Preached at All Saints, Collingwood, Anglican Diocese of Toronto, 8 March, 2025.
It doesn’t matter how old a person is, or how long and fulfilling their life has been, it’s always sad to say goodbye. Today we say goodbye to a lady who was wife, mother, grandmother, respected member of an old Collingwood family, and a faithful and lifelong parishioner of All Saints.
I only knew Fran in the last few years of her life, but in that time I became very fond of her. I looked forward to seeing her in her usual pew on Sunday morning, and if there was time before the service, she would often wave me over and tell me something interesting, usually some tidbit about the history of this church that she was very proud of.
Fran also liked to tell me that she was baptized here at All Saints, confirmed here, and married here. Today, as we give her into the loving and eternal care of God, this church performs its last service for Fran, though we will remember her as one who has enriched the life of this place.
Of course, there is so much more to Fran’s life than merely her connection to this church. But that connection with All Saints can be seen, if you will, as a metaphor for how we live our lives within the love and care of God.
Fran came through these doors as a babe in arms in a white christening gown, as a beautiful bride, as a mother, and over the decades, as I’ve said, as a faithful parishioner. She was always kind and gracious, particularly to a young man, a newcomer to All Saints, who often sat just behind her. Fran experienced God’s love, and she returned it to those around her. Today, as she leaves All Saints for the final time, she is wrapped fully and completely in the love of the God who knew her and walked with her through every stage of life.
I hope that it is a comfort to you to know that you, too, will leave here, fully surrounded by the love and care of God, just as Fran was, and now is, in a way that we can’t fully imagine.
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