A Family Member
Sermon
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
For a family member
A Family Member
2 Corinthians 4:16--5:1; Isaiah 40:28-31
There are two things that you need to know as I begin.
First, I am the "black sheep" of our family. Many of you may know that my aunt dabbles in genealogy. Some years ago, after she had told me of some ancestor she was tracing down, I suggested with my tongue firmly in my cheek: "Aunt Mary, you better be careful! There's no telling what you might find. There might be bank robbers or horse thieves or cattle rustlers, all kinds of scandalous and nefarious characters in our background. Why, there might even be a preacher back there! And we would not want to know that!"
To the sometime consternation of my family, I'm their preacher!
So this morning, I'm preaching to my family. Some of them have never heard me preach. Some have heard me preach once. One or two have heard me preach twice, but not Tom. He and my Aunt Mary have heard me preach a bunch.
Before his health began to fail, Tom and Aunt Mary visited me a number of times to hear me preach. I preached here when they hosted a family reunion some years ago. But that was not the extent of their interest in my ministry. Tom and Aunt Mary came to Dallas for my ordination as Deacon, and came back again to my ordination as Elder two years later.
For some reason, Tom seemed to take enormous pride in having this adopted nephew who was a preacher! So to a large extent, I am here this morning as a statement of my appreciation for Tom, and his support of me through the years.
And I'll give you an aside: When I preached in this church several years ago, Tom asked if I would wear my liturgical clothing. He wanted to experience my preaching in robe and stole. I am wearing robe and stole today in his honor.
So for that reason, please understand that these reflections are very personal. Tom's family, his daughters, are here today. I wish that there was some way that I could acknowledge your life with him and your relationship with him ... but I cannot. I say to you -- in deference to my inability to articulate your feelings for your father: I liked your dad. He was good to my Aunt Mary. He was good to my cousin, Tammy. He was good to Charlie and Cheryl Ann and their families ... and he was good to me. My experience of Tom was: what you saw was what you got, and what you got was someone who was "good" to lots of folks.
I first met Tom in August of 1979. We met in the airport at Amarillo. I was living in Kansas City, working for Montgomery Ward, and had flown in on a late flight to attend the funeral of my Uncle Maurice. (My Aunt Mary has two brothers: my dad and Uncle Maurice.) Tom met me at the airport. I guess he was looking for the guy who got off the airplane and looked like he was lost, because he found me! We drove to Felt, Oklahoma, where my uncle lived, in the middle of the night. The long, nighttime drive allowed us a good conversation.
Our friendship was born that night.
In the years since, as I said earlier, he has brought my Aunt Mary to hear me preach a number of times. In addition, my wife and I, on our vacation trips to New Mexico, have made it a practice to stop over so often and spend the night and visit with Aunt Mary and Tom. We have enjoyed those respites. Tom was a gracious host!
There was always plenty of food to eat in their house, and always some ice cream for dessert! Tom loved ice cream!
It was good to catch up with the family; who was doing what, when, where, and how. What the latest scandal was! (I want my cousins to know that I have defended you to your mother to no end! Not that it did any good!)
And it was always good to catch up on business. Tom and I would talk crops and weather; the price of cattle, corn, wheat; how business had been ... and how we looked forward to it being. Tom had a clear eye ('cause a fast nickel beats a slow dime, every time!). He always found a reason to be optimistic. There was no question that he was grounded in the ebb and flow of this community.
I suspect that people who dealt with him found him shrewd, but honest.
Of huge importance to me, he loved my Aunt Mary. He took enormous delight in allowing her the privilege of celebrating life. He allowed her the freedom to enjoy all those delights which had been beyond her wildest imagination for so many years. I loved him for that, and that would have been enough. But he was so much more. Gracious, kind, caring, and generous; with a wonderful sense of humor and a true joy in the living of each day! His morning coffee with his friends was an honored and revered ritual.
The teacher of Ecclesiastes says, "There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil." And that is more than happenstance, it is, the teacher says, "from the hand of God."
Aunt Mary, I want you to know that your life with Tom has been blessed, and has been a blessing. God has been present with you.
Over the past few years, we have watched with sadness as Tom's health has failed. The Apostle Paul called his similar situation a "slight, momentary affliction" which was preparing us for the "weight of glory." I suspect that Tom thought of it as neither slight, nor momentary. Though we all experience afflictions, that's not where we need to dwell. We need to think happier thoughts.
This day, let's remember the picture-vision of the prophet Isaiah; words which speak to me on this occasion.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
-- Isaiah 40:28-31
This day, Tom is not burdened with those things which troubled him. He is nestled with his Lord.
Sleep in the peace of God my uncle, my brother, and my friend, for I know that God is with you and that you are with your God.
