Message
As we’ve come to this service, we embark on that march that David describes as the “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
What do you do when you are hit with the hard reality of life and death? How do you continue to put one foot in front of the other when you are shadowed in the valley of lose?
I believe that God has three words for us today. They are three words that speak directly and with relevance to our situation at this moment. I would like to share those three words of encouragement with you this evening.
1) Grieve … the first word is "grieve."
Grief is a natural part of human experience. We face a minor grief almost daily in some situation or another. When we lose a loved one our grief is magnified. To say a person is deeply religious and therefore does not have to face grief is ridiculous. Not only is it totally unrealistic, but it is incompatible with the whole Christian message.
Our society would say to us, "Get over it", after all didn't Jesus say, "Don't be troubled…" These words from Jesus may seem a bit out of place and more than a little unrealistic. But his word of instruction doesn’t mean “Don’t grieve”. It doesn’t mean “buck up and put a happy face on it”.
The one Bible verse every Sunday-school child knows by heart is the two-word verse “Jesus wept.” These words describe someone, who when grief came, was able to weep, for He wanted and needed to express those feelings.
The striking thing about the verse is that it is Jesus who weeps. If he were just an ordinary person, it wouldn’t surprise us. But that’s not how the Bible presents him. This very book of the Bible begins with the powerful claim that Jesus was the very creator of the universe coming to live among men. He was the only begotten of the Heavenly Father (John 1:1-18). In the chapters of John that lead up to these two words, Jesus does many things. He teaches. He prays. He cleanses the temple. He calms a storm. He miraculously feeds a multitude with a handful of fish and loaves. He turns water into wine. He heals the sick, causes the blind to see, and the lame to walk. He does all kinds of powerful things. He does the things you would expect the Son of God to do. Here he does something totally different. Jesus wept!
The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, see grief as normal and potentially creative. Granger E. Westberg takes another statement of Scripture and paraphrases it this way: “Grieve, not as those who have no hope” and then he adds “but for goodness sake, grieve when you have something worth grieving about!”
In your grief, don't be afraid to take your grief to God, and talk with him about your loss and loneliness.
• a prayer pouring out your heart to God
• a prayer that acknowledges your hurt and his ability to heal your heart
• a prayer that acknowledges your need to cast your care upon him
• a prayer that acknowledges your need for him to give you a peace that passes understanding.
Ed knows that we will miss him. He is aware of the pain his absence creates. So go ahead and grieve.
2) Remember … There is a second word for us, the word "remember".
In John 10, just before the story of the raising of Lazarus, Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and may have it to the full." That verse pretty well describes Ed’s life, enjoying every blessing it brought.
We each have different stories and memories, and it is good to have this time to remember and share them together. In my experience with Ed, he was always a very quiet man. There was nothing about him that would have made him stand out in a large crowd. To my surprise (unlike some of yours), I hear from Rich **** that at one time Ed was the life of the Pathfinder party.
We have already heard remembrances from several people of events and experiences with Ed. Take a moment to listen to this biographical sketch, put together by the family ...
In this family bio here is what we do see:
Ed loved family. His favorite times were with his family. They were the absolute joy of his life. His children and grandchildren were a tremendous source of pride, a message that he conveyed to them just before he went into the hospital.
Ed was passionate about accomplishment. For his career as an auditor, to his craftsmanship, Ed liked to get things done, and took pride in a job done well. Ed was one of those who actually practiced that if a job is worth doing, it is worth completing. Max has mentioned time when Ed would be auditing the church finances, and he’d finally have to tell Ed that he no longer had to search for some minor discrepancy … no job gets done half-way.
Ed enjoyed Lake Manitou, and was pleased for the opportunity to share it with family and friends. After the new house was completed, I had the opportunity to see the joy of sharing the place with the church family as he gave Laira and me the official tour on the annual Pathfinder weekend.
Julie asked me to share these verses from Proverb 20, which she came across in her Scripture reading over the last week. They spoke to her of Ed’s character. Vs. 6 and 7:
Many a man claims to have unfailing love,
but a faithful man who can find?
The righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed are his children after him.
Here is a picture of committed love. In a world where love has become disposable, here is a man whose spark of love for his high school sweetheart never dimmed. Here is also the picture of a man who demonstrated integrity and honor; a man who made it easier for his children and his children’s children to come to faith because they did not need to overcome the hurdle of a godless father.
All of these memories are treasures that we get to share and hold and cherish. Grieve, but don't let regret rob you of the richness of the times you can recall with joy that God placed Ed in your life.
3) Hope … And our last word is "hope." In the story of Jesus raising Lazarus it says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."
And from 1 Thessalonians 4: "Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."
This was the principle message that Paul wanted to share with the Thessalonian believers. It is alright to experience grief at the passing of a loved one. However, there is no need to be overwhelmed with sorrow for those who have died.
Paul is making a direct contrast in these verses. On one side are those who see death as the end. The curtain has fallen. There are no encores, no curtain calls. The end is the end. Death is the final period on the stories of our lives. This perspective is the one that Paul describes as those who have no hope.
You, see, some of you today, might have entered this building thinking, “That’s it. It’s over. Ed’s story is finished … Period.”
However, there is the other group in Paul’s contrast … those who understand that the period is only a pause in a story that goes on an eternity.
Ed Conners accepted Christ, was baptized, and lived a life that brought honor to him. What these verses tell us is that since Ed believed in Christ, he is in the presence of God, experiencing life even fuller than he did in this life. Not only is he hearing our acknowledgement of a job well done. He is blessed by the words of the Master, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
This is Ed’s big glimpse into heaven … and what makes it noteworthy. Some might say that disease and sickness and death themselves have passed away ... that Ed will no longer be hobbled by a bad back and failing legs, that he will not be subjected to an extended fight where his own body wages war against itself. Others might see in it the deliverance from pain both emotional and physical. But those are all results of being in the presence of God.
Ed has gone to be with Jesus. Yet, the promise of hope is not just for Ed, but for all of those who would receive God’s mercy through Christ.
I am thankful to say today, based on the word of God, that for those who have personally received Jesus Christ as Savior there is a guaranteed assurance based on the words of Jesus himself.
• A hope for relief from pain
• A hope of reward for living a life in honor of Him
• A hope for rest from our labors and troubles
• A hope of reunion with loved ones
May our trust be in Him who raised the widow's son, who brought Jairus' daughter back to life, who raised Lazarus, and who has, through His own resurrection, given assurance that one day death will be no more.
Is there any word from the Lord? There is, and it is this, "Go ahead and grieve your loss. Remember all of the treasures he poured into your life. And above all else claim the hope that he is with me."
