“They Still Speak” (Heb 11:1-4; 12:1-2)

Hebrews 11:4

“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s.

Through this he received approval as righteous,

God himself giving approval to his gifts;

he died, but through his faith he still speaks.”

 

He died, but through his faith he still speaks…

 

They Died, But…

Yesterday I shared through “Life Together Community” email how my grandfather has impacted my faith journey. As a Korean Methodist pastor, he was appointed to very difficult churches and communities. But wherever he was sent, he bloomed where he was planted. Right before I came to the US for my seminary education, he said to me, “Son, no matter how good the school is, your education is like an empty bowl. You need to fill that bowl with your prayer and your own Bible study. And he was right. He always prayed, always studied God’s word, always cared for God’s people. His life shaped my pastoral roles. I strive to become a pastor who prays, who preaches the word, and who attends to God’s people. My grandfather died, but through his faith he still speaks.

How blessed we are to have the people who died, but still speak to us and impact us through their faith.

Congruence. When I think about Ed and Pricilla Clark, the word “congruence” (one of my favorite words) comes to my mind. They were the same, when I met them at church, or at their shop, or at their home. They were the same inside and outside. There was no pretense. They died, but through their faith they still speak.

Faith. Chip Wilde was a man of faith. I still vividly remember his final three weeks. He had aggressive cancer. Every time I saw him, his conditions changed noticeably. At times he became emotional, but he had unwavering faith. He was steady like a rock. He stayed the course, and his faith was shining like stars to the end. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

Thoughtfulness. When I met Bill Conway, at first I thought he seemed unfriendly. I thought he didn’t like me. But the more I got to know him, the more I realized he was a man with much thoughtfulness. When Joyce was approved as a certified candidate, he gave her a very meaningful gift – a butterfly brooch he got from his sister, who was a Methodist clergy. He carefully prepared and gave thoughtful gifts to many others. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

Perseverance. I would say Arlene Friel was a woman of perseverance. For the first time when I visited her place, I was just amazed at how she drove that distance with that road condition to the church. When she was no longer able to drive that far, she drove to the post office, and our church members gave her a ride. When she was not able to drive at all, she never gave up. She kept going. She was content, positive, grateful. She died, but through her faith she still speaks.

Acceptance. Jane MacPherson passed away this past Wednesday. We are grieving over her rather sudden death. Though it was sudden, I believe she was ready. Right before she was leaving to her niece’s place in Portland for chemo treatments, I had an opportunity to talk with her about “death.” She was aware that she might not be able to come back home again. She was calm, accepting, ready. She was at peace with God and had resurrection faith. She died, but through her faith she still speaks.

             Generosity. I don’t know Ralph Ivey personally. But I had the honor to officiate his funeral this spring. As I was listening to his three sons and family and friends, there was one word that describes who he was – generosity. Angie Wotton shared the following story with me. She didn’t know Ralph well, but she used to drive past his house and admire the lilies he had planted at the end of his driveway. One day she stopped and asked him about them and the next thing she knew, he had dug some of the flowers up and shared them with her. She still has them in her garden and thinks of his generosity whenever they are in bloom. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

Hospitality. When I think about Don Woods, the word “hospitality” comes to my mind. When I was appointed to this community in 2014, Don was one of the first persons who warmly welcomed me. When we had a July 4^th parade, he invited my family and me to get on his trailer, which had his handmade signs, “Welcome Pastor Victor Han.” He wanted to make sure the whole town to welcome. He was always positive, proactive, friendly, hospitable. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

 

Such a Great Cloud of Witnesses  

The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb 12:1, NIV). Here we learn two spiritual truths. (1) We are in the race, and (2) we are not alone. We are surrounded by all these saints who have gone before us, cheering for us.

This past week I attended a pastor’s retreat at Rolling Ridge Retreat Center in North Andover, MA. While I was taking a prayer walk one afternoon, I found a sculpture in the yard. The title is “Our Humanity” made by Mico Kaufman. As you see in this photo, we are all inter-connected and inter-dependent. Yes, we are in the race marked out for us. But it’s not a sprint. The better picture would be a lifelong journey, walking hand in hand.

On this journey we may not see Jesus with our physical eyes. But we see Jesus in Chip Wilde. We see Jesus in Arlene Friel. We see Jesus in Don Woods. We see Jesus in Jane MacPherson. Jesus Christ is present among us in the church, because the church is the mystical body of Christ. As we remember, honor, follow in the steps of our saints, we are then able to look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (cf. Heb 12:2).

 

Spiritual Exercise

1.     Make a big circle together.

2.     Take one step forward. What happens? We are getting closer to God (in the center), and to each other.

3.     Take one step backward. What happens? We are getting further away from God and from each other.

4.     When I call the names of the saints, take one step forward.

If we know God and see God today, that’s because we are standing on the shoulders of our saints. We give thanks to God for their lives. Thanks be to God. Amen.

by Mico Kaufman