tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654856541669836756.post5316687831241139046..comments2023-05-31T08:19:00.401-06:00Comments on Laughing Martin: Lutheran WhorshipI. M. Abaldy IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01198500481151915918noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654856541669836756.post-32484210737964866562008-08-27T09:59:00.000-06:002008-08-27T09:59:00.000-06:00As a young minister in Kentucky, I was asked by a ...As a young minister in Kentucky, I was asked by a funeral director to hold a graveside service for a homeless man, who had no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a new cemetery way back in the country,and this man would be the first to be buried there. I was not familiar with the backwoods area, and I soon became lost. <BR/>Being a typical man, I did not stop to ask directions. I finally arrived an hour late. I saw the backhoe and the open grave, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. The digging crew was eating lunch. I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and I stepped to the side of the open grave. There I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured the workers I would not ho ld them up for long, as I told them that this was the proper thing to do.<BR/><BR/>The workers gathered around the grave and stood silently, as I began to pour out my heart and soul. As I preached about "looking forward to a brighter tomorrow" and "the glory that is to come," the workers began to say "Amen" "Praise the Lord," and "Glory!" The fervor of these men truly inspired me. So, I preached and I preached like I never had before, all the way from Genesis to Revelations.<BR/><BR/>I finally closed the lengthy service with a prayer, thanked the men, and walked to my car. As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I heard one of the workers say to another, "I ain't NEVER seen nothin' like that before and I've been puttin' in septic tanks for thirty years!"anguskohlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00583269432708661897noreply@blogger.com