Obituary of Barry James Johnstone

It is with sadness that the family of Barry Johnstone announce his passing on Thursday, October 13, 2022 at the age of 82. A Private Family Service will be held at a later date.

Abigal (Gail) and family wish to Thank everyone for all the cards, texts, phone calls and emails. Bless you all.

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We gather to hear scripture and to pray together, giving thanks for God’s loving promise, giving thanks for the life that Barry has lived and the love that he has shared.  We will commend him into God’s keeping, knowing all the while that God’s love has always surrounded him, in times of joy and sorrow, in times of health and wholeness as well as times of illness and death.

O God of light eternal,
in whose love and power the world took shape,
and we were born, and our lives are lived, and we die:
grant us now the silence of the heart
in which we can recall
that we are never separated from the love which created us, nor from the love that surrounds our suffering.  
Bring us now into your presence,
and let us be strengthened there.  Amen.

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
    he restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever.

John 14 selected verses:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.”
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’

I am wearing my preaching stole – white for Easter and for funerals, and there is a butterfly here as a symbol of new life.

My son Stuart was fascinated with bugs, always bringing me his latest discovery so I could see it, up close.  One day he found a magnificent striped caterpillar, plump and rolling.  He insisted that he wanted to keep it as a pet.  So we punched holes in the lid and he placed it gently inside a jar, with lots of leaves to eat and a stick to climb on.  The next morning, when we looked in the jar – no caterpillar, but there on the stick was a hard, shiny case.  Day after day we checked the jar.  Nine days later, between doing the dishes and going back for a glass of water, we found the butterfly had emerged from the chrysalis.  Perched on the twig the butterfly’s wings were still damp and wrinkled.  As we watched she gently moved her wings and they unfurled and began to glow with the brilliant orange of a monarch butterfly.  After admiring her tiny, curled tongue and her delicate legs, we talked about how that pudgy caterpillar had turned into a chrysalis and then into a beautiful butterfly.  Then we opened the jar and let her fly away.

Much as scientists study the caterpillar and the chrysalis and the butterfly, they still don’t really know how that transformation takes place.  How a lifeless-looking shell can enfold the radical change in life-form.  In the mystery and wonder of the life cycle of an insect we can begin to glimpse the mystery and wonder of the transformation from this life to new life after death.  We truly cannot explain it.  But grounded in the life and teachings, the death and resurrection of Jesus, we trust in the love of God which surrounds us in life, which enfolds us in our dying and which continues with us in a relationship that does not end with our death.

A woman named Natalie Sleeth wrote a hymn for her grandchildren to help them know about living and dying.  It's called, "In the Bulb There Is a Flower."  Here's how some of the words go:

In the bulb there is a flower,
in the seed, an apple tree,
in cocoons a hidden promise,
butterflies will soon be free.
In the cold and snow of winter,
there's a spring that waits to be
unrevealed until its season
something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning,
in our time, infinity;
in our doubt, there is believing;
in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.

In the bulb there is a flower, in our death there is a resurrection.  Within the chrysalis that looks so dead is the promise of new life as a butterfly.  And in the midst of our death, Jesus gives us the promise that there is also new life, a life beyond this life, a life with God in a place Jesus has prepared for us.

Barry’s faith sustained him throughout his life, through the death of his daughter, Jackie, through his own illness and failing health.  I hope there was no question for Barry about what the future held for him – that he knew he would be in heaven, reunited with loved ones and knowing fully the love of God and Christ Jesus which had surrounded him through all his life.

In the bulb there is a flower, in our death a resurrection.  In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.  We are not alone.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

I invite each one of you to think of a memory with Barry, a time of happiness that you shared with him.

May that memory enfold you and enable you to remember Barry as he was before this disease took away his strengths and abilities. May the precious memories of times spent together sustain you as you miss his presence with you. And may the promise of Christ, who went ahead to prepare a place for each one of us, comfort your sorrow.

Each of you will grieve this loss in your own way. Gail shared with me that this gathering today is what she can manage and handle now, emotionally and financially. She would encourage you to create whatever celebrations of Barry’s life that will bring you comfort and peace.

Let’s turn to God in prayer:

Loving God, you are with us in all of life,
your loving presence surrounds us in the joys and sorrows, in the struggles and the delights which life may bring.
Help us to accept death as a part of life,
one of the seasons of the ever-changing journey.
We commend Barry into your keeping, trusting and believing
that your love was there with Barry before he was born,
that your love has surrounded him throughout his living,
that your love has surrounded his dying,
and that Barry will continue to be surrounded by your love throughout all time.

We give thanks for Barry’s living,
for all the work that filled his life,
for all the pastimes that brought him joy.
But mostly we give thanks for love shared
with Gail, his wife, his love for so many years,
his love for his children,
Debbie and Jackie, who welcomes him now,
his grandchildren, Shane, Paige, Cole and Noah,
his great-grandchildren Dominick, Malachi and Sapphire,
his siblings and nieces and nephews,
his friends and neighbours,

Creator God, bless all the people who love Barry
whose hearts now are filled with sadness,
that they too may know the hope we find in Christ’s promise
and be comforted by your presence always.

Holy God,
by your creative power you gave us life,
and in your redeeming love
you have given us new life in Christ.
Receive Barry into the arms of your mercy,
into the blessed rest of everlasting peace
and into the glorious company of the saints in light.

We pray in the name of Jesus, whose life and teaching, death and resurrection help us to know
that each one of us is your precious child.
Nothing can separate us from your love, Heavenly Father.
We continue to pray using words Christ taught his followers saying,  The Lord’s Prayer

As the cremation begins,
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life,
through our Saviour, Jesus the Christ,
we commend to almighty God our brother, Barry James,
earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Barry James,
may God bless you and keep you,
May God’s face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May God look on you with kindness and grant you peace, now and forever more.
Amen.

