Be Not Dismayed, A Funeral Homily
--I Samuel 17:1-11, 46-47; Deuteronomy 31:7-8; Isaiah 41:10; John 14:18
We have heard the reading of our primary text for the funeral homily for our departed sister Barbara Jean Bluff, and perhaps many of you are wondering “How does the story of David’s battle against Goliath” relate the Barb’s passing. While this is our primary text for our mediation as we pay our final respects to Barb today and lay her to rest, let me share three more shorter passages that directly relate to the passage from I Samuel 17.
Recall with me the words of Moses as found in Deuteronomy 31:7-8: “Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
The LORD Himself is the speaker in Isaiah 41:10, and He says:
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God,
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
It is always significant when words of Scripture are repeated in two or more books of the Bible, and the texts in Deuteronomy and Isaiah are almost identical.
Our New Testament passage is found in John 14:18. Jesus reassured His disciples at the Last Supper as He does us as well: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
My avocation has always been music. From the age of two I always wanted to be able to play the organ and piano in Church someday, and the Lord has given me that opportunity throughout my life. Now as a musician most of the time I have been attracted to a hymn, Gospel song, or praise chorus by the power of the music, but as a pastor I have also been attracted more and more to the message of the lyrics. Since my high school years, the message of the Gospel Hymn “God Will Take Care of You” by Civilla D. Martin, have spoken to my heart, especially in times such as these. I would like to share the lyrics of the first stanza and the refrain with you this morning. You may also find the complete text at Number 130 in our 1989 edition of THE UNTED METHODIST HYMNAL:
Be not dismayed what e’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
God will take care of you,
Through every day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
I hope you noticed these three words that were included in our passages from I Samuel, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and by Civilla Martin in her hymn: “Be Not Dismayed.”
Those three words are the title and the theme of our funeral homily for our sister Barbara Jean Bluff this morning, and Charlie, Kim, family, and friends, these words will sustain and keep you going both now and forevermore.
As a musician I would often accompany and/or sing “God Will Take Care of You” while having no idea at all the hope those words “Be Not Dismayed” give us as Disciples of Jesus Christ today.
The Old Testament Word “Dismayed” is a military one, as we see in the case of both David and Goliath and Moses and Joshua. Now Goliath was a threatening, fearful, imposing figure indeed. We are told he was at least nine feet tall. Remember especially I Samuel 17:10-11, “And the Philistine said, ‘Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.’ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were DISMAYED and greatly afraid.”
It is the time of “The Changing of the Guard” as Moses encourages Joshua, “Do not fear nor BE DISMAYED. Joshua is God’s chosen General to lead His people into the Promised Land. In Hebrew this word DISMAYED means to “to be shattered, broken, terrified.” It describes the “terror or panic of military leaders whose courage has been broken.” As Saul and the Army of Israel saw the imposing stature of Goliath and heard His threatening words, they literally lost all their courage. Instead of looking to the LORD their God to deliver them, they got their eyes fixed on a pagan giant who had no respect for the Living God.
Charlie, Kim, family and friends of Barb, we today so often feel just like them, especially at times like this. We are tempted to loose our courage, all our hope, all our faith, and all our joy. We begin to question God, “How can I go on? How can I continue without the presence of my soul mate, my Mother, my best friend?
And this is the point where we need to remember the faith and confidence David had in the LORD his God. He affirmed without any doubt as he faced the giant, “THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU INTO OUR HAND.” Charlie, Kim, family, and friends, remember BE NOT DISMAYED, “never loose your courage,” for the battle is not yours, the battle is the LORD’S.
BE NOT DISMAYED. Never loose your age, your hope, your faith, your joy, for as both Moses and the LORD Himself in Isaiah encourage us: The Lord goes before you. He will be with you. HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. He will strengthen you. He will help you. He will uphold you with His righteous right hand. “Beneath His wings of love abide, for God will always take care of you.”
As a musician I appreciate all types of music. The lyrics of renowned worship leader Scott Wesley Brown in his contemporary praise song, “He Will Carry You” affirm that we can depend on the Jesus through the ministry of the Holy Spirit to always renew our faith, our hope, our courage, and our joy even in the presence of grief, loss, and death:
There is no problem so big, God can not solve it.
There is no mountain so tall, He cannot move it.
There is no storm so dark, God cannot calm it.
THERE IS NO SORROW SO DEEP, GOD CANNOT SOOTHE IT.
It He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders,
I know, my brother, that He will carry you.
If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders,
I know, my sister, that He will carry you.
[SOURCE: Copyright: 1982 BIRDWING MUSIC / CHERRY LANE MUSIC PUBLISHING
CO., INC. at URL ADDRESS: http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics/cool/h/1025.htm]
The LORD provided me with a real “serendipity” as I was preparing this message for today. As I studied that word DISMAYED, I discovered it never appears in the New Testament. It is only an Old Testament word. Even in the presence of death, in the tragic loss of our soul mate, our Mother, our best friend, we never loose courage because we are NEW TESTAMENT believers, not Old Testament Ones. At the Last Supper Jesus assured His original disciples as He does us today in John 14:18, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” Reach out to Jesus today. He is reaching out to you in the Person and Presence of His Holy Spirit to comfort you, to soothe your deep sorrow and to carry you. Therefore, “Be Not Dismayed. God Will Take Care of You.”
I know you have seen either in Church our in a Christian Bookstore the famous painting that included the poem “Footprints in the Sand.” The words of the poem are superimposed over a beautify painting of an ocean and beach with foot prints. Sometimes there are two footprints in the sand, but often there is only one set. I close with Mary Zangare Stevenson’s powerful poem this morning:
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”
Mary Stevenson [Mary Zangare Stevenson—SOURCE: http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/PoemPage.htm]
Charlie, Kim, family and friends of Barb, BE NOT DISMAYED . Never loose your courage, hope,
faith, or joy, for today and always “Jesus will carry you.”
