Wordless Wednesday - November 5, 2025

 

                                                    For Wordless Wednesday

Funeral Sermon for Rose Ross

With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. Psalm 91:16

Funeral Sermon for Rose Philomene Ross, Bethel Lutheran Church, Ryley, AB, October 30, 2025, one o’clock by Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson, based on Psalm 91:14-16 and Matthew 5:14-16. 

Even though I never had the privilege of meeting Rose Philomene Ross, the first thing that comes to my mind, after learning about her from her family is the phrase “blessed to be a blessing.” Rose was blessed in so many ways, and her life, in turn, was a blessing for others. Indeed, Rose lived a long, happy, and useful life, she has put so much goodness, kindness, love and service for others into her years. 

Speaking of long life, the psalmist reassures us that God blesses us, and God blessed Rose with this promise: “I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honour them. With long life I will satisfy them and show them my salvation.”

I’m sure God was with Rose in troubled times, and enabled her to get through those troubled times by rescuing her from difficult situations. God honoured Rose too with a life filled with meaning and purpose in order that she could do all of the things she did that made such a difference in her family members lives and the lives of others too. God blessed Rose by giving her the gift of long life. Just as the older palm trees produce the best tasting dates; and just as old wine produces the best taste; so Rose’s long life was a productive one. The Lord gave her many, many years to be productive, and she was—working hard on the farm, in her home, and as the head housekeeper at Tofield Hospital. 

That brings us to our passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which is part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. I’d like to share the way Eugene Peterson in The Message renders this passage. Jesus said: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” 

During the course of Rose’s 100 years of life, she did shine. She offered her loved ones, friends, neighbours, and probably even strangers hospitality, kindness, a calmness bringing peace and strength in difficult times, she was a mentor for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great, great grandchildren, offering words of wisdom and inspiration, and sharing special times with them, often over cookies she made along with tea. 

The words of verse 16 in the NRSV are spoken during baptisms, they instruct all baptized Christians to: Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Just as Jesus, in the Gospel of John says: “I am the light of the world” (8:12), as his followers through our baptism, we too are called to be lights in this world. The image that comes to mind is a sunset. You know if you’ve watched sunsets that right after the sun goes down, there is still a bit of an afterglow, rays of light. So in death we think of life’s afterglow. Every life leaves after life’s day is over some inspiration of goodness, beauty, truth, love and grace, that remains to comfort and sustain those with sorrowing hearts. So too, Rose’s long life afterglow will remain with you. So thanks be to God for giving Rose the gifts of: kindness, hospitality, a peaceful calmness, a strong work ethic, contentment, a servant heart, and most of all love. By God’s grace, may these gifts remain with you, so that you, like Rose, can let your light shine, and one day you’ll see her in her permanent home with the Lord. 

Brief Book Review: Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians

Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians 

Author: Tom Wright

Publisher: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Westminster John Knox Press, paperback, 164 pages, including an Introduction, Map, and Glossary

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

The Author 

At the time of this publication, Tom (N.T. Wright) was the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England. A prolific author and noted New Testament scholar, Wright was named by Christianity Today as one of the top five theologians in the world. He has written over thirty books, both at the scholarly level (including Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God) and for a popular audience (including The Meal Jesus Gave Us).

Brief Observations 

In his “For Everyone” New Testament series, Tom Wright states that he has deliberately written “for everyone,” and not for religious and intellectual elites. Therefore he does not include footnotes and Greek words. Rather, there is a Glossary of pertinent words and phrases, containing simple descriptions of them. However, words that Wright has omitted, which this reader believes are very significant are: sin, evil, hope, joy, and thanksgiving. One wonders why he failed to include them?

His own translation of 2 Corinthians, which seems somewhat folksy, reminds this reader a bit of Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Yet one may quibble about the occasional passage, even though Wright does try to remain faithful to the original text in his translation. 

All-in-all though, this wee volume is a worthwhile read. Wright’s prose is easy to read, inspiring and insightful—he reminds me here a lot of the William Barclay commentaries, which perhaps inspired him. I especially appreciated his opening each segment with a down-to-earth contemporary example, which preachers and laity will appreciate for sermons and Bible studies. 