And for all gathered here,
may the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.  
   Go from this place in the peace of Christ.  Amen.

We gather to hear scripture and to pray together, giving thanks for God’s loving promise, giving thanks for the life that Barry has lived and the love that he has shared.  We will commend him into God’s keeping, knowing all the while that God’s love has always surrounded him, in times of joy and sorrow, in times of health and wholeness as well as times of illness and death.

O God of light eternal,
in whose love and power the world took shape,
and we were born, and our lives are lived, and we die:
grant us now the silence of the heart
in which we can recall
that we are never separated from the love which created us, nor from the love that surrounds our suffering.  
Bring us now into your presence,
and let us be strengthened there.  Amen.

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
    he restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever.

John 14 selected verses:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.”
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’

I am wearing my preaching stole – white for Easter and for funerals, and there is a butterfly here as a symbol of new life.

My son Stuart was fascinated with bugs, always bringing me his latest discovery so I could see it, up close.  One day he found a magnificent striped caterpillar, plump and rolling.  He insisted that he wanted to keep it as a pet.  So we punched holes in the lid and he placed it gently inside a jar, with lots of leaves to eat and a stick to climb on.  The next morning, when we looked in the jar – no caterpillar, but there on the stick was a hard, shiny case.  Day after day we checked the jar.  Nine days later, between doing the dishes and going back for a glass of water, we found the butterfly had emerged from the chrysalis.  Perched on the twig the butterfly’s wings were still damp and wrinkled.  As we watched she gently moved her wings and they unfurled and began to glow with the brilliant orange of a monarch butterfly.  After admiring her tiny, curled tongue and her delicate legs, we talked about how that pudgy caterpillar had turned into a chrysalis and then into a beautiful butterfly.  Then we opened the jar and let her fly away.

Much as scientists study the caterpillar and the chrysalis and the butterfly, they still don’t really know how that transformation takes place.  How a lifeless-looking shell can enfold the radical change in life-form.  In the mystery and wonder of the life cycle of an insect we can begin to glimpse the mystery and wonder of the transformation from this life to new life after death.  We truly cannot explain it.  But grounded in the life and teachings, the death and resurrection of Jesus, we trust in the love of God which surrounds us in life, which enfolds us in our dying and which continues with us in a relationship that does not end with our death.

A woman named Natalie Sleeth wrote a hymn for her grandchildren to help them know about living and dying.  It's called, "In the Bulb There Is a Flower."  Here's how some of the words go:

In the bulb there is a flower,
in the seed, an apple tree,
in cocoons a hidden promise,
butterflies will soon be free.
In the cold and snow of winter,
there's a spring that waits to be
unrevealed until its season
something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning,
in our time, infinity;
in our doubt, there is believing;
in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.

In the bulb there is a flower, in our death there is a resurrection.  Within the chrysalis that looks so dead is the promise of new life as a butterfly.  And in the midst of our death, Jesus gives us the promise that there is also new life, a life beyond this life, a life with God in a place Jesus has prepared for us.

Barry’s faith sustained him throughout his life, through the death of his daughter, Jackie, through his own illness and failing health.  I hope there was no question for Barry about what the future held for him – that he knew he would be in heaven, reunited with loved ones and knowing fully the love of God and Christ Jesus which had surrounded him through all his life.

In the bulb there is a flower, in our death a resurrection.  In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.  We are not alone.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

I invite each one of you to think of a memory with Barry, a time of happiness that you shared with him.

May that memory enfold you and enable you to remember Barry as he was before this disease took away his strengths and abilities. May the precious memories of times spent together sustain you as you miss his presence with you. And may the promise of Christ, who went ahead to prepare a place for each one of us, comfort your sorrow.

Each of you will grieve this loss in your own way. Gail shared with me that this gathering today is what she can manage and handle now, emotionally and financially. She would encourage you to create whatever celebrations of Barry’s life that will bring you comfort and peace.

Let’s turn to God in prayer:

Loving God, you are with us in all of life,
your loving presence surrounds us in the joys and sorrows, in the struggles and the delights which life may bring.
Help us to accept death as a part of life,
one of the seasons of the ever-changing journey.
We commend Barry into your keeping, trusting and believing
that your love was there with Barry before he was born,
that your love has surrounded him throughout his living,
that your love has surrounded his dying,
and that Barry will continue to be surrounded by your love throughout all time.

We give thanks for Barry’s living,
for all the work that filled his life,
for all the pastimes that brought him joy.
But mostly we give thanks for love shared
with Gail, his wife, his love for so many years,
his love for his children,
Debbie and Jackie, who welcomes him now,
his grandchildren, Shane, Paige, Cole and Noah,
his great-grandchildren Dominick, Malachi and Sapphire,
his siblings and nieces and nephews,
his friends and neighbours,

Creator God, bless all the people who love Barry
whose hearts now are filled with sadness,
that they too may know the hope we find in Christ’s promise
and be comforted by your presence always.

Holy God,
by your creative power you gave us life,
and in your redeeming love
you have given us new life in Christ.
Receive Barry into the arms of your mercy,
into the blessed rest of everlasting peace
and into the glorious company of the saints in light.

We pray in the name of Jesus, whose life and teaching, death and resurrection help us to know
that each one of us is your precious child.
Nothing can separate us from your love, Heavenly Father.
We continue to pray using words Christ taught his followers saying,  The Lord’s Prayer

As the cremation begins,
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life,
through our Saviour, Jesus the Christ,
we commend to almighty God our brother, Barry James,
earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Barry James,
may God bless you and keep you,
May God’s face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May God look on you with kindness and grant you peace, now and forever more.
Amen.

And for all gathered here,
may the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.  
   Go from this place in the peace of Christ. 

Amen.