Preaching texts: None
Unlike Betty, I am not a lifelong York county resident. I
grew up in the mountains of West Virginia and only moved here about 5 years
ago. But one of the things we mountain folk like to do is find ways in which
we’re interconnected with one another. Oh, you like that music. So do I. You
know so-and-so? How cool. Me too.
As Sharon and I were talking on the phone Thursday night
about her mother and her life, I had to chuckle inside. Because, as we were
talking, I came to realize that Betty and I had a lot in common. We were both
fanatical dog lovers; Betty even took her dog Bebe into the home with her after
she sold her place on Canal St. Dogs show us that sort of loyalty; it’s nice to
hear of someone who returned the favor.
Each week, I gather with friends to play games. Betty, her
husband Roger, and all his union buddies would
gather together frequently to play cards. I didn’t catch if they had a favorite
game… But I’m sure those were good times.
I also know Betty was very dedicated to this congregation.
She grew up here at Grace, raised her children here at Grace, worshiped her
Lord here at Grace. Having been here these past 9 months now, I understand
where that loyalty comes from. There is something special here.
Every one of us is a unique creation. We are created unique
from the substance of our parents with God’s guiding hand. The circumstances,
events, and experiences of our lives are all unique and yet put two people in a
room together and, with a little bit of time, they will find something they share
together. We are unique and yet we are all the same.
We all desire a good and decent life, not merely for
ourselves, but also for those that we love. We want a good job (Betty had
several of those), a loving spouse (almost 50 years with Roger), as little
hardship as possible. We want our children to grow up strong and
self-sufficient (the evidence of that is here before us today.) We want to know
our lives mattered.
We are a bundle of emotions right now. Betty, our mother,
our friend, has died. What does that mean? How are we supposed to feel? Those
are questions that come into our hearts often without words. We feel sorrow,
anger, confusion. We can feel relief that she is free of her Alzheimers. We can feel guilty because we feel relief. We feel trepidation and fear. Is she okay? With mother gone,
I am rapidly becoming the eldest generation. My time is short. What happens to me when this
moment comes?
No matter how vigorous our faith, moments like these can
shake us to the very core.
But I know that Betty and I have something else in common.
And it’s something that you also share with her, beyond all other ties of fellowship
and blood. Betty was loved intensely passionately by her savior, Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus loved her so much that he went to a cross and died upon it so
they could be together in eternity. He rose from the dead on the third day so
that death would have no true hold upon her. He did all this for her…and for
you and for me.
One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, often said that
“God loves us so much that he’d rather die than be without us.” In Jesus, we
see how true that is. That’s how much Betty means to our Lord and how much you
and I do. This is the whole Christian story. This is what it’s all about. It’s
what drew Betty time and again back to this place to hear it anew. Of how God
so loved the world (and her), that he gave his only Son to save them.
My friends, none of that has changed in this moment of
grief. God remains steadfast. He loves Betty; He has saved Betty. God loves
you; He will save you. It’s really that simple. This grief is but temporary.
This parting brief. The day will come when God will fulfill his promise of
salvation to you and I just as he has with her. And she will be there waiting
for us, with Roger and Bebe at her side and probably with a pack of cards in
her hand, ready to deal you in.
That is God’s gift to us. Remember it. Hold fast to it. I
will not say do not cry, because I know this hurts. But we need not cry
forever. We will see her again, thanks to the one in whom she put her truth her
whole life long: Jesus Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment