Alma Ruth Nahas
1932 -2011
Ruth was born in Soddu, Ethiopia to Earl and Pauline Lewis. Her parents were missionaries who established a medical clinic and school in a remote portion of the country in 1928. Until the age of 8, Ruth lived in various parts of Ethiopia and Sudan with her parents and brother Phil. In 1940, as a result of military unrest, the family moved to Philadelphia where her father continued to represent Sudan Interior Mission. In 1946, they relocated to South Pasadena, CA. A Registered Nurse, Ruth graduated from the University of Southern California as part of its Huntington Memorial Hospital nursing school class of 1954. Ruth pursued an active career in nursing, later earning a Master’s Degree and Certified Nurse Practitioner designation with a specialty in Geriatrics. In 1988 she joined the staff at the Sepulveda VA Hospital, helping to manage its home health care programs until her retirement in 2002. Following retirement, she moved to San Juan Capistrano where she remained active in church and her favorite hobbies of reading, quilting, sewing, and foreign travel. She is survived by her son David, brother Phil, and numerous nieces and nephews.
soli deo gloria
(I have the privilege of preaching this sermon at the Memorial of my Aunt Ruth, this Saturday, January 15, 2011)
Psalm 116
“Precious in the Sight of the Lord”
at the Memorial of Alma Ruth Nahas
The holy words of God are laced with lines surprising us as they seemingly defy the logic and flow of the message. These lines upset our insistence that everything be just so. These surprise lines remind us that God is not altogether like us. These surprise lines most often point us to the Gospel, that central and most beautiful message that God shall restore all his creation; that he is for us and not against us. These lines that don’t always seem to fit their immediate context proclaim to us a God who is more gracious than we could ever imagine. The surprise line in Psalm 116, that does not seem to fit at all is (15): “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Continue reading »