Amen.
A Family Member
2 Corinthians 4:16--5:1; Isaiah 40:28-31
There are two things that you need to know as I begin.
First, I am the "black sheep" of our family. Many of you may know that my aunt dabbles in genealogy. Some years ago, after she had told me of some ancestor she was tracing down, I suggested with my tongue firmly in my cheek: "Aunt Mary, you better be careful! There's no telling what you might find. There might be bank robbers or horse thieves or cattle rustlers, all kinds of scandalous and nefarious characters in our background. Why, there might even be a preacher back there! And we would not want to know that!"
To the sometime consternation of my family, I'm their preacher!
So this morning, I'm preaching to my family. Some of them have never heard me preach. Some have heard me preach once. One or two have heard me preach twice, but not Tom. He and my Aunt Mary have heard me preach a bunch.
Before his health began to fail, Tom and Aunt Mary visited me a number of times to hear me preach. I preached here when they hosted a family reunion some years ago. But that was not the extent of their interest in my ministry. Tom and Aunt Mary came to Dallas for my ordination as Deacon, and came back again to my ordination as Elder two years later.
For some reason, Tom seemed to take enormous pride in having this adopted nephew who was a preacher! So to a large extent, I am here this morning as a statement of my appreciation for Tom, and his support of me through the years.
And I'll give you an aside: When I preached in this church several years ago, Tom asked if I would wear my liturgical clothing. He wanted to experience my preaching in robe and stole. I am wearing robe and stole today in his honor.
So for that reason, please understand that these reflections are very personal. Tom's family, his daughters, are here today. I wish that there was some way that I could acknowledge your life with him and your relationship with him ... but I cannot. I say to you -- in deference to my inability to articulate your feelings for your father: I liked your dad. He was good to my Aunt Mary. He was good to my cousin, Tammy. He was good to Charlie and Cheryl Ann and their families ... and he was good to me. My experience of Tom was: what you saw was what you got, and what you got was someone who was "good" to lots of folks.
I first met Tom in August of 1979. We met in the airport at Amarillo. I was living in Kansas City, working for Montgomery Ward, and had flown in on a late flight to attend the funeral of my Uncle Maurice. (My Aunt Mary has two brothers: my dad and Uncle Maurice.) Tom met me at the airport. I guess he was looking for the guy who got off the airplane and looked like he was lost, because he found me! We drove to Felt, Oklahoma, where my uncle lived, in the middle of the night. The long, nighttime drive allowed us a good conversation.
Our friendship was born that night.
In the years since, as I said earlier, he has brought my Aunt Mary to hear me preach a number of times. In addition, my wife and I, on our vacation trips to New Mexico, have made it a practice to stop over so often and spend the night and visit with Aunt Mary and Tom. We have enjoyed those respites. Tom was a gracious host!
There was always plenty of food to eat in their house, and always some ice cream for dessert! Tom loved ice cream!
It was good to catch up with the family; who was doing what, when, where, and how. What the latest scandal was! (I want my cousins to know that I have defended you to your mother to no end! Not that it did any good!)
And it was always good to catch up on business. Tom and I would talk crops and weather; the price of cattle, corn, wheat; how business had been ... and how we looked forward to it being. Tom had a clear eye ('cause a fast nickel beats a slow dime, every time!). He always found a reason to be optimistic. There was no question that he was grounded in the ebb and flow of this community.
I suspect that people who dealt with him found him shrewd, but honest.
Of huge importance to me, he loved my Aunt Mary. He took enormous delight in allowing her the privilege of celebrating life. He allowed her the freedom to enjoy all those delights which had been beyond her wildest imagination for so many years. I loved him for that, and that would have been enough. But he was so much more. Gracious, kind, caring, and generous; with a wonderful sense of humor and a true joy in the living of each day! His morning coffee with his friends was an honored and revered ritual.
The teacher of Ecclesiastes says, "There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil." And that is more than happenstance, it is, the teacher says, "from the hand of God."
Aunt Mary, I want you to know that your life with Tom has been blessed, and has been a blessing. God has been present with you.
Over the past few years, we have watched with sadness as Tom's health has failed. The Apostle Paul called his similar situation a "slight, momentary affliction" which was preparing us for the "weight of glory." I suspect that Tom thought of it as neither slight, nor momentary. Though we all experience afflictions, that's not where we need to dwell. We need to think happier thoughts.
This day, let's remember the picture-vision of the prophet Isaiah; words which speak to me on this occasion.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
-- Isaiah 40:28-31
This day, Tom is not burdened with those things which troubled him. He is nestled with his Lord.
Sleep in the peace of God my uncle, my brother, and my friend, for I know that God is with you and that you are with your God.
Amen.
