September 21 – “A Viking Funeral”

So I’ve learned a little Icelandic.  As in the language spoken in Iceland, I mean.  And whatever for, you might ask?  Believe it or not, it was for a funeral.  I received a call about two weeks ago from a guy I had never met.  Seems he had been at a funeral I had officiated for a friend of his named Steve.  That was one I remembered right away.  He was the guy with the huge sci-fi paraphernalia collection.  That was also the funeral I ended by flashing the Spock double-fingered victory sign and saying “Live long and prosper.”  The caller had been one of the people who spoke words of encouragement and memory to the family there.  That connection really helped as I talked with him about the sudden death of his son and the prospects of me doing a similar type funeral for him.  The son Troy’s main request as far as his death goes was that he be given a Viking funeral.  No specifics there.  Just Viking.

Troy was also a believer, so preparation for his funeral was instantly a lot easier.  Always is when you know the ultimate outcome of a life.  His Dad had a lot of ideas for how he wanted the ceremony to go.  In fact he planned pretty much the whole thing.  I just enhanced it a bit here and there and added the plan of salvation, of course.  One of the things he wanted me to read was a dialogue between a guy trying to say the Lord’s Prayer and God. I made a phone call to the funeral home and enlisted one of the guys who works there to help me out.  He was the unseen voice of God in the dialogue, answering the comments I made.  It was incredibly effective, too.  Well, once we got past the first phrase.  I began with the first line, “Our Father, ho art in heaven.”  He then answered “What?”  Problem was, the entire audience started praying the prayer out loud, so a lot of them missed his interruption.  It took a second or two for them to realize I hadn’t continued with the prayer and was talking to someone else.  It was the perfect opening, since the story line was about praying rote prayers and not paying attention to what you are saying.  I may use that one again in an appropriate situation at future funerals.  It wouldn’t work in every case, but for some it would be great. 

There were lots of comments and stories at the open share time, and the family was very appreciative of the memories.  Troy’s Dad let everyone know that the family had arranged to have a tiny Viking boat built, and a family friend had offered to take it offshore on his own boat.  The plan was to place Troy’s ashes on it, push it away from the big boat, and set it on fire in true Viking fashion.  After I said the benediction I added one little part as my nod to Troy’s wish for a Viking funeral.  I had learned a bit of Icelandic, which I found out was the closest existing language to what the Vikings might have spoken.  My phrase was, “leeva lingee ogsh dafena.”  Roughly translated it means, “Live long and prosper.”  When I read the translation, Troy’s wife laughed out loud and said, “Did you hear that?  Steve’s even here.”  Friendships that transcend death?  Certainly possible in Jesus.

Psalms 146:5-6 says, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — the Lord, who remains faithful forever.”

Father, be with Troy’s family over the next few weeks as they adjust to a different kind of life.  Thank you for Troy’s faith in you that spoke so highly to each of them.  Amen.