Tomorrow afternoon I will lead a ten-minute memorial service at the local supermarket for the fellow employees of a grocery clerk who died alone in his home a couple weeks ago. As far as we know there are no surviving relatives aside from an uncle who came to town, had the body cremated and wants no service. Since everyone at the supermarket appear to be his only friends and family, it seems appropriate that they should have their own service for the sake of their own closure and remembrance of Richard, and I have been asked to lead it.
What am I going to say?
Well, after asking a few of them to remember something about Richard – some characteristic that made him unique – I plan to say something like this:
Richard is cherished by God. Everything has been done on God’s end that could possibly be done to secure Richard’s eternity in heaven, and there is no reason, short of Richard’s utter refusal to acknowledge God and His kindness – which is highly unlikely – to think that Richard is not with God right now. Christ died for his sins; he has been forgiven; his sentence of death has been pardoned; and he has a place reserved for him in heaven.
But what’s really important for Richard is the fact that he is being welcomed into a very big family of folks who have been waiting for him to show up. He may have lived and died alone, but he is alone no more.
Blaise Pascal, the brilliant seventeenth-century physicist and prose writer once said that in every heart there is a God-shaped vacuum, and trying to fill that hole with anything but God is ultimately futile and unsatisfactory since it was meant to be filled only by God Himself. To which I would like to add that I believe, conversely, that there is a Richard-shaped vacuum in the heart of God, and that we can take comfort in the expectation that Richard has gone to fill that hole, and that he is supremely happy in the heart of God.
Jesus once said to a small group of people who, like us, were mourning the death of a friend, “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” (John 11:25-26). And then to prove that He had the power and authority to do this, he brought their friend back to life – had him walk out of his own tomb with his graveclothes still on him.
My guess is that Richard is causing laughter in heaven right now with that dry humor of his, and that if he is looking in on us from his place there, he would want to say, “Hey you guys… it’s true. All that stuff about God and Jesus and heaven? It’s all true. You guys might as well start enjoying it now. Don’t wait until you get here.”
And then I plan to pray.
Don’t forget: Tonight is our teleconference Bible study and discussion: Transforming the Marketplace. Be ready to share with me some of your thoughts about this talk. All are welcome.
Time: 7pm PDT, 10pm EDT
Dial: 218-237-3840 and use the Passcode #124393
I loved what you’re planning on saying @ Richard’s memorial service Pastor John and I’ll whisper a few prayers that there will be open & tender hearts to receive the message and God will be able to grow that planted seed…
This is a truly wonderful message for a funeral, John. I love the idea that God has a “Richard-shaped vacuum” in his heart. How amazing to think that God has a Mollie-shaped vacuum for me to fill one day! Thank you for this thought and I think I may borrow this idea for the next funeral or memorial that I conduct.
It’s yours! You might enjoy my novel, Saint Ben, in which I develop this “vacuum” idea with some humorous twists. Probably can get a used one at Amazon.com.
That is truly the good news.
Catching up~ few missed catches in my week… they collectively have brought me to a point where I’ve decided i need send Marti a hairnet.. it must be impossible to keep her hair coiffed with the way the Spirt has been blowing around there lately…
Had a friend (41-years old) die yesterday from a heart attack he suffered on Monday.
His wife of just 55-days asked me to come to his bedside to say goodbye before they unhooked him from life-support systems.
He was unconcious from the time of his event and given no hope of recovery, but I still layed my hands on him and – with what I thought was ‘faith’ or ‘belief’ – prayed for healing and complete restoration; I then talked to him and, in my own feeble immaturity, somehow thought I could ‘kickstart’ his brain into functioning by talking about stuff we both enjoyed, reminding him of things we still had yet to do; and, finally, I pleaded with him and Jesus not to leave his wife behind like this – not at this time in their newlywed lives.
All to no avail.
Like you John, I believe God can and does interact with people who – in the flesh – appear to have no hope, whether concious or unconcious. Perhaps my friend heard us, perhaps not – I don’t know. I felt (and feel) so inadequate in my ‘walk’ right now.
But, regardless, I intend to use your words above – along with some of your previous thoughts as well as Robert Capon’s – at the memorial service we’re having this Sunday.
Please pray that everyone there will sense the presence of Jesus and respond willingly and lovingly to His outstretched arms and comforting embrace, particularly Jason’s bride Dawn.
Thank you,
Bob
will do, Bob keep this memorial service this Sunday goes well and all can sense the Lord being there and His love 4 them too.
PS Pastor John i sent you another email a few days ago asking about this, yet thought i’ll again ask, how did it go @ Richards service?