Book Review: Great Canadians

Great Canadians: Twelve Profiles of Extraordinary People 

Author: Angela Murphy

Publisher: Folklore Publishing, paperback, 142 pages, including Acknowledgements, Introduction, and Notes on Sources

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

The Author 

Angela Murphy, at the time of this volume’s publication, was, among other things, a full-time writer with an extensive and varied background in education. She held positions as a university lecturer, public school administrator and curriculum consultant before deciding to pursue a career in writing. She has written children’s books, magazine articles, and as a freelance literary reviewer for Canadian newspapers. Her previous book, Notorious Escapades, was one of the first books in the Great Canadian Stories series.

Contents

In addition to the Acknowledgements, Introduction, and Notes on Sources, there are 12 chapters. The chapters include: Chapter 1: Margaret Atwood, Chapter 2: Tommy Douglas, Chapter 3: Terry Fox, Chapter 4: Wayne Gretzky, Chapter 5: Sir John A. MacDonald, Chapter 6: Nellie McClung, Chapter 7: Marshall McLuhan, Chapter 8: Emily Murphy, Chapter 9: Lester B. Pearson, Chapter 10: Louis Riel, Chapter 11: David Suzuki, Chapter 12: Pierre Elliott Trudeau. 

In her Introduction, Murphy observed five “common threads” present in the lives of these 12 Canadians. Readers will notice that of the 12, only 3 of them are women. At the end of her Introduction, after providing a number of reasons why more women were not included in this volume, Murphy states: “If you would like to suggest names for a future book on Great Women of Canada, please forward your ideas by e-mail...” (pp. 10-11). There is, in this Great Canadian Stories series, a volume entitled Canadian Women Adventurers: Stories Of Daring & Courage, by Tamela Georgi & Lisa Wojna. 

One of the features of this volume, which yours truly appreciated was a quotation attributed to each of the “Great Canadians” at the beginning of each chapter. Margaret Atwood’s reveals the quintessential Canadian trait of doing what one does without making a fuss or drawing attention to one’s self: “I am a writer, and a reader, and that’s about it” (p. 12). Sir John A. MacDonald’s highlights his sense of humour in the face of difficulties: “Be philosophical, and if Fortune empties a chamber pot on your head, just smile and say, ‘We are having a summer shower’” (p. 45).

Brief Observations

To encourage readers of this review to read this volume, here is a tidbit from each of the 12 extraordinary people. 

In addition to being a highly acclaimed novelist, poet, and literary critic, Margaret Atwood has been a peace and social justice advocate for Amnesty International and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Tommy Douglas was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, and may have had his leg amputated. However, a doctor performed an experimental surgery for free, which saved Tommy’s leg. Tommy may have been highly motivated to introduce medicare in Canada because of that free surgery. 

Terry Fox’s 5376 kilometre Marathon of Hope raised $24.7 million dollars for cancer research, and his legacy lives on around the world as people in 60 countries run every year to raise money for cancer research.

In the 1980s, Wayne Gretzky won the NHL Hart Trophy every year for 8 years as most valuable player, as well as the Art Ross Trophy as NHL’s leading scorer 6 years in a row. 

In addition to Sir John A. MacDonald’s political vicissitudes, his 13 month-old son died, his first wife Isabella Clark struggled with her health and eventually died, and his daughter Mary that he had with his second wife, Susan Agnes Bernard, was physically and mentally disabled, and his law practice went bankrupt. All of these factors led him to turn to the bottle. 

Nellie McClung had a life-long passion for reducing the inequalities between girls and boys, women and men, and was one of the famous five who successfully advocated for women to gain the right to vote and be regarded as persons. In addition to being a wife, mother, teacher, and social justice advocate, Nellie was also a successful author, and the first woman to become a member of the CBC board of governors in 1936.

Marshall McLuhan was an intellectual’s intellectual. He earned a BA and PhD from the University of Cambridge, was a professor and expert on the media and communication, and became a Roman Catholic convert. 

Emily Murphy was the first woman magistrate in the British Empire, and a member of the famous five. She was also the first female on the Edmonton Hospital Board, an author who, among other things, wrote popular articles under the pen name, “Janey Canuck.” 

