Speechless, But Not Embarrassed
Sermon
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
For a resident philosopher
Speechless, But Not Embarrassed
Matthew 25:31-33
(Almost every community has a resident philosopher, as well as a resident theologian. Often they serve as catalysts for each other and for the people who hear their views.)
Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
-- Matthew 25:32
Doubtlessly everyone here remembers Stan a little differently. I remember him most for his conversation. He loved to talk! He had an opinion on everything and was always glad to share it with you. And he was willing to listen to your opinions, too. He had strong feelings ... passionate feelings about the world, the church, the country ... even his family. He was not a complainer. He was a philosopher and, as I knew him, a Christian philosopher.
Perhaps this is why my imagination lets me picture him now as speechless, utterly speechless, before the throne of God. Hear me carefully, for I'm not preaching him into heaven. (I couldn't do that, even if I tried.) He's just before the throne of God, where all of us end up, whether we want to or not.
That's what scripture states plainly. All will rise from the dead: the good, the bad, and the indifferent. None of us escapes the throne of God.
As his pastor, I must commend Stan to God because of his passion. I liked his strong feelings. I liked his involvement in the politics of this world. I liked the fact that he cared how things came out. We had some pretty personal conversations, and he was able to verbalize what many of us feel at a loss of words to say.
Now Stan must be at a loss for words, and that makes me happy, because I believe his speechlessness is brought on by joy, pure joy, pure beauty, pure love ... pure God.
Picturing Stan before the throne of God makes us also wonder about ourselves. What will we say? What will we see? And most importantly (almost), will we be embarrassed when we stand before God's throne?
You understand that, don't you? There are going to be a lot of flushed faces before the throne of God. A lot of us die as nonbelievers. Some are here today. You can feel the blood rising in your ears, for what is the nonbeliever to say to Almighty God? Such stammering before the throne is going to sound like a baby trying to gurgle out an infantile message. That's embarrassment! "God, I didn't think you were real ... what am I doing here?"
And a lot of us die as partial-believers. A lot are here today, for we are those who go part way in our commitment to Christ, but we hold back here and there for whatever sounds good: "Integrity, security, self-esteem, logic, busyness," whatever. And what is the partial-believer going to see behind his red face as he feels the tickle rising up the nap of his neck? Such stammering is going to sound like so many children, caught red-handed, with their fingers in God's cookie bowl -- earth!
But some of us will die as believers. Hopefully, most of us here today fit this category. Expectantly, so does Stan. This much I share with you: He shared his doubts with me about himself. He worried about his faith. He didn't take it for granted. He didn't pretend to be able to coast before the throne of God. He took the demands and commands and the meeting of his Master seriously.
I asked him, just a couple of weeks ago, "Stan, if this doesn't all work out the way you want it to, are you ready to have it go another way?" He knew what I meant, just like you do. I was asking him if he was ready to die. His eyes filled with tears as he thought about leaving some of you, and he could hardly speak, because none of us leaves this world without a struggle. All he could do was nod his head affirmatively.
Like the nonbeliever and the partial-believer, the believer is speechless before the throne of God. Speechless, but not embarrassed! Speechless, because joy is obvious. Speechless, because beauty is everywhere. Speechless, because the risen Christ is present. Speechless, because life begins again -- and forever. Amen.
(Reprinted from "Grace And The Grave," CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio 45804, © 1981.)
Speechless, But Not Embarrassed
Matthew 25:31-33
(Almost every community has a resident philosopher, as well as a resident theologian. Often they serve as catalysts for each other and for the people who hear their views.)
Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
-- Matthew 25:32
Doubtlessly everyone here remembers Stan a little differently. I remember him most for his conversation. He loved to talk! He had an opinion on everything and was always glad to share it with you. And he was willing to listen to your opinions, too. He had strong feelings ... passionate feelings about the world, the church, the country ... even his family. He was not a complainer. He was a philosopher and, as I knew him, a Christian philosopher.
Perhaps this is why my imagination lets me picture him now as speechless, utterly speechless, before the throne of God. Hear me carefully, for I'm not preaching him into heaven. (I couldn't do that, even if I tried.) He's just before the throne of God, where all of us end up, whether we want to or not.
That's what scripture states plainly. All will rise from the dead: the good, the bad, and the indifferent. None of us escapes the throne of God.
As his pastor, I must commend Stan to God because of his passion. I liked his strong feelings. I liked his involvement in the politics of this world. I liked the fact that he cared how things came out. We had some pretty personal conversations, and he was able to verbalize what many of us feel at a loss of words to say.
Now Stan must be at a loss for words, and that makes me happy, because I believe his speechlessness is brought on by joy, pure joy, pure beauty, pure love ... pure God.
Picturing Stan before the throne of God makes us also wonder about ourselves. What will we say? What will we see? And most importantly (almost), will we be embarrassed when we stand before God's throne?
You understand that, don't you? There are going to be a lot of flushed faces before the throne of God. A lot of us die as nonbelievers. Some are here today. You can feel the blood rising in your ears, for what is the nonbeliever to say to Almighty God? Such stammering before the throne is going to sound like a baby trying to gurgle out an infantile message. That's embarrassment! "God, I didn't think you were real ... what am I doing here?"
And a lot of us die as partial-believers. A lot are here today, for we are those who go part way in our commitment to Christ, but we hold back here and there for whatever sounds good: "Integrity, security, self-esteem, logic, busyness," whatever. And what is the partial-believer going to see behind his red face as he feels the tickle rising up the nap of his neck? Such stammering is going to sound like so many children, caught red-handed, with their fingers in God's cookie bowl -- earth!
But some of us will die as believers. Hopefully, most of us here today fit this category. Expectantly, so does Stan. This much I share with you: He shared his doubts with me about himself. He worried about his faith. He didn't take it for granted. He didn't pretend to be able to coast before the throne of God. He took the demands and commands and the meeting of his Master seriously.
I asked him, just a couple of weeks ago, "Stan, if this doesn't all work out the way you want it to, are you ready to have it go another way?" He knew what I meant, just like you do. I was asking him if he was ready to die. His eyes filled with tears as he thought about leaving some of you, and he could hardly speak, because none of us leaves this world without a struggle. All he could do was nod his head affirmatively.
Like the nonbeliever and the partial-believer, the believer is speechless before the throne of God. Speechless, but not embarrassed! Speechless, because joy is obvious. Speechless, because beauty is everywhere. Speechless, because the risen Christ is present. Speechless, because life begins again -- and forever. Amen.
(Reprinted from "Grace And The Grave," CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio 45804, © 1981.)
