Sermon for Christians Gathered Together at the Death
of
Robert Joseph Sweeney
May 18, 2009
11:00 a.m.
by Pastor Laura Gentry
John 14:1-6
"Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.
In a passage that comes just after this, Jesus goes on to say to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
What wonderful words to hear today as we bid farewell to this well loved man. Jesus tells us that he has peace to give us, so that our hearts need not be troubled, even as we grieve this great loss. This peace is not the peace that we have come to expect from this world. We will not find the peace by throwing ourselves into our work hoping to forget about our loss, only finding the sadness resurfaces when we slow down. We will not find the peace in material wealth—even if we had all the money in the world, there will still be an empty hole in our lives. We will not find the peace in a self-help books or groups, for we need more than the help we can muster ourselves.
The peace we seek is found in trusting in God who promises to be with us in whatever happens in life. The peace which come in knowing that God makes his home with us and will never abandon us even though we often abandon God. As we rest upon this hope, we find the peace that our hearts seek.
Certainly Bob knows this peace today. For in his baptism, God claimed him as his very own. “You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever,” said the pastor the day little Bob was brought to the font. And as a child of God, he is heir to the promise—an inheritor of the gift of God’s eternal peace. Nothing can ever cause God to let go of his children. And that’s why Bob marched fearlessly into his own death. He knew that it was but a gateway to eternal life, a life won for him by his Savior Jesus Christ.
And so the word of peace surrounds Bob. No doubt about that. He is now in endless joy, praising God with great elation, totally free from the physical limitations he had to face here on earth. He is free at last. What glory for him!
It is we who are the ones who need the word of peace so desperately now. We are the ones need to be covered in peace. How comfortig to know that we are not alone in our pain. Christ knows our pain, suffers alongside us, and leads us gently to the healing and wholeness we need.
Yes, God offers peace to us today—peace that enables us to place Bob in God’s hands, and peace to place our own lives into God’s hands, knowing that God is with us in this time of grief and will carry us through. We, too, rest upon the amazing grace that upheld Bob all the days of his life and filled him with such love and compassion for all of us.
It is this amazing grace that we can find today, as we remind ourselves once again that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even death cannot separate us from this love and even the loss of one as dear as Bob cannot rob us of our peace—peace that truly passes all understanding. This is the peace that God offers to all of us today—a free gift, a blessed gift.
I would like to close with a lovely poem by Henry Van Dyke because it reminds me of Bob, a friend who truly walked with us and who will walk with us again in the life to come.
O, who will walk a mile with me, along life’s merry way?
A comrade blithe and full of glee,
who dares to laugh out loud and free.
And let him frolic, fancy play,
like a happy child through the flowers gay,
That fill the field and fringe the way,
where he walks a mile with me.
O, who will walk a mile with me, along life’s weary way?
A friend whose heart has eyes to see,
the stars shine out or the darkening lee.
And the quiet rest at the end of the day,
a friend who knows and dares to say,
The brave sweet words that cheer the way,
where he walks a mile with me.
With such a comrade, such a friend,
I fain would walk ‘til journey’s end.
Through summer sunshine, winter rain
And then farewell,
we shall meet again.
Now, may the peace, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Above is Bob celebrating his 89th birthday this spring.
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