Christmas

Two things you can never predict with precision are birth and death. It was a bitter cold January night when a young woman went into labor with her first child. She grabbed her minister husband, said, "It's time," and he replied, "Okay, but first we need to stop by the funeral home." He had a funeral service scheduled for 11:00 the next morning, and he knew they'd never be finished with the delivery in time.

The minister's wife was not amused. But she got him back by complaining that the car was too hot, and insisting that they drive all the way to the hospital, through the winter night, with the windows open.

This week we're dealing with the overlap of death and birth once again. Today we gather for a funeral service for ____________; tomorrow many of us will be in this same place …