The Least of These
Sermon
Day Full Of Grace
Twenty-Five Funeral Messages
Death of a poor man
This is not a large funeral, is it? Only a few of us knew ___________ well enough to spend this hour in worship, committing his spirit into the care of God.
Welcome to this celebration. The strife is over and the battle is won. We have gathered to give one more gift to _____, namely, a proper funeral.
How did this man wiggle his way into our hearts? Have you thought about it? How did he manage, in all of his weakness, to win from us a degree of respect and devotion? It is a miracle of God's grace. I don't know whether it is grace extended to ___________, or grace extended to all of us who befriended him and gave him love.
There is something noble about this humble man, one of the least of God's people on earth. I don't know his history well enough to fathom it, except he's served time in the military, and in jail, for a crime to which he never admitted guilt. His body shows wounds and scars, and his crippled hand resulted from an explosion upon a ship during the war. Perhaps we are all indebted to him for the freedom and peace we enjoy today.
_____ appreciated little things. Even a visit was a way to say, "You're someone of value." The gifts he received from some of you were "showed off," like a child with his Christmas toys: pajamas, cigarettes, pocket change. He was a bit worried about today, the day of his burial. He hoped someone would say words, and grieve, perhaps, for a moment. He wondered if we would find a burial place for his body.
I told him, just a couple of weeks ago, that this would be done right. He was told not to worry, that you would be here. I told him more than I really knew for sure, but that is the nature of the faith.
You heard our text, and you know what it means: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." In a very real way, by the standards of the world, ____________ was one of the least.
Someone may ask, who did what for this child of God? I saw nurses giving water to him for drink, holding a cup he could no longer lift ("I was thirsty, and you gave me drink"). I already told you about his new pajamas, and the burial suit is brand new ("I was naked and you clothed me"). How many times have we had to help him with bed covers, and when did we see him sick and visit him? You know. You were there. When he was in prison and after, one of you, decades ago, gave him a job, a home and another chance.
It makes us wonder, doesn't it? What was noble about this man? Anything at all? Or was he simply no one at all? Do we not all feel a little joy today, that his strife is over and the battle is won? Don't we all begin to sense what Jesus was saying to us about the man who needed pajamas, or something to drink, or a visit? Perhaps this man was not whom we thought he was. He looked and acted and sounded like ___________. But, at the very least, he was an opportunity for Christian compassion and love. Thank you for doing it for him.
____________ was one of the least of these, and what we've done for him we've done for our Lord.
This is not a large funeral, is it? Only a few of us knew ___________ well enough to spend this hour in worship, committing his spirit into the care of God.
Welcome to this celebration. The strife is over and the battle is won. We have gathered to give one more gift to _____, namely, a proper funeral.
How did this man wiggle his way into our hearts? Have you thought about it? How did he manage, in all of his weakness, to win from us a degree of respect and devotion? It is a miracle of God's grace. I don't know whether it is grace extended to ___________, or grace extended to all of us who befriended him and gave him love.
There is something noble about this humble man, one of the least of God's people on earth. I don't know his history well enough to fathom it, except he's served time in the military, and in jail, for a crime to which he never admitted guilt. His body shows wounds and scars, and his crippled hand resulted from an explosion upon a ship during the war. Perhaps we are all indebted to him for the freedom and peace we enjoy today.
_____ appreciated little things. Even a visit was a way to say, "You're someone of value." The gifts he received from some of you were "showed off," like a child with his Christmas toys: pajamas, cigarettes, pocket change. He was a bit worried about today, the day of his burial. He hoped someone would say words, and grieve, perhaps, for a moment. He wondered if we would find a burial place for his body.
I told him, just a couple of weeks ago, that this would be done right. He was told not to worry, that you would be here. I told him more than I really knew for sure, but that is the nature of the faith.
You heard our text, and you know what it means: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." In a very real way, by the standards of the world, ____________ was one of the least.
Someone may ask, who did what for this child of God? I saw nurses giving water to him for drink, holding a cup he could no longer lift ("I was thirsty, and you gave me drink"). I already told you about his new pajamas, and the burial suit is brand new ("I was naked and you clothed me"). How many times have we had to help him with bed covers, and when did we see him sick and visit him? You know. You were there. When he was in prison and after, one of you, decades ago, gave him a job, a home and another chance.
It makes us wonder, doesn't it? What was noble about this man? Anything at all? Or was he simply no one at all? Do we not all feel a little joy today, that his strife is over and the battle is won? Don't we all begin to sense what Jesus was saying to us about the man who needed pajamas, or something to drink, or a visit? Perhaps this man was not whom we thought he was. He looked and acted and sounded like ___________. But, at the very least, he was an opportunity for Christian compassion and love. Thank you for doing it for him.
____________ was one of the least of these, and what we've done for him we've done for our Lord.
