John 12:24. [Jesus said], “Very truly, I tell you unless a
grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain.”
It was a cold November several years ago when a couple
hundred grieving friends and family crammed into the undercroft of St. Barnabas
Episcopal Church on Bainbridge Island. We were there to honor Marilyn
Brandenburg a beloved deacon in our diocese, jazz musician, former first grade
teacher, lay Franciscan, and dear friend. I remember seeing her ashes on top of
the make-shift altar. The canister of her remains was covered by a very unusual
pall: a bright rainbow colored wig that she had worn after losing most of her
hair. Even in her dying Marilyn had a great sense of joy and poked fun at death
itself. But the part of her story I cherish the most is that of her being
foolish for thinking she could make a difference in the world. Frequently we
find ourselves soaked in pessimism and discouragement as we age; youthful
idealism often turning to hopelessness about making a real difference in world.
I have often wondered how the original disciples felt as Jesus walked the road
to the Cross, seeing all of their hopes and dreams evaporate before their very
eyes. After receiving a diagnosis of cancer Marilyn kept on doing what she
loved but with even more intensity. I will never forget witnessing the fruits
of Marilyn’s ministry to the incarcerated women at Purdy whose lives were often
hard and joyless. One day we Franciscans joined her inside the prison walls,
along with our bishop, to witness Crystal’s confirmation and entrance into the
Episcopal Church. Who would have thought that a grain of wheat could have grown
in such harsh conditions and become so much more? I can hear Marilyn’s winsome
voice in my ear “What are you saving yourself for, my dear, a diagnosis?”
—The
Rev. Steve Best
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