Psalms 116, 117
Acts 19:11-20
Luke 4:14-30
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
Death binds the mind, it freezes the thinking. Even thoughts of the dead whose death is the overwhelming force in your life do not exist. One just is, trouble and sorrow are the all. Thus it was when our son died. I have heard of a mother who even had to be reminded to go to the bathroom in those days immediately after the death of her baby. Yesterday I heard of an fellow British lady whose son was killed in a car wreck, the memorial service is on Saturday.
Whenever I hear of the death of a child, be it young or old it the memories of Matthew's death flood my mind as I empathize with the parents new to the Lost Child Club. Reading Psalm 116 today reinforced the feelings of loss and emptiness. However much we believe and follow Christ or know about eternal life it does not occupy the same place in our hearts as our child.
There is always the question "How many children do you have?" I hate that one. The muscles of my abdomen and pelvis know how many though I always answer one less because to explain that one child died seems to make the hearer uncomfortable. Why, I do not know. Death is as much a fact of life as birth. So is living with death. And that we do. Eventually the chords of death loosen, the anguish becomes dim and the emotions heal from the cut as a scar changes color and heals; but I can show you the scar where my trunk lid fell on my hand 38 years ago, it is dim but it is there.
6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.
Yes, simplehearted because that is all that there is, nothing else is in life when death overcomes it. All else dims in comparision.
7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
My friends, the members of our church family ministered to us. They brought us food and organized the funeral service. They just sat with us. They were God's love to us.
8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
And so we do.
The living eat so here is the Chocolate brandy cake with no brandy recipe!
8 ounces (2 sticks) margarine or butter
8 ounces chocolate chips or good baking chocolate
8 ounces 'digestive bicuits' or graham crackers
2 eggs
3 ounces sugar ( 1/2 cup?)
3 ounces red cherries or drained marachino cherries
3 ounces walnut bits
Melt the chocolate and maragine together in a saucepan. I suppose it could be done in a microwave.
crush the biscuits into big chunks -not so that they are in crumbs
beat the eggs and sugar until they are pale and creamy
stir in the melted chocolate mixture and then the cherries and walnuts.
Put into a greased loaf pan or suitable dish or pan.
Store in refridgerator until set. If you need to speed this up you can put it in the freezer for a while.
Note this contains raw eggs
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