deceased’s story, sensitivity to and articulation of the mourners’ feelings,
the urgency to preach the gospel. (2) The need for ONE dominant image
(e.g., God is like the seamstress who redesigned and fashioned new clothes i
from old, torn, and out-moded clothing). (3) The need to articulate ONE |
dominant question the mourners ask, and relate the gospel to it. (4) The j
need to stick to ONE text even when several lessons are read (inevitably,
||
trying to include each of two or three lessons leads to a scattered focus, the
tacking on of thoughts, the fogging of focus). (5) The need to incorporate
the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection into the event and the experi-
j
ence of the mourners. The preachers, one and all, work hard to proclaim
|
the gospel; they are not uniformly successful. Sometimes it ends up being
jj
a recital that stands apart from the event (this had best be left to a recital j!
of the Creed); sometimes it veers toward a nature religion (e.g., the image S
of life as a circle in which death is an exit to life is theologically question-
j|
able in that it smacks much more of soul-immortality than the miracle of |
Book Reviews 153
I.
I'
resurrection. “When you’re dead,” Tillich is supposed to have said, “you’re
I
dead all over.” Only then can God’s “new thing” be done.).
Robert Hughes {A Trumpet in Darkness: Preaching to Mourners^
Fortress, 1985) advises that two things are essential in a funeral sermon: to
communicate the reality of death; to communicate Christian hope. It is ul-
timately humbling to accompany these preachers as they valiantly address
jf themselves to that task.
li
i;
• Eduard R. Riegert
I Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
V
\
V
I
The Mystery and the Passion: A Homiletic Reading
of the Gospel Traditions
David Buttrick
Minneapolis; Fortress, 1992
X + 246 pp.
Dear Pastor: Buy this book! Read it every Epiphany in preparation for
^
Lent-Easter. Buy it at once! I read it in Epiphany and now again in the
F Easter season, and each reading revealed fresh insight and provoked theo-
I
logical and imaginative thought. It is a boon to preachers, and a theological
companion in any season. Buttrick is not afraid to ask and deal thoroughly
with the vexing questions that overshadow the Resurrection and Passion
V narratives (e.g.. Did the resurrection really happen? What does it mean
that Christ died for us? What was Jesus’s self-understanding? Does God
suffer?), but he does this always from the homiletic perspective: “I am
seeking to get at a word to be preached” (p. 54).
After a Prologue in which he describes the formation of the Resurrec-
,
tion and Passion narratives he devotes Part One to “The Mystery of the
f Resurrection” and Part Two to “The Passion of Jesus Christ”. The Epi-
logue is a theological discussion of sin, how it is manifested, how it is dealt
\ with on the cross, and what salvation means.
; Buttrick has at least four concerns. One is to read the texts with
integrity. He prepares for this in the Epilogue by noting how the early
Christians worked their way backward from the Resurrection. Then in
each Part he examines all the texts pertaining to Resurrection (he includes
I Cor. 15) and Passion in the Synoptics and John. This is an invaluable
lectionary resource in itself.
A second concern is to be theologically astute and disciplined. In Part
One he devotes three chapters to a theological discussion of the Resurrec-
j
tion ( “The Reality of the Resurrection”
,
“A Risen Crucified Christ”
,
and
I
“Resurrection and God’s New Order”); similarly, in Part Two he devotes
I
three chapters to a theological discussion of the Passion (“The Patterns of


