(I dedicate this story to

the memory of Dave Hamrick, who is now living the eternal reality of its

meaning. This is not my original story, but I've heard it and read it

several times in different places, and I don't know to whom to give the

original credit.)

Once upon a time there was

a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and been given three months

to live. Her Dr. told her to start making preparations to die. (Something

we should all be doing all of the time, of course.)

So she contacted her pastor

and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final

wishes. She told him which hymns she wanted sung at her funeral, what

Scriptures she wanted read, and what she wanted to be wearing. The woman

also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible.

Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the

woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing,"

she said excitedly.

"What's that?" came

the pastor's reply.

"This is very important,"

the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right

hand."

The pastor stood looking at

the woman not knowing quite what to say. "That shocks you, doesn't

it?" the woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm

puzzled by the request," said the pastor.

The woman explained, "In

all my years of attending church social functions where food was involved

(and let's be honest, food is a very important part of almost any church

event, spiritual or otherwise) my favorite time was when whoever was clearing

away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say, 'You can keep

your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better

was coming. When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something great

was about to be given to me. It wasn't Jell-O or pudding, it was cake

or pie, something with substance!"

"So I just want people

to see me there in my casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to

wonder 'what's with the fork?' Then I want you, Pastor, to tell them,

'She knows something BETTER is coming so she's kept her fork! It's her

Easter fork! It's her Resurrection fork! Something much better is definitely

coming for her now!'

The pastor's eyes welled up

with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would

be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also

knew that this woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW

she would be resurrected! She knew she would have her personal TRUE Easter!

She knew that something BETTER was coming!

At the funeral, people were

walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing,

her favorite Bible, and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over

the pastor heard the question, "What's with the fork?" And over

and over he smiled and smiled.

During his message, the pastor

told the people about the conversation he had had with the woman shortly

before her death. He also told them about the fork and about her witness

as to what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could

not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would

not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.

We will all be doing a lot

of eating and feasting this holiday season. My hope is that at the end

of the main course someone will lean over to take your dishes but say

to you, "You may keep your fork" and you'll know that something

better is coming.

My prayer is that you will

carry around with you every day an imaginary spiritual fork, knowing that

because of the meaning of Easter ­ because of the resurrection of

Jesus ­ in your life, as in mine, even when we die, SOMETHING MUCH

BETTER IS COMING!

This is what Easter is all

about!

May the blessings of the Risen

Christ Jesus be with you and yours throughout this blessed holiday season!

"Christ is risen! He is

risen indeed! Alleluia!"

(Kollmeyer is Pastor of

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Hwy. 314 in Fayetteville, between Lowe's

and The Pavilion. He invites anyone without a church home to worship in

Easter Services ­ 6:30 Outdoor Sunrise Service; 8:00 Sanctuary Service;

9:30 "Life Center" Contemporary Service; or 11:15 Traditional

Sanctuary Service. For more information log on at www.popdove.com

or call 770-461-3403.)

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