There is a profound joy in applying the skill of one's hands to a run down house or a piece of broken furniture. It is a pleasure to refinish, rework and restore that which had been discarded or has broken though daily use. Murry was a maker, a whiz with his hands. There wasn't much he couldn't fix.

Such abilities require that one have a discerning eye for beauty, for proportion and for balance. Whether it was swallows circling in the sky or crickets singing in the grass, Murry appreciated the glory of creation - the wonder of that which the Creator had made - in that way that only another craftsmen can.

And Murry embraced it all. From roses to rosewood, shutters to siblings, Murry wrapped his arms and his heart around them all. What wonderful things to remember, what warm stories many of you can share with one another.

But a single step - or a missed rung on a ladder - can change a life in a heartbeat. That which was whole, broke - in many places. Pain, for a time, pushed joy to the edges. The same capacity that enables us to feel love can cause us to feel the weight of darkness, doubt or even despair when pain is thrown like a shroud over all our days.

They said that Murry would never walk. But he did. The same legs that came down the ladder moved Murry, in time, across the landscape under his own steam.

Now Murry's pain is over and he is in the hands of his Maker. Not because God pushed Murry down the ladder but because we are all like houses and Grandfather clocks- we are prone to winding down or wearing out - and we can break if we fall. That is what it means to be human. Murry was worn, and broken, and his time ran out. God did not take him. But God receives him. Both Murry life and God's reception are to be celebrated.

There is no better eye for beauty and wholeness than the eyes of God. There is no more gentle spirit than that of our God who wills to bring the best even out of brokenness. God means to restore that which has fallen into darkness. He who gave us life in the beginning promises to give it again, at a higher pitch, raised up into that light that never ends.

The only direction to move from the valley of shadows - or the bottom of a ladder - is up.

Murry is reaching up, without pain, and climbing,now, without hesitation. God, in Christ, is leaning down and stretching out his hand. "This way, Murry," Jesus says, full of light, and in a strong clear voice.

Beyond the top rung and just a ways up the hill is the house of many rooms - our Father's house. There's room enough for Murry, for those who have gone before. Room enough for all who want to take the hand that reaches down. And we, we too are climbing that ladder… "I'll sing the1st stanza of each verse we'll repeat it together twice"
(sing "We are climbing Jacob's ladder") AMEN