I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your loved one. I hope the memories you hold dear will help sustain you during this difficult time. God has promised to resurrect those in the memorial tombs. (John 5:28,29) Hope this promise brings you additional comfort.

Scripture Readings Pastor Dr. James Utt Romans 8:31-39 {31} What then are we to say about these thing? If God is for us, who can be against us? {32}God did not withhold his son, but gave him up for all us, will he not with him also give us everything else. {33}Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. {34} Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. {35} Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? {36} As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." {37} No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. {38} For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, {39} nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NRSV) John 14:1-6 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. {4} And you know the way to the place where I am going." {5} Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" {6} Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (NRSV)

The Light of Christ and The Praise of God Pastor Dr. James Utt I thought it was appropriate to have the Paschal Candle from Grace to be present at Edna’s funeral. We are still in the glow of the light of the resurrection of Christ. The few sad days have passed and we yet celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death. That is our good news this Easter season. We come to this day of remembering Edna, our sister in Christ, beloved mother and grandmother, good and generous neighbor, faithful member of God’s one, holy, universal and apostolic church, one who trusted in the God’s gift of salvation gained for us by Christ’s action. We are in light of that Good News. It is Christ’s light of victory. This candle is a reminder of that good news. This light is also a witness to Edna, who along with her family, gave this candle and all the oil candles used at Grace in memory of her beloved husband, Gilbert – Marilyn, David, Arlene and Beverly’s father. I thought it was appropriate for this celebration of Christ victory over death and remembrance of Edna, that this candle be present at her casket. Edna’s life of faith – her devotion as a good and faithful wife; her love and care as a mother and grandmother; her compassion as a neighbor; her business acumen coupled with honesty and integrity; her hard work ethic; her hyper-sense of individual responsibility – all were a strong witness to the love of God, a faithful witness to the light of Christ in her life. I called Edna once soon after I came as Pastor at Grace to set a visit in her home on Lambden Avenue. I asked if it would be convenient for me to come and visit later in the afternoon. She said, “Well, no, I am busy cleaning the house. I’ve got to get this done.” She then went on to list five or six more things she had to do. So, once I just stopped by without calling and – this is no lie – I found her at the top of a twelve-foot step ladder using clipping shears to trim her shrubbery. She was wringing wet from her work, perhaps a little perturbed that I had stopped by unannounced, and probably would have stayed on the ladder had I not asked for a glass of water. I figured that would be the only way to get her to come down. In the course of my visit “conversation” she would not discuss any alternatives to how she might have someone else clip her shrubbery. She was going to do that. End of discussion. So I moved on cautiously to other topics and we had a delightful visit – that one and many more over all these years. She was a true sister in Christ, never once holding back what she thought about something. I never had to guess or concern myself with what Edna thought about a certain issue or major plans for the life of the congregation. She told me! I told her once that she reminded me of my installation as pastor at Grace. “What do you mean?, she asked. I explained to her that “installation” comes from a Latin word which means, “to be put in once place.” She did not laugh at first. I told her I was trying to be funny. “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe in me.” These words of Jesus in our gospel reading was Edna’s creed. I have no recollection of a conversation with her about any uncertainty or trouble in her heart that Edna had about God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Her heart was not troubled by eternal matters, Edna worried about day-to-day, neighbor-to-neighbor, family-to-family matters. She had her work and her responsibilities. Salvation was left up to God. Eternal matters were in God’s hand. She was a good Lutheran! That the good news of this gospel text: Christ has done all that is necessary to save us. More than enough to save us! Christ has not only died for us, he has also gone ahead of us in death to prepare a place for us – mansions, joyful, beautiful dwelling places. And not only has he accomplished these, but in this great text of Easter good news, we are told by Jesus himself that he will even come and take us to his dwelling place of great joy and love…” Christ goes, prep

In honor of Edna H. Maul, Donald Maul lit a candle.

In honor of Edna H. Maul, Eleanor J Estep lit a candle.

I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your loved one. I hope the memories you hold dear will help sustain you during this difficult time. God has promised to resurrect those in the memorial tombs. (John 5:28,29) Hope this promise brings you additional comfort.

Scripture Readings Pastor Dr. James Utt Romans 8:31-39 {31} What then are we to say about these thing? If God is for us, who can be against us? {32}God did not withhold his son, but gave him up for all us, will he not with him also give us everything else. {33}Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. {34} Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. {35} Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? {36} As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." {37} No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. {38} For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, {39} nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NRSV) John 14:1-6 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. {4} And you know the way to the place where I am going." {5} Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" {6} Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (NRSV)

The Light of Christ and The Praise of God Pastor Dr. James Utt I thought it was appropriate to have the Paschal Candle from Grace to be present at Edna’s funeral. We are still in the glow of the light of the resurrection of Christ. The few sad days have passed and we yet celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death. That is our good news this Easter season. We come to this day of remembering Edna, our sister in Christ, beloved mother and grandmother, good and generous neighbor, faithful member of God’s one, holy, universal and apostolic church, one who trusted in the God’s gift of salvation gained for us by Christ’s action. We are in light of that Good News. It is Christ’s light of victory. This candle is a reminder of that good news. This light is also a witness to Edna, who along with her family, gave this candle and all the oil candles used at Grace in memory of her beloved husband, Gilbert – Marilyn, David, Arlene and Beverly’s father. I thought it was appropriate for this celebration of Christ victory over death and remembrance of Edna, that this candle be present at her casket. Edna’s life of faith – her devotion as a good and faithful wife; her love and care as a mother and grandmother; her compassion as a neighbor; her business acumen coupled with honesty and integrity; her hard work ethic; her hyper-sense of individual responsibility – all were a strong witness to the love of God, a faithful witness to the light of Christ in her life. I called Edna once soon after I came as Pastor at Grace to set a visit in her home on Lambden Avenue. I asked if it would be convenient for me to come and visit later in the afternoon. She said, “Well, no, I am busy cleaning the house. I’ve got to get this done.” She then went on to list five or six more things she had to do. So, once I just stopped by without calling and – this is no lie – I found her at the top of a twelve-foot step ladder using clipping shears to trim her shrubbery. She was wringing wet from her work, perhaps a little perturbed that I had stopped by unannounced, and probably would have stayed on the ladder had I not asked for a glass of water. I figured that would be the only way to get her to come down. In the course of my visit “conversation” she would not discuss any alternatives to how she might have someone else clip her shrubbery. She was going to do that. End of discussion. So I moved on cautiously to other topics and we had a delightful visit – that one and many more over all these years. She was a true sister in Christ, never once holding back what she thought about something. I never had to guess or concern myself with what Edna thought about a certain issue or major plans for the life of the congregation. She told me! I told her once that she reminded me of my installation as pastor at Grace. “What do you mean?, she asked. I explained to her that “installation” comes from a Latin word which means, “to be put in once place.” She did not laugh at first. I told her I was trying to be funny. “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe in me.” These words of Jesus in our gospel reading was Edna’s creed. I have no recollection of a conversation with her about any uncertainty or trouble in her heart that Edna had about God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Her heart was not troubled by eternal matters, Edna worried about day-to-day, neighbor-to-neighbor, family-to-family matters. She had her work and her responsibilities. Salvation was left up to God. Eternal matters were in God’s hand. She was a good Lutheran! That the good news of this gospel text: Christ has done all that is necessary to save us. More than enough to save us! Christ has not only died for us, he has also gone ahead of us in death to prepare a place for us – mansions, joyful, beautiful dwelling places. And not only has he accomplished these, but in this great text of Easter good news, we are told by Jesus himself that he will even come and take us to his dwelling place of great joy and love…” Christ goes, prep

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.