The Kingdom of God is like a Funeral – part 2

Grandpa’s funeral was Saturday, February 18 in Searcy, Arkansas.  Grandma and Grandpa lived in Little Rock for a long time and retired to Searcy several years ago.  I loaded up my family on Friday to start heading to Arkansas.  There was a visitation planned for Friday night and  I wanted to make it there in time for that event.  I was actually excited to go.  I was anticipating seeing a lot family that I had not seen in years.

We made it to Searcy just after the visitation began.  As we drove up to the Downtown church building, I was surprised at the amount of cars in the parking lot.  There were a lot of people who came because they loved my Grandma and Grandpa and our family.  Of course, all of my aunts and uncles were there and 18 of 19 grandchildren were able to make it too.  There was family from as far as Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, Minnesota, and Texas.  There were several families who are part of my parents’ church in the Dallas area who drove up.  There was even some family friends from College Station, TX.  I was amazed how many people came.  It was fun getting to see and catch up with cousins who I hadn’t seen in over ten years.  It was special getting to see and hug my aunts and uncles as they mourned their daddy.  It was inspiring and humbling seeing my grandmother stand there and greet all the people who came to pay their respects to Grandpa.  It was a special time.

The next day was the funeral.  I walked in with the rest of the family.  It seemed like a quarter of the room was reserved for us.  All 5 of my dad’s brothers and sisters or their spouses, including Dad, had a part in the service.  It was really special getting to hear each of them talk about Grandpa, share his story, and point to the legacy he and my Grandma have been blessed with and helped create.  Grandpa was a preacher in part because when he was a child a garbage man had the courage to invite him to vacation Bible school and a Sunday school teacher had the heart to stop by and check on the kids.  Grandpa spent his life teaching music and preaching the Gospel of Jesus.  He worked in churches all over the US and later in life traveled overseas often to share Jesus with people in other countries.  I was especially touched by what my uncle Dean said at the funeral.  He quoted from Revelation 14,

“Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

Toward the end all the grandchildren went to the front and sang a couple of Grandpa’s favorite songs, My God and I and The Lord Bless You and Keep You.  It was a special time.

After the funeral a meal was prepared for the family in another room.  We ate together and had a special time to share special memories of Grandpa.  We talked about riding in the car on the way to Sunday worship growing up with the big hills that felt like a roller coaster and how Grandpa would press on the gas to make it more fun.  A couple of the grandkids talked about living with Grandpa and Grandma for short periods and how they would always eat breakfast together, every morning, bacon and eggs.  I remembered how Grandpa always read us Twas the Night Before Christmas when we were at his house on Christmas eve.  It was a special time.

More to come…

The Kingdom of God is like a Funeral – part 1

Last Wednesday, February 15, 2012, my grandfather, Claude Lewis (Grandpa), passed away.  I always wonder how I will react emotionally to these kind of things.

My mom’s father, Ralph Starling passed away in July of 2008, just days after my daughter was born and around the same time my good friend, Don Everroad passed away from cancer.  Don was a founding member of the Sunrise Church of Christ, my first church plant in Grand Prairie, TX.  Don was a hard worker, faithful, and loyal.  I spent almost every Sunday for more than three years unloading a trailer and setting up a school cafeteria or daycare for Sunday worship with Don and his wife, Pat.  He was usually the first one to arrive and always the last one to leave, following me back to my house to unload the sound system.  I loved the Everroads and even though Don was part of my parent’s generation, I considered him a good friend.  I had the privilege of being with Don when he passed from this life to go be with the Lord and the honor of speaking at his graveside and memorial services.  Because Don had cancer and we had some time to anticipate his passing, I had some time to think about how I would handle it emotionally.  I thought I would cry like a baby, after all I spent time with Don every week.  When he finally passed away, I was very sad, but I never cried.  I don’t know why.

Since Don and my grandfather, who we affectionately called Grand LaLa, were declining in health around the same time, I took time to consider how I would react emotionally to his passing as well.  I had a good relationship with LaLa.  I always got the sense that he was proud of me.  It was a good relationship, but not one that I would consider close.  Growing up, we always lived a couple hours drive from each other.  I saw he and my grandmother (GiGi) often, but nothing like I did with Don every week.  I figured I would be very sad when LaLa passed away, but I didn’t anticipate that I would cry like a baby.  I had the special privilege of speaking at LaLa’s memorial service as well.  As weird as it may sound, it was one of the most fun and memorable sermons I have ever preached.  When he finally passed away, I cried a lot.  It surprised me.

Grandpa and I never lived closer than a six hour drive from each other, and sometimes farther than that.  I also had a good relationship with him but also not one that I would call close.  I’m not sure how you could have a close relationship when you are one of 19 grandchildren and live half a days drive away.  I always thought Grandpa was proud of me as well.  Even though his health was declining over the past several months, I didn’t anticipate the nose dive it took there at the end.  He had some strokes and lost some of his ability to speak and move around.  When it became apparent that he had only days to live the emotions really hit me and I had a real good cry.

I guess there is something special about family.  There is something significant about blood.  Even though we weren’t close, there is something about my Grandpa that really touches my heart.  More to come…