The Word is Life: An Anthology of Funeral Meditations

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 21Issue 1 Women and Men in Theological Education:Exploring the Present, Creating the FutureArticle 235-1-1995The Word is Life: An Anthology of FuneralMeditationsEduard R. RiegertFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationRiegert, Eduard R. (1995) "The Word is Life: An Anthology of Funeral Meditations," Consensus: Vol. 21 : Iss. 1 , Article 23.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol21/iss1/23Book Reviews 151the reader to keep one thing in mind. While Roland Cole-Turner does ac-knowledge that the pursuit of new technology can be an ethically ambiguousactivity, this caution ocassionally gets lost in the author’s desire to affirmgenetic engineering as a mode of God’s creativity through humankind.Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to gaina general introduction to the topic. The author points to some very impor-tant concerns which will challenge us over the coming decades. Throughhis incisive summaries he provides the reader with a helpful doorway intothe often confusing ethical dialogue surrounding genetic engineering. Butmost of all, his book demonstrates through its engagement with the topicof genetic engineering, that there exists a serious challenge for Christians.That is, Christians need to further develop a more adequate theology ofhealing, one that sees life as a whole and engages contemporary bioethicalactivities on an on-going basis.Richard C. CrossmanWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryIThis New Life Together: An Anthology of WeddingMeditationsLima, OH: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc., 199463 pp.The Word is Life: An Anthology of Funeral Medita-tionsLima, OH: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc., 199474 pp.The publishing of either wedding or funeral sermons is rare and there-fore much appreciated; homiletical and pastoral thanks are due to C.S.S.for presenting a volume of each!The Foreword to each volume is by Michael L. Thompson, but he is notidentified as the editor, nor is there any indication of how either anthologywas composed. This seems to be part of general editorial carelessness atC.S.S.Twenty-one wedding meditations are ostensibly offered—but three arenot meditations at all: one is a marriage prayer (a good one!), one is aliturgical candle rite (it looks and sounds like a summary of something),one is a formula for a congregational pledge of support. One wonders whereeditorial control went! An ecumenical roster of preachers is represented, in-cluding one Roman Catholic. One meditation is for a Protestant-CatholicI marriage; two are for older couples, both widowed; one is for a medical;til152 Consensusstudent (though that fact fails to influence the meditation). Most rely onlections (Song of Solomon appears twice), though there is a carelessnessin listing them (where, again, is editorial oversight?). Those meditationswhich are deliberately based on a passage of Scripture are far away thebest; they are focussed, substantive, and worthy. One partial exception(it has a background of three lessons and a Psalm) uses the biblical themeof “memory and hope” to bring together the many elements present atthe second marriage of a couple who are both widowed and whose respec-tive families are present. Excellent! One learns here negatively as well aspositively about preaching at weddings: the need to be brief; the need toresist didactic advice-giving; the need for tight thematic focus; the needfor a central image (e.g., the house on the rock, ^2; not, please, a boxingring, ^10!); the need for a creative text (the volume is a fine source ofthese); and, perhaps, the need to get off the theme of love: shall we put amoratorium on 1 Cor. 13?The funeral meditations are considerably deeper in substance and pas-toral care. Here again editorial carelessness includes two offerings of wor-ship resources (one is a graveside poem, the other suggests lessons and givessome prayers for the funeral of a child lost through miscarriage), and twogeneral sermons which seek to help congregations deal with death. Theremaining 18 meditations helpfully address mourners grieving a variety ofdeaths: a business leader; sudden illness; a child; an older man; a 12-year-old with a history of medical problems; three suicides; an elderly cancervictim; a Hodgkin’s disease victim; an Alzheimer victim; a murder victim;a farm accident victim; a stillborn child; an infant; a retired pastor’s wife; aseamstress; and one identified oddly as “Christmas” (it appears the persondied just before the Nativity). This variety is unquestionably the strengthof the anthology, and we benefit from the preachers’ struggles to addressreally tough situations.Several learnings come clear. (1) Funeral meditations bring out someof the best dimensions of a preacher’s pastoral care: keen attention to thedeceased’s story, sensitivity to and articulation of the mourners’ feelings,the urgency to preach the gospel. (2) The need for ONE dominant image(e.g., God is like the seamstress who redesigned and fashioned new clothes ifrom old, torn, and out-moded clothing). (3) The need to articulate ONE |dominant question the mourners ask, and relate the gospel to it. (4) The jneed to stick to ONE text even when several lessons are read (inevitably,||trying to include each of two or three lessons leads to a scattered focus, thetacking on of thoughts, the fogging of focus). (5) The need to incorporatethe gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection into the event and the experi-jence of the mourners. The preachers, one and all, work hard to proclaim|the gospel; they are not uniformly successful. Sometimes it ends up beingjja recital that stands apart from the event (this had best be left to a recital j!of the Creed); sometimes it veers toward a nature religion (e.g., the image Sof life as a circle in which death is an exit to life is theologically question-j|able in that it smacks much more of soul-immortality than the miracle of |Book Reviews 153I.I'resurrection. “When you’re dead,” Tillich is supposed to have said, “you’reIdead all over.” Only then can God’s “new thing” be done.).Robert Hughes {A Trumpet in Darkness: Preaching to Mourners^Fortress, 1985) advises that two things are essential in a funeral sermon: tocommunicate the reality of death; to communicate Christian hope. It is ul-timately humbling to accompany these preachers as they valiantly addressjf themselves to that task.lii;• Eduard R. RiegertI Waterloo Lutheran SeminaryV\VIThe Mystery and the Passion: A Homiletic Readingof the Gospel TraditionsDavid ButtrickMinneapolis; Fortress, 1992X + 246 pp.Dear Pastor: Buy this book! Read it every Epiphany in preparation for^Lent-Easter. Buy it at once! I read it in Epiphany and now again in theF Easter season, and each reading revealed fresh insight and provoked theo-Ilogical and imaginative thought. It is a boon to preachers, and a theologicalcompanion in any season. Buttrick is not afraid to ask and deal thoroughlywith the vexing questions that overshadow the Resurrection and PassionV narratives (e.g.. Did the resurrection really happen? What does it meanthat Christ died for us? What was Jesus’s self-understanding? Does Godsuffer?), but he does this always from the homiletic perspective: “I amseeking to get at a word to be preached” (p. 54).After a Prologue in which he describes the formation of the Resurrec-,tion and Passion narratives he devotes Part One to “The Mystery of thef Resurrection” and Part Two to “The Passion of Jesus Christ”. The Epi-logue is a theological discussion of sin, how it is manifested, how it is dealt\ with on the cross, and what salvation means.; Buttrick has at least four concerns. One is to read the texts withintegrity. He prepares for this in the Epilogue by noting how the earlyChristians worked their way backward from the Resurrection. Then ineach Part he examines all the texts pertaining to Resurrection (he includesI Cor. 15) and Passion in the Synoptics and John. This is an invaluablelectionary resource in itself.A second concern is to be theologically astute and disciplined. In PartOne he devotes three chapters to a theological discussion of the Resurrec-jtion ( “The Reality of the Resurrection”,“A Risen Crucified Christ”,andI“Resurrection and God’s New Order”); similarly, in Part Two he devotesIthree chapters to a theological discussion of the Passion (“The Patterns of

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