Sermon Central
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That Holy Communion Moment At The Hospital
Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018 (message contributor)
Note: this happened to me personally - you can reference Jim Butcher of Madison WV.
Some of you have heard me share this story over the last few weeks, but I think it’s worth sharing again for those who haven’t had the chance to hear it.
In early March, Patti Price asked me to bring communion to her dad Darrell at Boone Memorial. It was clear by that point that his condition was deteriorating quickly enough that he would not be with us much longer. I took Ronnie Walker with me and on a Sunday afternoon we met Patti and Chris there in the hospital room.
Because Vada was in a room just down the hall, we decided to bring her into the room and include her in communion. Of course, she struggles with dementia, but we thought she should be there.
I really expected communion to be a moving experience, but in truth it turned into a comedy of errors. Darrell struggled physically and Vada mentally as we shared communion. We made it through, but with the holiness of the moment pretty much left behind.
After communion was over, Patti came beside Darrell and pointed to her mom. “Do you know who that is?” she asked. When she told him who it was, he asked, “Then what’s she doing over there?” (He wanted her near.)
Patti then went to her mom and asked the same question. When she figured out it was Darrell, she asked the exact same thing (even though she hadn’t heard him say it): “Then what’s he doing over there?”
At this point, Chris moved her chair over to Darrell’s bedside. They reached for each other and held hands.
Darrell tried to lean forward, but couldn’t in his hospital bed, so Chris reached behind him and pushed him forward. Darrell leaned forward and gently kissed Vada’s hand.
And there it was – the holy moment. A small gesture that reveals what more than seventy years of a loving marriage looks like.
That, my friends, is what real love looks like.
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