Union Church, Berea, KY Rev. Kent Gilbert, Pastor
January 20, 2024, 2:00 pm Dr. Bernardo Scarambone, Director of Music
Gathering Music
Welcome Rev. Kent Gilbert, Pastor
Opening Prayer
Hymn #247 My Shepherd Is The Living God Consolation
1 My shepherd is the living God,
I therefore nothing need;
In pastures fair, near pleasant streams
you settle me to feed.
You bring my wandering spirit back
when I forsake your ways,
And lead me for your mercy’s sake
in paths of truth and grace.
2 When I walk through the shades of death,
your presence is my stay;
A word of your supporting breath
drives all my fears away.
Your hand, in sight of all my foes,
does still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
your oil anoints my head.
3 The sure provisions of my God
attend me all my days;
O may your house be my abode,
and all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
while others come and go –
No more a stranger or a guest,
but like a child at home.
Readings
Scripture Psalm 91
Poem dying is fine)but Death
Scripture I Corinthians 15:51-55
Reflection and Rememberance
During this time all are invited to share a brief word, reflection or story.
A Life in Pictures
Responsive Affirmation of Faith
One: We remember that Jesus said, “Come to me all you weary, and I will give you rest.”
All: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
One: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Tears and sighing shall flee away, and God shall be our strength and our shield. This we know. This we hold:
All: And death shall have no dominion.
Prayers of Commendation and Release
Hymn #433 In the Bulb There Is A Flower Promise
1 In the bulb there is a flower;
in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise:
butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
there’s a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
2 There’s a song in ev’ry silence,
seeking word and melody.
There’s a dawn in ev’ry darkness,
bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
3 In our end is our beginning;
in our time, infinity;
in our doubt there is believing;
in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
Benediction
Following the service all are invited to join the family reception in the Union Church Community Room (directly under the sanctuary).
Many thanks to the family, friends, readers and musicians who contributed to this service.
Readings
Psalm 91
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the hunter
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and defense.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night
or the arrow that flies by day
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble;
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them
and show them my salvation.
dying is fine)but Death
dying is fine)but Death
?o
baby
i
wouldn’t like
Death if Death
were
good:for
when(instead of stopping to think)you
begin to feel of it,dying
‘s miraculous
why?be
cause dying is
perfectly natural;perfectly
putting
it mildly lively(but
Death
is strictly
scientific
& artificial &
evil & legal)
we thank thee
god
almighty for dying
(forgive us,o life!the sin of Death
e.e. cummings
1 Corinthians 15:51–55 (NRSVue)
51 Look, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When this perishable body puts on imperishability and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
Betty Wray
November 11, 1925 ~ January 3, 2024
Betty Marie Wray, 98, of Berea, died Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at Homestead Poste Acute Nursing Home, Lexington. A native of Bloomington, Indiana, she was born November 11, 1925, daughter of the late William and Mary Duley Binkley. Betty was a member of Union Church and held a Master’s Degree in Classics from the University of South Dakota.
Survivors include two sons James Wray (Caren), Thomas Wray (Teresa); one daughter Ellen Macomb (Daryl); one brother Raymond Binkley; three grandchildren; two great grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband Dr. Frank Wray; one son William Wray; one brother William Binkley; one sister Joanna Binkley.
Excerpted from Rev. Kent Gilbert’s Letter to the Congregation:
The New Year brings hope of new beginnings, but sometimes our hopes are alloyed with unwelcome change. I am so saddened to share the death of Betty Wray, one of our longest serving and faithful members, at the age of 98. She slipped gently into the wider life yesterday morning (January 3rd) in her sleep; a new beginning in that great light of Peace.
Though these last months have been overfull of hospital and nursing home care, her spirit remained strong and her mind remained as agile as ever. Only in exhaustion or illness did she have episodes of confusion despite weakening eyesight and challenging heart conditions. Those who knew her know that Betty could be a true force of nature, and was faith-filled and determined to make a difference even as she became less able.
And make a difference she surely did. She and her husband Frank joined Union Church in 1953, over 70 years ago (!), and raised their four children, Bill, Ellen, Thomas, and James in Berea. Frank was a professor at the college, but Betty was also heavily involved in all things Berea and a scholar in her own right. The daughter of an American Baptist preacher, she was educated at Bloomington and deeply interested in theology and history. In Berea she used her talents teaching Latin classes, Sunday school, helping form the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, the Library Commission, and helping run the “Woman’s Industrial” clothing and quilting program. She was a founding board member of The Ark spiritual retreat center and served as its president working closely with Rev. Terry Scherf for decades. She and Frank also raised Morgan horses at their farm just outside of Berea, which gave her great joy and good memories.
Betty’s curiosity about all things never waned. Friends will remember her for wanting to always dive deeper and then do something. She was a passionate advocate for things that needed doing! She read books, engaged in classes, followed the news, and never stopped seeking what to do about it all. A true spiritual seeker and loving practitioner of the faith. And if frustration at the pace of change or resistance from powers that be gave her consternation, they never gave her much pause. She would continue chipping away, asking questions, working on the side, and tunneling under what she could not initially get over.
Betty was honored as one of Union Church’s Honorary Lifetime Deacons, the congregation’s recognition of life-long service across multiple areas of our faith life. Over seven decades, no one better exemplifies such service. A relentless advocate for racial equality, the elimination of child poverty, the inclusion of women into leadership of the church, and matters of spiritual well-being and growth, Betty lived her passion in every setting, a peace-warrior who believed these things were worth struggling for!
As her recent hospitalization and move to nursing care took place I and other friends who visited were so glad that her sharp intellect and quick mind remained, despite the slowing of her body. She watched nearly every church service online with her son James, and kept up on friends, projects, and bible study whenever she could. More than one of us commented that we hope to grow up and be Betty Wray one day, full of life right until the end. She was quite the work of God! And now we commend her to well-deserved rest and Deep Love in God’s embrace. Well done, good and faithful servant.
I know you will join me in prayer for her friends and family as they make space in the world for such a great absence. May her peace give them consolation, and may they know the gentle release from any worries for her or her care. She lived and worked that others might know a better life. For me and for so many pastors before me, she was a staunch and loving support for our common ministry and service. I know and trust that after all her work for her family and community, she now knows that wider, deeper life she always sought; knows “face to face” the Love and Grace she served so well.
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