Jump Start # 3178

Ecclesiastes 3:2 “A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

Last week I had a most unusual event. I married a young couple from our congregation. They come from great families and are devoted disciples. It was so encouraging. As soon as the ceremony was over, I had to skip the reception, catch a flight to another city so I could preach the funeral the next morning of a dear disciple of the Lord. How those two events  were woven together in my mind. A young couple beginning and a journey ended. Till death do us part, that seems light years away, to the reality of death parting us.

Our verse today, found from what is commonly called the seasons of life, Solomon in these series of fourteen couplets, opposites, paints for us what life looks like. It’s beginnings and endings. It’s finding and losing. It’s good times and sad times. It’s war and it’s peace. It’s weeping and it’s laughing. And, that’s exactly what life is. It’s not a choice. It’s not one or the other, it’s both.

Some lessons for us:

First, we must rejoice in the seasons of sunshine and joy. So much to be thankful for. Good health. Great friends. Amazing church. Blessings too many to be counted. It’s during the sunshine that we must build our foundation upon the Lord. We know all too well, that the clouds will row in. We know that storms are on the horizons. The season of sunshine doesn’t last every day. There are some dark days and troublesome nights. Now, we can live in fear dreading those things or we can be productive now and thankful for what we have.

Second, our culture doesn’t do well with the hardships of life. Our times only wants happiness. Nothing sorrowful. Nothing to reflect upon. But all sunshine makes a desert. Life needs rain to grow. Perpetual laughing through life neglects the times God tells us to be sober. Even at funerals these days, there is little seriousness. We now call those events, “celebrations of life,” which is a nice way to say, ignore the obvious that one has died among us. Let’s laugh, eat, drink and have a good time. No lessons learned. Nothing gained. Just another party to attend. Noah saw the door shut on the ark. Shadrach saw the flames of fire. Daniel was tossed into a lion’s den. Peter saw prison doors close. There was a stone rolled in front of our Lord’s tomb.

It’s troubling that so many do not want to think about serious things. They want a pill to take away all pain and they want anything negative removed from their life. If someone questions them, they are quickly shut out and removed from their life. And as a society, we have not learned how to deal with adversity. Our parents and grandparents had both a worldwide depression and a worldwide war going on. Faith was strong. For us, a pandemic was all it took to crush the faith in some. Life is birth and death. Life is finding things and losing things. Life is embracing and shunning, as Solomon painted it.

Third, what we are made of determines how we will handle the harshness of life. One doesn’t get to choose from Solomon’s list. When a couple stands before the preacher and the “in sickness and in health, for riches or poverty” words are spoken, those are not choices. We get both. We get what happens to us. For some, the rains come early. For others, it’s a long season of sunshine.

What we are made of shapes our heart and builds our character during those seasons. The more the Lord is in our lives the more we will do well during those seasons of darkness and trouble. The heroes of Hebrews 11 all suffered in different ways. They had to make great choices based upon the Lord. They had to trust the Lord when it was hard. The Lord tells us that when we act upon His words, a solid foundation is established. The wind and the rains come, even to believers. Yet, the promise of Jesus is that our house will stand. Our faith in the Lord is stronger than the storms. The storms will pass. What remains is what we have in the Lord. For some, it’s a collapsed faith that didn’t do well. For others, their heart, character and faith remain solid. The storms were intense, but God is greater.

A wedding and a funeral…just hours apart. A beginning and an ending. Tears of joy and tears of sorrow. The best day for some and the worst day for others. That’s simply life. And, with the Lord we can do well in both, the sunshine and the rain.

Roger

Jump Start # 924

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

By the time you read this, I am on my way to Ohio for a funeral. My preaching companion, Zack and I are participating in the funeral service of one of our members. She was only 27 years old. She lost a fight with cancer, but won a home and a promise with God. Her parents live in Ohio and this is where the funeral will be.

I want to share a few thoughts with our readers that I hope to use today.

First, twenty seven is young. My kids are all around that age. I look at them and they are busy people. They are getting married, having babies, buying houses, going to school, starting careers. Watching them wears me out. They are always on the move. One thing they are not doing is planning funerals. Twenty seven year olds don’t think about that. Twenty seven is much too young to be finished with life. This makes this so difficult. If she was 87, it would be sad, but not nearly like it is now. Life, dreams, plans are all ahead of twenty seven year olds. But on this day, we go to bury a twenty seven year old. It does happen. God does not promise a long life. He does not shelter us from disease nor disaster. Death, that ugly enemy of God, comes at the most unwelcome of times.

Our passage, from Ecclesiastes, is a contrast. There is a time to be born. I found out yesterday that one of our couples from church is expecting their first baby. We have another grandchild that is due to be born in December. Exciting times. Can’t wait. That’s how parents and grandparents think. Wish today was the day. The opposite is true of death. We dread it. We hate it. We wish it would never come.

Death at any age, especially a young age, reminds us that life is precious. It makes us wonder if we are making a difference in anyone’s life. It makes us think about what is really important. Sometimes we can get so busy and so stuck on ourselves that we forget about others. Some of our connections with others ought to be stronger. Spending time with people, helping people, teaching people, being there for people is so important. We need to be better about such things.

Secondly, the young lady that we bury today belonged to that rare group called, PKs. Not very many are in the PK club. I’ve never been in it. I’ve heard about it. I’ve seen it. My kids are in it. But I myself have never been there. My friend Zack is one. PK, if you have never heard that before, stands for Preacher’s Kid. PK—grew up in a preacher’s home. My dad wasn’t a  preacher. I wasn’t a PK.  I’m the first in our family to preach. My four kids are all PKs. The young lady that we bury today was the daughter of a preacher, a friend of mine. She is not the first PK funeral that I have been involved in.

