Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom ... the wisdom from above is ... gentle ... without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.
He is able to deal gently with the ... wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness.
In this noisy world, it is easy to miss those who do not to call attention to themselves. Politicians put election signs on every available inch of space; performers plan “wardrobe malfunctions” in order to get publicity; in the church, somebody is always up front giving loud praise to God but secretly hoping somebody will notice how wonderful they are. In this kind of world, it is easy to miss those quiet and gentle souls who do not ask for attention. If we are not watchful, those quiet and gentle souls among us will pass away without a trace, and we who fancy ourselves busy with big deals and oh-so-important things will miss them. It will be as though they have lived without a trace.
Paul Quick was just such a quiet and gentle soul. When Mr. McMillan brought him here to work as part of our cleaning crew, there was no fanfare, no trumpets blared. And I must confess that I went on my way, breezing through the halls and running out to my errands, hardly even noticing that there was a new face. Paul just did not call attention to himself. He did not force you to acknowledge him. If he had left us then, I would have been among those who would have said that he left without a trace. I would not have known him. But I would have missed something wonderful. For God gives to some the capacity to live with a quiet heart and a gentle spirit, not needing attention. And when God gives that gift to someone, he does leave traces. He does leave memories.
The Bible says that where there is such a gentle spirit, we will live and die without a trace of negativity – but we will leave behind a legacy of mercy and kindness.
“The wisdom from above is ... peaceable, gentle ... full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”
I
Paul Quick left a legacy of mercy and good fruits among his family and friends. Family members tell me that he was so eager to help others – to repair a car or fix something in the house or just give them something they needed – so eager to help others that sometimes you couldn’t find him yourself! It was as if he had disappeared without a trace, because he was over here or over there trying to help somebody. You didn’t know exactly where he was sometimes, but it was always a safe bet that he was out offering a helping hand.
Friends, that is a gift from the Lord. That is not just normal selfish stuff; that is a gift from God.
Do you know the song, “If I can help somebody, then my living will not be in vain”? Paul lived to help somebody. He had a servant heart. That servant heart is not far from the heart of Christ. Paul’s living has not been in vain. He has left among you who loved him a legacy of mercy and good fruits, a harvest of righteousness. When you are tempted, as all of us are, to get upset and loud and aggressive, remember Paul. When you feel like nobody cares about you and that they just wish you would go away, remember Paul. Remember how for him it was not necessary to be recognized or applauded. Remember that he did what he did, almost without a trace, so that sometimes you didn’t even know where he was, but you knew he was out there helping somebody – remember that. The Bible teaches us to live without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. The wisdom from above is gentle.
II
But not only did Paul leave a trace of mercy and gentleness among his family and friends, he left that here in this church too. He left it by offering us his care and his good work. Where Paul had been at work, the furniture was without a trace of dust. When Paul had been on duty, the room arrangements were perfect, without a trace of disorder. It is fitting that his funeral should be on a Wednesday, because Wednesday is a high stress day for our cleaning crew here. We have sunrise prayer in this room at 6:00 a.m.; we have Wednesday Club for recovering mental patients in the social hall all morning, including lunch; we have midday prayer in here at 1:30; and then in the evening we have three or four different groups that meet, including a prayer group in our parlor. The prayer group likes their chairs to be set in a circle; you should see the chair circles that Paul created – about as perfect as if a compass had been used to mark lines on the floor! Absolutely without a trace of disorganization. You could forgive a little mess on Wednesdays, there is so much to do; but Paul, with his quiet and gentle heart, wanted to give his best to this house of God.
In fact, my wife, who serves on our Building and Grounds Committee, tells me that Paul would come to her and speak about something that needed to be done, and would offer, “I could come in and take care of that for you. I don’t live far away. I can help you with that.” Most of us watch the clock, don’t we, and want to scoot away as soon as it’s time to quit? Paul was not interested in how many hours or how much time; Paul was not concerned about being recognized or applauded for his work in the church. When he passed away and we announced it, most of our folks said, “Now which one is he?” They had not even learned his name. I myself had to ask his last name – he had just been “Paul” to me. But when I said, “Paul – the one who greets you so warmly and smiles”, they knew who I was talking about. They had seen that. He left a trace.
Paul wanted to serve in God’s house. He left us without a trace of laziness, without a trace of arrogance, without a trace of hypocrisy. But he did leave us with a legacy of gentle care for the house of God. And we are truly grateful.
III
This morning I ask you to consider where a gentle spirit comes from. I ask you to think about how a man gets to be a quiet soul who operates without a trace of negativity, but leaves a legacy of peace. Let’s face it – most of us are not like that. Most of us are insecure and want recognition; we thrive on applause, and we have to be up front and out there. Where does this gentleness of heart come from?
It comes from the Lord. It comes as a gift from Christ. It comes because the Lord Jesus is able to look into our hearts and deal with us at our point of greatest need. He is able to take us from where we are now to where we ought to be. The Bible says that Jesus “is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness.” Think of that! Jesus is God, almighty and infinite, but pouring Himself into human life, and for three-and-thirty years living with us, getting dirty with us, working like we work, getting tired and feeling hungry and thirsty with us. Jesus is God, getting in touch with what we feel and what we have to struggle with every day.
Incredible as it sounds, in Jesus Christ God has felt our weaknesses and our shortcomings, and so is able to deal gently with us. He has been here. The song says that “when we come to the end of our journey, He’ll understand and say, ‘well done’”. He’ll understand. That’s the key truth. In Jesus Christ God sends the signal that He understands us. He understands our waywardness. He understands our ignorance. He understands how we sometimes want to be more than we are, but we mess up. He understands how we’ve made mistakes that we cannot erase. He understands.
But when Jesus understands, and we accept what He has to give, He will change us. He will redeem us. He will save us. He will deal gently with us. Family members tell me that Paul was once a very aggressive, outgoing, energetic man. In his younger years, they say, he was unstoppable in his energy. We didn’t really see that here. We saw the quieter Paul, the warm and gentle Paul. Mr. McMillan and his coworkers and family members began to see the Paul who was having to slow down. Ron wanted to work alongside him just to look out for him. We thought it was about his health, and maybe it was. But maybe, just maybe, it was also that the Lord was getting Paul ready for this moment. Maybe, just maybe, it was the gift of the Lord to shape him into a gentle spirit, ready to be in the presence of his God. For our Christ is able to deal gently with us – and so to give us maturity and stability and, above all, His own gentleness.
Today, give thanks to God. Give thanks, for God through Jesus Christ has prepared Paul for this moment. Paul died without a trace of regret or hostility or anger or anything negative. But he died having been shaped by the wisdom from above, full of mercy and harvesting peace.
It is now for us to leave here without a trace of fear, without a trace of anxiety, without a trace of hopelessness, because the one who was able to deal gently with Paul Quick is also able to deal gently with us, ignorant and wayward though we may be. The one who was able to deal gently with Paul and shape him for this moment is able also to work with you and with me and to make us instruments of His peace. And when this moment comes for us, as it has for Paul, let us pray that we will be able to live and die, leaving a legacy of peace, but without even a tiny trace of regret.
