[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 25B

[Joe Parrish]

 Forwarded, with Judy's pithy humor:


Here are some
actual epitaphs found on tombstones:
	“Here lies my wife, here let her lie.  She now has peace and so do
I!”
	“Margaret Daniels: She always said her feet where killing her – now
maybe someone will believe her.”
	“Here lies the body of our dear Anna; done to death by a banana.  It
wasn’t the fruit that laid her low, but the skin of the thing that
made her go!”
	Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young; who on the
twenty-fourth of May, began to hold her tongue.”
	“Pause, stranger when you pass me by; for as you are- so once was I;
as I am now- so you will be; live for your Lord, for you WILL follow

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Oct 27, 2012 7:36 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 25B


Dear Friends,

Since Halloween is coming up this week (Hispanic: “The Day of the
Dead”), this Sunday’s sermon is entitled “‘LIFE’ is Centered in ‘THE
BIG IF!” or “The Great Unknown” and deals with basic Christian
concepts about death.  Here it is:

You know what holiday is coming up this coming Wednesday?  Please
allow me to be the first person to wish you and yours a Happy
Halloween!  There’s an ancient Scottish group prayer called a litany.
It goes: “From ghosties and ghoulies and long-legged beasties and
things that go bump in the night- good Lord deliver us!”  Did you hear
the story about 5-year old Johnny?  He was in the kitchen as his
mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a
can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. “Hey mom!” he
said.  “It’s dark in there and I’m scared.” She asked again, and he
persisted. Finally she said, “It’s OK—Jesus will be in there with
you.” Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He
peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once
an idea came, and he said: “Jesus, if you’re in there, would you
please hand me that can of tomato soup?”  Been there; done that!  We
may not be afraid of a dark pantry, but we surely do know what it
feels like to be afraid of the unknown- doctor’s reports, test
results, financial problems, moving to a new location, and on…and on…
and on- the great “IF” that’s at the center of life.  That’s one of
the reasons Halloween is so popular.  It gives us a chance to poke fun
at those ghosties and ghoulies that populate our nightmares.  Of all
the things that go “bump in the night,” the one that scares us the
most often- the biggest “IF” of all- is death.  Did you hear the story
of the three friends standing around the casket of a co-worker?  The
pastor was there and asked: “When you are in your casket and friends
and family are mourning, what would you like to hear them say about
you?”  The first person says, “I would like to hear them say that I
was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man.”  The second
person says, “I would like to hear that I was a wonderful wife and
school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of
tomorrow."  The last person replies, “I would like to hear them say,
‘Look! He's moving!’”  We have all sorts of ways to avoid thinking
about death.  We seldom say someone died; instead we say that they
“passed away.”  Undertakers make the departed look as if they are in
the best of health- just asleep.  Often loved ones won’t talk about
their impending death- everyone pretends all is fine.  In Hispanic
culture, Halloween is celebrated as “The Day of the Dead,” so this
morning, I’d like us to think about a hard subject: DEATH.
Specifically, I’d like us to think about what the Bible and the church
teach us about death and the implications for our own personal lives
right now.
FIRST- DEATH IS A BIRTH PROCESS.  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
was born on January 15, and our society honors him on this day- which
is fine- actually- it’s about time.  The church, however, also honors
him on April 4, the day of his death.  Why?  Because all of the saints
are honored on their death day, since that day is an even more
important birthday- their birthday into heaven.  For us to remember-
dying is a birth process.  It is our birth into the next stage of our
life.  We’ve gone from being in the womb to being born into this
training ground- Earth to being born into heaven.  Getting dead is
frequently extremely unpleasant (as is any birth process), but being
dead on the Earth is wonderful because it means we have been born into
heaven.  The nice thing is- we won’t have to wait.  When did Jesus say
the penitent thief would see him?  (Yes, today.)
SECOND- WE WILL HAVE BODIES LIKE JESUS’ RESURRECTED BODY.  You know
how people tend to wonder what kind of body we will have in heaven.
In fact, some people wonder if we will have a body at all, or if we
will just be like ghosts.  If they read the Bible, they would know.
St. Paul reminds the Corinthian church that Jesus is the firstfruit
(1st Corinthians 15: 23).  Who loves tomatoes?  You know that first
tomato that you pick from the vine every summer- how wonderful it
tastes!  When you bite into that tomato, you know it’s only the
firstfruit- there are more to come.  Our heavenly body will be like
Jesus’ resurrected body.
THIRD- YES, OUR DEAR ONES KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING DOWN HERE.  Do you
recall how the author of the Hebrews reminds us that since we are
surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (those who have died),
let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews
12:1)?  It’s like we are in a huge stadium with those we love who have
already made their transition cheering us on and encouraging us and
praying for us.  Let me give you two examples.  Think back how hard
Rev. Sims tried to get us to sing loudly to the glory of God.  He
fussed and begged and pleaded and almost threatened to get our
congregation to sing, with very mixed results.  Now that Rev. Stan’s
in heaven with Jesus, look how well we sing!  It’s amazing, but we
shouldn’t be surprised- he’s probably bringing our voices and worship
to Jesus.  Now tell me- how can we not sing?  Another example: When I
was a little girl, I loved Superman; in fact I loved him so much that
I used to put a towel on my shoulders like a cape and try to fly off
the kitchen table.  Well, Kathy Wilson Thompson has a daughter who
visits us occasionally- Taylor (Carla’s niece and my honorary grand-
daughter). When Taylor was six-years-old, she was also fascinated with
flying- so fascinated with it that she tried flying off the second
floor railing in her home and landed flat on her back.  9-1-1 was
immediately called, everyone expected the worst; but Taylor emerged
without even a scratch and without even losing consciousness.  Who do
you think was praying for her at the very throne of God?  Sure,
probably Lucille Wilson- her beloved grandmother (John Wilson’s wife;
Carla’s mother) who had died about three years earlier.  So count on
those prayers and don’t do anything in this life that would disappoint
those you love in the next; because they can see you.
KNOWING ALL OF THIS, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR LIVES RIGHT
NOW?  After a person dies, the body is only a useless cast-off.  The
person isn’t in it any more.  It’s like the chrysalis left behind
after a butterfly that has struggled out of that chrysalis and has
flown free.  We treat it with respect because it used to house our
beloved, but they’re not there anymore.  Therefore:
1.  Especially children- don’t be afraid of a dead body.  There’s no
magic, no power in it.  It’s just the set of leftovers.
2.  Since the body represents the leftovers, think- what do you
usually do with leftovers?  If you get a new winter coat and the old
one is still sort of good, what would Jesus want you to do with it-
throw it away?  Absolutely not, Jesus would expect you to give it to
someone who needs a coat.  In a little less than a month, we’ll
celebrate Thanksgiving.  If we have more Thanksgiving leftovers than
we can use, what would Jesus want us to do with them- put them down
the disposal?  Of course not- Jesus would want us to share with those
who don’t have enough to eat.  Well then, if our loved ones die and no
longer need their kidneys or their liver or their corneas, because
they are getting new bodies from Jesus, what would Jesus want us to do
with those kidneys or livers or corneas?  It’s obvious- give them to
someone who needs a kidney to get off dialysis or a liver so they can
live or corneas so they can see.  And yet when nurses ask about organ
donation, I can’t tell you how many families I’ve heard scream: “No!
Don’t cut my baby!”  Tell me, is their baby in that leftover body.  No
one ever said following Jesus would be easy, but what would Jesus want
us to do?
3.  Don’t waste money on funerals.  A beautiful casket won’t make up
for a life badly lived and an inexpensive casket won’t take away from
a life lived for the Lord.  Don’t bury your money; use it to help
those still alive and struggling in this life.
4.  Don’t preserve life here at all costs.  What woman who is giving
birth wants labor prolonged?  If your loved one is suffering, put
yourself in that bed and do for them what you would want done for
you.  Release your loved ones.  Let them go when their time comes.
5.  Before we die, what would Jesus want us to do?  He would want us
to get ready; and to make life as easy as possible for those loved
ones left behind.  Therefore, make out a medical power of attorney so
someone can make decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself.
Get life insurance if you possibly can, so your loved ones aren’t
weighed down with debt from burying or cremating you.