Lester B. Pearson was the son of a Methodist minister. He studied at Oxford University, became a lecturer at the University of Toronto, met and married one of his students, Maryon Moodie, and in addition to becoming Prime Minister of Canada, he was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Louis Riel was a Métis spiritual and political leader. Even though Riel was regarded as a rebel and hanged as a traitor, his legacy lives on today as a hero who was a social justice advocate for his people. 

David Takayoshi Suzuki, even though being of Japanese descent, could not speak Japanese. His fishing trips, exploration of pristine forests and lakes and camping with his father most likely inspired David to learn more about the natural world and become a world-famous scientist and television personality. A long time spokesperson for environmental protection and preservation, David, along with his second wife Tara Cullis, also a scientist, created the David Suzuki Foundation. 

Pierre Elliott Trudeau, in addition to being Prime Minister of Canada, was the son of Jean-Charles Emile Trudeau, a millionaire Montréal lawyer. Pierre travelled widely around the globe. He went on a walking tour of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. 

This volume will inspire those interested in Canadian history. 

Wordless Wednesday - August 27, 2025

                                                             Pow-Wow

                                   For Wordless Wednesday

Weekend in Black & White - August 1, 2025

 

 The 7 Sacred Teachings of Indigenous Peoples

             For Weekend in Black & White

Book Review: Faceless Killers

 

Faceless Killers

Author: Henning Mankell

Publisher: Vintage Books, paperback, 298 pages

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

The Author 

Henning Mankell, at the time of this volume’s publication, was the prize-winning and internationally acclaimed Swedish author of the Inspector Wallander Mysteries, popular throughout Europe. Eventually, there were film and T.V. adaptations of his Kurt Wallander novels. He was a left-wing political social activist, and devoted much of his time to working with Aids charities in Africa, where he was also director of the Teatro Avenida in Maputo. He was married four times. His last wife, Eva Bergman, is the daughter of film director Ingmar Bergman. Mankell died on 5 October, 2015. 

Kurt Wallander is the protagonist of this novel. He is a police inspector at Ystad, in southern Sweden. Wallander is separated from his wife Mona, and alienated from his daughter Linda. He comes across as a workaholic, and neglects his health—eating too much fast food, not getting enough sleep, and sometimes drinking too much. He feels guilty about not visiting his dad often enough, there is tension between them, and he communicates with his sister who lives in Stockholm only occasionally. 

Wallander and other police officers work together to try and solve the brutal murders of a farm couple, Johannes and Maria Lövgren. The last word Maria uttered before she died was “Foreign.” Wallander questions Lövgren’s farm neighbours, the Nyströms. However, they are unable to share many helpful leads. Wallander and the other police team members are concerned that the media will blow things out of proportion if they discover the murderers are foreigners—they are worried that such information would play into the interests of far right political organisations and individuals opposed to immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees. 

In the meantime, another murder is committed, someone has killed a Somali man. Wallander has a “hunch” about a former policeman who retired early. After Wallander’s surveillance of him, and his association with another chap, the Somali murder is solved relatively quickly. Both of them had connections with far right organisations. Once again the police are worried about how the media would cover the murder, and if their coverage would negatively stereotype the police as having far right political leanings. 

Wallander continues his investigation of the Lövgren murders, with the assistance of other police personnel. They discover that Johannes Lövgren had lived a rather secret life unbeknown to his neighbours, the Nyströms. During World War II, he had made a lot of money selling meat to the Germans. He also had an affair with Ellen Magnusson. Eventually, the police discover, after continuous denials, that Ellen and Johannes had a son, Erik Magnusson. Later, after incorrectly suspecting them, they discovered that neither Ellen nor Erik had anything to do with the Lövgren murders. 

Wallander and other police personnel spend more time hoping that the discovery of a Citroën car would lead them to the murderers. After coming to so many dead-ends in the investigation, Wallander is getting very discouraged and almost ready to give up. Time passes, and nothing significant happens. Then, working with a bank employee, a wee bit of information motivates Wallander that might help in solving the murders. I encourage readers to check out the novel in order to discover how it ends.