PKs can have it rough. They grow up with dad as a preacher. Sometimes, even though you leave the church building, the sermons never seem to stop. There is an unwritten code about PKs. Everyone expects them to walk a little straighter, because of their dad. Everyone seems to think that they ought to know the Bible, like their dad. Some members seem to get away with things, but never the PKs. Their mistakes in life can lead to their dad getting fired. It has happened. I wonder if we judge the PKs too harshly. Some of them wish that their dad’s did anything but preach. Many of them have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of church and preaching. For some PKs finding their own identity and faith is a real journey that sometimes takes them to the wilderness. Some PKs really struggle with their faith. It’s hard. Too often, the bar is held pretty high for PKs. Maybe too high. Many PKs I know seem to find themselves and the Lord through all of this chaos. They turn out all right, even with all the added pressure, judging and expectations that are placed upon them. Some of them become preachers themselves, as one of my sons’ has. The young lady that we bury today seemed to make it through ok. I’m glad. It was refreshing to see her own faith. It was good to see her stand upon what she believed. She wrote a sweet letter to the church. It was sprinkled through and through with hope, joy, thankfulness and faith. She truly walked as she truly believed.

Finally, the young lady that we bury today died on Friday. I have another young friend that also died on a Friday. They were about the same age. Something happened to my friend on Sunday. On Sunday, He was resurrected. My friend is Jesus. He was in his early 30’s when He died.  His death, makes the death of all believers easier. His death opened the door for forgiveness and hope. His death lifts us to Heaven. His resurrection is Heaven’s exclamation point! His resurrection crushed Satan. His resurrection is the proof for our coming resurrection.

The young lady that we bury today is Whitney Wright. She is charming, bright, funny, rather shy in public, thoughtful and a follower of Jesus. She was beautiful, but not like those air brushed, touched up girls in the glamour and Hollywood magazines. She was beautiful in the way she thought. She was beautiful  in that sparkle in her eyes and when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful for her ability to make others smile She was beautiful in her sweet love for Jesus. She was beautiful in the areas that count. She was beautiful on the insides and in her heart. I am thankful that our lives intersected. I am thankful that we knew each other. I have several fond memories of her. I enjoyed watching her smile. Her smile made everyone else smile.

My thoughts are with her family. This is a hard day for them. God is good. Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world. Someday, we will be through with tears, sorrow and death. Someday, there will be no more funerals. Someday, we will be with our Lord forever. Can’t wait…how about you?

Roger

Jump Start # 449

Ecclesiastes 3:2 “A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

  Our passage from Ecclesiastes is found in that wonderful section about time. Solomon gives us a series of couplets about time, “there is a time for every event under heaven” is how this all begins. The British group, the Byrds, put these words into a hit pop song in 1965.

  There are two elements Solomon brings together here—first time. “There is a time…” We don’t say that. It’s the opposite with most of us—”there’s not enough time,” or, “I’m running short of time…” I’m late. I’m behind. Being late has found a niche in the greeting card industry, the “belated birthday card.” There is a time. A time to be born and a time to die.

  The second element Solomon brings is death. We are rarely ready for death—of anyone, especially, friends, family and self. He tells us there is a time.

  There are three deaths that are on my mind. One was announced to the world yesterday, Steve Jobs, the brains and driving force behind Apple. He was a person of ideas that became reality that shaped and made the technological world available to most of us. What I see in Steve Jobs is a man who had ideas and he wasn’t afraid to take a chance. Few of us will have the Apple touch like he did, but we learn from him that some worthwhile things involve chance, risk and believing in them. That’s the stuff that makes differences in families, in churches and in our hearts. Fear always keeps the boat tied up to the dock. It’s more than a foolhardy whim, it is thinking things out, thinking things through, praying about them and not fearing rejection nor that others don’t see what you are seeing. How many of us and how many churches fail to dream big dreams, to pray big prayers, who fear trying things. Sure it’s costly, risky, but the upside is unbelievable. I love dreamers. I love planners. If nothing changes in your habits, friends, and what you devote yourself to, you will be the way you are in five years. Yet, by doing things now, whether it’s saving money, sticking to the diet, developing spiritual habits, growing deeper, you’ll be better in five years. Are you keeping the boat tied to the dock?

  A second death: his name is not widely known and it is becoming more and more forgotten by each generation. He died 100 years ago today. He was a college president, a professor, an author, but the hat he wore the best was a preacher. His name is John William McGarvey, known affectionately as, J.W. McGarvey. He died 100 years ago today in his beloved Lexington, KY home. His books, his sermons, his classes taught a generation the word of God. He fought the tide of liberalism that was sweeping the country. In his days churches were exploring the concept of using instrumental music—a departure from what the N.T. taught. McGarvey tried to keep brethren true to the primitive NT ways. His funeral, preached by a distant relative of mine, was held in a church building that used an organ. He would not have liked that. McGarvey’s life illustrates that we all have battles to fight—some personal, some for God. Our influence fades with time—but the good that we do can affect future generations. You have battles you need to fight – some personal, some for God. The Lord needs you to stand against a new generation that wants change and has given up on the N.T. way. Using your influence makes a difference.

  The third death was the greatest of all—it’s the death of Jesus Christ. God sent His son to die—to die for Steve Jobs, to die for J.W. McGarvey and to die for us. We needed that death. That death changed eternity. As you walk with Jesus, you are shaping your eternity and showing others what is important.

  Three deaths—three lives…there is a time. A time to be born and a time to die. I’m glad Steve Jobs did what he did—I love gadgets. I’m glad McGarvey did what he did—he showed that preachers and all of us need to remain true to the message. But I am thankful for our Lord and Savior—His life, His death, His resurrection, has given me a purpose, a plan and a place in eternity! There is a time…

Roger