I just got a call from a family who are contemplating coming here to have their two children baptised.  They haven't been attending any church lately, but they would like to have a conversation with me about baptism - they took a look at our website and thought this might be a church where they could bring their children.  I love those kind of calls - an invitation to speak with new people about community, about church, about the God I worship who is all about love and welcome and affirmation/celebration of life.  One of the wonders of this "job" of mine, is that I never know who will be on the other end of the line, or where the conversation might lead us.  I was away last week enjoying a land where there is still lots of green grass (Fairmont, B.C. - yes - there is green grass somewhere in Canada!!), when I got the call about the death of Alex Young.  I knew that death was imminent for him, so it wasn't a total shock.  Alex has been a long time member of the congregation - a man with a deep faith, with a love of life, with a contagious grin - he will be hugely missed around here.  His funeral will be Sunday afternoon.  Sunday morning we will gather for our regular morning worship, where we will be invited to reflect on the 23rd Psalm.  It is always a bit of a challenge to take such familiar words and enable us to hear them in a new way - to not take for granted that we all hear the same message, or that there is nothing new that we can learn as we listen to them.  However, it will be very good to reflect on what it means to hear the shepherd call out to us, and then for us to respond to that call.  Part of our response this week will be to go to Alex's funeral and live out our belief that death is not the end - and that there is nothing in the past, nor in things to come, nothing in life, nor in death that can ever separate us from the love of God.  That doesn't mean that there won't be any tears, or that there is no longer any fear, but it does mean that we can trust that through the tears and the fear, our God will give each one of us the strength to keep on keeping on.  It has been an intense week as we walk towards the funeral of such a beloved member of our community, but as kd Lang sang, in the song "The Valley", we will wend our way towards the light on the far hills, and as we walk, we will truly be in good company.  Thanks be to God.