From out our bourne of Time and Place

Today at 11:00 a.m., the funeral of the Rev. Dr. John Linna, 70, who died on Monday, will be held at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Neenah, Wisconsin. I never met Dr. John in person, but for the past year or so I have looked forward daily to reading Dr. John’s Fortress, his blog. His love of words was obvious. His weekday posts could be a bit silly, but they were always inventive and engaging and full of fun. He wrote of dragons and of Pigeon Falls, the little town in his basement. Once you visited Pigeon Falls, you were hooked. He was a master of the cliffhanger. Because of him I even learned a little about Ukrainian (not that Dr. John was Ukrainian; I believe he was Finnish). His Sunday posts were always beneficial and thought-provoking and filled with the love of God. His body may have “waxed old like a garment” but his spirit seemed to grow younger all the time. He fought the good fight, he finished his course, he kept the faith.


Crossing the Bar
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.


I have that same hope. Rest in peace, Dr. John. We will miss you.