Our family has an inaccessible cemetery not far from Brushy Knob, Missouri. Dad, my brother Darin and I go up there on Memorial Day to decorate it, Lord willing and if the creek doesn’t rise. Alas, the creek rises, usually just before Memorial Day. My great- great-great-grandmother is buried there, along with my great-great-grandparents and great-grandparents. My dad is the head of the association that maintains it. He is religious about this. I asked him if he would be buried there someday. He said he wasn’t sure.
Going back to Powers Chapel in Falls County for the burial of my friend Ann Marek made me wonder again about where I will be buried. Nearby, the little community of Pleasant Grove endured my early sermons when I was still a teenager. They loved me and Melanie when we were starting out. There are good people buried there. I know I will be buried. Like my dad, I’m not sure where.
When Samuel died, they buried him in his hometown of Ramah. All Israel mourned his death. Why? He was a holy man of God who prayed for them and preached to them. Not only did Samuel feed sheep but he also fought wolves. Mediums and spiritists were driven out of Israel by him. Samuel reasoned that since people could pray to God they didn’t need to talk with ghosts. In our scripture readings over the weekend we saw David ask God for direction time and again. God answered David, but not Saul. Now we see Saul finding the witch at Endor and summoning a spirit. Some weeks from now we will hear Elijah confront those who consult with other gods by asking, “Is there no God in Israel that you should consult” other gods? (2 Kings 1:3).
If we wonder what we should do today, we should definitely ask God. “If anyone lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5). This is why I pay no attention to horoscopes and fortune cookies. There is God. He still speaks. Let us ask and listen to find his direction. Good people who prayed have gone before us. Some of them are buried at Powers Chapel. But their God is still alive.