Someone once asked me if I would preach his funeral.  The truth is-
I’d be glad to, but what I say isn’t nearly as important as what we
do.  We all preach our own funeral sermons by the lives we live.  Our
lives’ summation statement is what we leave in people’s memories as
well as what’s written on our tombstones (and I’m not talking about
that Tombstone Pizza in the supermarket freezer case)!  Have you ever
thought about what will be written on your tombstone when you die?
Have you ever wondered how you will be remembered?  Here are some
actual epitaphs found on tombstones:
	“Here lies my wife, here let her lie.  She now has peace and so do
I!”
	“Margaret Daniels: She always said her feet where killing her – now
maybe someone will believe her.”
	“Here lies the body of our dear Anna; done to death by a banana.  It
wasn’t the fruit that laid her low, but the skin of the thing that
made her go!”
	Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young; who on the
twenty-fourth of May, began to hold her tongue.”
	“Pause, stranger when you pass me by; for as you are- so once was I;
as I am now- so you will be; live for your Lord, for you WILL follow
me.”

You know the lights from the Jack-o-lanterns that shine through all
those holes in the Halloween pumpkins?  They’re fun, but they won’t
guide us through anything!  Jesus will guide us through life’s big
“IFS” and everything else!  May God bless us as we allow the light of
Jesus, the Son of God, to shine through our lives so we may be counted
among the saints when he comes for us.  Amen.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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