In churches, it is the tradition for Memorial Sunday to read the names of the members and friends of the church who have passed away during the past year. That was the case today in the church I attend. One of those whose name was read was William S. Whiting. There is not enough room in this blog to list all his service to the church, and also to the community. He was widely known, loved, and respected.
When I opened the hymnal to the second hymn of the day, I was stunned by what I saw. The song, 'Eternal Father, Strong to Save' was written in 1860 by William Whiting! My mind raced trying to figure out if that was intentionally chosen for the day, which seemed unlikely, given that the new associate pastor is in charge for today and the senior pastor is out of town. I checked with the church secretary after the service, and no one had done that knowingly. And she had not noticed it.
My conclusion is that Mr. William Whiting, who is no longer with us in person, found a unique way to be present today in spirit, on this Memorial Sunday, not only through the reading of his name, but through the writing our our hymn. I can only describe that coincidence as a true moment of serendipity!
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