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The Reverend Dr. William A. Evertsberg

Holy God, Breath of Life, send your Spirit upon us and awaken us, amaze us. Enliven our spirits and stir our prayers to new depths of trust and honesty and fervor. You who are the wind who makes all winds blow; blow out untruths, and insecurities, and uncertainties, and injustices—so that we might breathe in newness of life.

Ours is a world of such clamor among cultures and countries, such complexity and nuance of politics and power, of poverty and pretense—yet your mercy breaks through. . . each human being your precious child.

God of compassion, you leave no one orphaned, in spite of the orphans we create through wars, abuse, disease, neglect. You leave no one orphaned; sustain all.

God of Grace, we ask you to repair the lack and loss in the Bowen family. Be close to his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. God, we don’t so much complain that you’ve taken him from us, as grateful that you gave him to us, for a long, long time—91 years of life, 37 years of ministry right here in this place.

He baptized 1,991 of our babies.
He united our young lovers in matrimony 500 times.
He preached 1,600 sermons.
He guided us around the world,
Patched up our broken hearts,
And gave us wise counsel when we found ourselves lost in a dark wood alone.

Therefore, receive him into the arms of your mercy, in the blessed rest of everlasting peace, into the glorious company of the saints in light, and into glad reunion with his beloved Marlene. Now God, in your mercy, hear us as we pray together the ancient prayer: Our Father…Amen.

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