I did a funeral service for an old friend this past week. Robert Raymond Holmes, Sr. died, having lived 102 years and 5 months. I loved Robert and know he loved me. We just clicked. I got to know him like no one else as he told me his life story that we turned into a book at the time of his 100th birthday that he entitled, “Serving God, Country and Family.” That’s what Robert’s life was all about.
His son Bob told us about how much Robert loved his family. As we prepared the service, his daughters told me he was a beautiful person and a loving father. That he was generous and kind. Wouldn’t you love your kids to say that about you?
A neighbor, John, sang “Arlington” as a testimony to Robert’s love of America and his service.
When it was my turn, I talked about Robert’s love of God. He didn’t wear his faith on his sleeve, but he knew Jesus and followed Jesus. He learned about and grew in his faith through going to his sister’s Sunday School classes, through an adult lifetime of serving in the Catholic Church, and more recently being a part of the Methodist Church where I got to know him as his pastor and his friend.
One of the things Jesus said, over and over in various was was simply, “Follow me.” Jesus said, “Follow me” to 4 fisherman, Peter, Andrew, John and James, a friend of Andrew’s named Philip, a tax collector known Matthew, and many others. A central part of Jesus’ ministry was asking the crowds to follow him and the new life he offered. He said something very similar to a Christian-persecuting Jewish Pharisee named Paul who then became a follower of Jesus in a very dramatic fashion. He saw the light, if you will. These real-life men and women, sharing the story of the resurrection of Jesus, changed the world. Jesus continues to say “Follow me” to all of us.
And what does following Jesus entail? Well, simply put, it means following Jesus’ example and teaching. Don’t think of a life facing Jesus’ back. Think of it like the words we sang from the hymn, “In the Garden.” “And he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own.” Jesus is with us on the journey of life.
All Jesus asks is for us to love each other like Jesus has loved us. One rule. Simple to remember, but hard to do. Honestly, if a man can predict death and resurrection and pull it off, I think he is someone we should listened to! Love one another, Jesus said, as I have loved you.
If you were to ask me what following Jesus is like, what loving like Jesus entails, I would tell you he has comforted me at times just like this, sometimes through a sense of peace in my soul and sometimes through the hand of the person next to me. I never feel alone. He has forgiven me when I didn’t deserve it. He has guided me to make good decisions and away from bad ones (you know, that nudge you get?) He always tells the truth. And Jesus, has put people in my path who have made my life richer and fuller, like my husband Dave - and folks like Robert. Those are some of the ways I am to love other folks as well.
Robert was a good man and he lived a good life. The world could use examples of good men. I hope folks will look to his life and follow his example, because when look closely, you will see Robert, throughout his life, was doing his best to follow Jesus. The word “loving” came up a lot when we talked about him. None of us “love” perfectly, that why we should all be grateful for Jesus’ example of forgiveness. Robert recognized his strengths and his weaknesses. He was a humble and grateful man, and often talked about how blessed he was. He lived his life sharing those blessings with others. When I look back on Robert’s life, I see ..
Jesus saying “Follow me,” when Robert talked about his guardian angels, comforting him and protecting him.
Jesus was saying “Follow me,” when Robert described how he knew, without reservation, that Marie was the one for him.
Jesus was saying “Follow me,” as Robert, and so many others, laid down their lives as soldiers in WWII. Robert told me, “I think God wants us to win the war because Hitler was such an evil man. He didn’t want to do it Himself. He wanted the Army to defeat Hitler.”
It was Jesus saying “Follow me” when Robert took advantage of the many opportunities presented to him - like when he was handed some clients to start his own tree surgery business. Robert, in his way, quoted Yogi Bera - “When you come to fork in the road, take it.” And he in turn mentored others and shared similar opportunities with them.
It is a very interesting exercise to look back over your life and see where God’s loving hand has guided you, comforted you, forgiven you. And where you in turn shared those things with others. Those are some of the places I see God at work in Robert’s life and Robert’s life at work in ours....
But that is not all....In these last few weeks, Robert followed Jesus through the valley of the shadow of death. He remained a source of joy and inspiration to everyone around him. And last Friday at 10:03 am Robert followed Jesus through the experience of death itself. On that journey, he, as we all do, went alone.
Facing death, living through the death of someone we love, dying ourselves, are perhaps the hardest things we humans have to do. Death is something that will happen everyone we know - even us.
How we face death, deal with death, depends in large part about what we believe happens after death. Some folks try real hard not to think about it. Others believe that this life is all there is, and when we breathe our final breath, that’s it. We may have lived life well, tried to be a good person, but that’s it. When we’re dead, we’re done. The end. Those left behind grieve and try to find some comfort in memories alone.
Christians have a different perspective For us there is grief at saying good-bye, there is the comfort of great memories to be sure, but there is also the hope that we will be together again. Christians, followers of Jesus, know there is more living to do after we stop breathing. We know that death is not an end but as a new beginning.
How do we know this? Because we just keep following Jesus. Jesus lived, Jesus died, and Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus is alive now. If we live following him, and die following him, we will also be following him beyond that grave.
Today we are celebrating that Robert is still following Jesus. We don’t really know what that life will be like, but if you take the best parts of this life and make them better, I think that is a hint of what eternity is like. New heaven and a new earth.
It’s kind of like this story....There was an old country doctor who would take his dog along with him when visiting patients. The dog would remain outside while the doctor went in for the house call.On one occasion, the physician went to the home of a man with a terminal disease who didn’t seem to have much time to live. The man confessed to the doctor his fears about death and said, “What’s it like when you die?”
The doctor thought for a moment, then got up and opened the front door. His loyal canine friend, who had been waiting patiently on the porch, gleefully bounded in to join his master. The doctor turned to the dying man and said, “Do you see this dog? He didn’t have any idea what was on this side of that door. All he knew was that his master was there, and he wanted to be with him.”
“That’s how I feel about death,” the physician continued. “I don’t really know all the whats and hows about dying. I’m not totally sure what’s on the other side of that door. But I know who is there, and that’s enough for me. I’m looking forward to being with my Master.”
We know Jesus, and all those who have died following HIm, are waiting for us on the other side of death. So take heart in your grief and your mourning. For while Robert’s physical life has ended, his loving spirit lives on. Robert is still following Jesus and my guess is, he is hoping that you are following Jesus too. That is something to celebrate.
