 |
|||||
Reviewed by Patricia Farris, senior minister of Santa Monica First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, California Mrs. Hunter’s Happy Death: Lessons on Living from People Preparing to Die by John Fanestil John Fanestil, writer and United Methodist pastor, has written a wonderful, rich spiritual resource, connecting resources of our Methodist heritage with pastoral experiences of living and dying well. While reflecting on his own experiences in the parish with those who had died in the faith, Fanestil discovered old accounts of the practice of “happy dying”, a vital spiritual discipline in the 18th c. He became particularly fascinated by the story of one Mrs. Hunter, who died in London in January, 1801. Like so many of her time, the account of her death was published, hers in an issues of “The Arminian” magazine found in the basement of the library of the Claremont School of Theology. This discovery led Fanestil to dig into the treasure trove of similar accounts of “happy dying” so popular at the time. These published testimonies were the most widely-read magazine publications in their day, snatched up by the faithful for instruction in how to live and die well, that is, safe in the assurance and joy of the Lord. A logical extension of the Wesleyan belief in Christian perfection, these faithful souls understood dying to be the blessing of crossing over into true perfection and closeness with the Lord. As a result, the process of dying was understood as a sacred time and an opportunity for special wisdom and blessing to come from the words and actions of the dying. Fanestil explores the story of Mrs. Hunter’s happy death at the age of 26 through the account of her dying written by her pastor, the Methodist J. Wood. An excerpt reads: “Glory, honour, and praise be to my compassionate God…The desire of my heart is that I may from this moment prove, by happy experience, that I am thoroughly renewed in all powers and faculties of my soul…I feel thankful for the grace which I enjoy: I live by faith, and all my salvation is of God…By obeying his Spirit, I find he leads me on to more light, life and love. Glory to God!” At this time of a movement to dying with hospice care or at home, we may be experiencing a return to the ability of the dying to express their thoughts and faith experiences. Fanestil shares the stories of several of his former parishioners who themselves experienced happy dying and show a kind of continuity from the tradition to present-day practice. Much of this is in stark contrast to current frames for speaking of death in terms of anger, resentment, loneliness and fear. Fanestil provides a rich resource for re-framing the spiritual journey through death into the embrace of a loving God and life everlasting. By drawing out what made their happy dying possible, Fanestil offers, in the second half of the book, ten lessons for holy living, including prayer, immersion in the Word of God, remembering the resources of the saints, testimony, living in the present. These chapters offer a wealth of material for those exploring spiritual disciplines and all those “seeking to be made perfect in this life.” Mrs. Hunter’s Happy Death will be of interest to lovers of Methodist history and practice. It is also a rich and inspiring account of faith that would be an excellent study resource for adult classes, spiritual formation groups, Stephen Ministry training, UMW units, lay speaking classes, Communion ministers, parish nurses and pastors. A rabbi colleague of mine once quipped that he could generate larger crowds if only he could offer something more reassuring about the promise of life after death, pointing to people’s deep fear of dying and death. While we laughed about the different resources in our faith traditions, we shared the observation of people’s longing for peace and assurance around dying. Thanks to John Fanestil, we Methodists can get back in touch with a foundational resource from our own tradition which we may well have overlooked: the practice of happy dying. It will unlock as well resources for happy, faithful living, having life and having it abundantly, as Jesus promised, on both sides of the grave.
|
