Note from CM: This is an adaptation of a funeral sermon I gave this week. The theme was designed to represent both the character of the deceased and those who cared for her in her final season of life. I commended them as people who consistently displayed down-to-earth, practical, faithful, and genuine love.
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No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. (1John 4:18)
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One of my great privileges as a hospice chaplain is to see God at work every day. I realize that sounds like an audacious claim, but let me explain.
How do we see God working in our lives? People try to answer that in many ways. Some focus on extraordinary spiritual experiences. Some talk about having dreams and visions and hearing God’s voice. Others suggest that they witness miracles or occurrences that cannot be explained in any other way than that God is present and working.
But I see God working in much more ordinary and down-to-earth ways. Listen to this verse from scripture: “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” The Apostle John tells us here that a primary way of recognizing God’s presence and active involvement in our lives is to see him in the true and genuine love people share with one another.
Another apostle, Paul, describes what this love looks like:
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all…. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:9-21)
This passage reminds us that genuine love is not some lofty ideal, concept, or disembodied virtue. It is as down to earth as the basin, water, and towel by which Jesus knelt down on his knees, took his disciples’ dirty feet in his hands, and washed them. It is something you can feel in a family member’s touch. It is something you can hear in words of reassurance from a friend. You can see it in the tireless and often thankless work of a caregiver. When someone brings a meal, or helps out with a financial need, or gives a worn out family member some respite, what you are seeing is love. When we exercise patience with those who irritate us, when we show kindness to those who wish us ill, when we show faithfulness over a long period of time to those who count on us, that is love.
No one has seen God at any time, but when you see things like that, you are seeing God at work.
Love is practical. Love is hands-on, face-to-face, heart-to-heart, human caring. It is being with someone and staying with them in such a way that they receive benefit and encouragement. It is not always easy. It may well mean taking on difficult, mundane, or distasteful tasks. It can make you cry sometimes. You may feel doubts, discouragements, frustrations, and encounter fears and anxieties. Sometimes emergencies come up in the middle of the night or at other inconvenient times, causing you to lose sleep and get tired and grumpy. You might find yourself exchanging angry words with those around you or even feeling bitter and put upon. Love involves patience, forbearance, saying “I’m sorry,” and extending forgiveness.
Love is as down-to-earth as it gets. It is completely ordinary, and yet, what could be more extra-ordinary than love like this? After all, according to the Apostle John, this is the best vision of God at work that we are ever going to see in this world — “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
This is the love I witness every day as a hospice chaplain, as caregivers show love to family members and friends at the end of life. I often see it in the patients themselves, as they graciously allow others to serve them and then respond to them with words and expressions of gratitude. I see it in my team members, who travel all around our city to visit people in homes, extended care facilities, and hospitals. I can only pray that people will see it in me as I seek to engage others in pastoral friendship.
As author Frederick Buechner once reminded us, this world is both a beautiful and a terrible place. We all try to navigate our way through it the best we can, hoping for as much of the “beautiful” and as little of the “terrible” as possible.
I was recently watching a travel show about the Alps and it showed a guide leading some folks up a mountain to a little inn that had been built at a high elevation with spectacular views. To get there, they had to walk on frighteningly narrow little paths. It looked to this observer like one wrong step could mean certain death. The one who built the path recognized how treacherous it would be, so he attached cables to the side of the mountain that hikers could grasp for support as they carefully ascended. As the guide took his guests up the mountain, he had them hang on to those cables as he led the way. In that beautiful yet terrifying setting, the path maker had provided something that made travelers feel safer, more secure, and hopeful about reaching the top without incident. And, there was someone to walk the dangerous path with them.
That is love. And this is what we all need on our journey. This kind of love enables us to see the beauty while minimizing the terror in this life. And this is the kind of love that enables us to lift our heads and see that a loving God is with us, walking beside us and working on our behalf.
The Internet Monk Archives 
A few more names from the church that invented evangelism 🙂
(they might have a touch of influence as well – especially the guy at the bottom of the list)
Cardinal Charles Chaput – 73
Peter Kreeft – 81
Mother Angelica – deceased 2016
Ronald Rohlheiser – 70
Richard Rohr – 74
Thomas Keating – 94
Joan Chittister – 81
Cardinal Timothy Dolan – 67
Benedict Groeschel – deceased 2014
Benedict XVI – 90
Mitch Pacwa – 68
Cardinal Sean O’Malley – 73
Francis – 80
It looks like we’re all getting a wee bit old.
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Yep. They seem to have become rather curmudgeon-y Christians as they’ve aged. Their fans love ’em, the rest of the world…not so much.
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From what I’ve been reading on various spiritual abuse blogs about James Dobson, John MacArthur, Paige Patterson, John Hagee, John Piper, and maybe Pat Robertson, their influence these days is almost all NEGATIVE.
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A passing generation of influential Evangelicals
James Dobson – 82
Charles Stanley – 84
R.C. Sproul – 78 – deceased 2017
John MacArthur – 78
Paige Patterson – 75
Erwin Lutzer – 74
Sinclair Ferguson – 69
Norm Geisler – 85
John Hagee – 77
John Piper – 71
Chuck Swindoll – 84
Luis Palau – 83
D.A. Carson – 71
Haddon Robinson – 86 – deceased 2017
Pat Robertson – 87
Leith Anderson – 73
John Frame – 79
[ You may or may not recognize all the names but certainly some of the names. They are aging. They have been, perhaps, the most influential conservative Christians in the world. They too, like R.C. will exit life in the near future though their influence will be felt for at least a couple of generations. ]
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R.C. Sproul Sr. has died – 78 years of age. A man among men.
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For all we know, quantum mechanics may just be the tip of the iceberg, and what He performed may have still followed whatever the underlying natural laws are. 😛
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I’ve heard the same thing about some of Jesus’ miracles. Perhaps our understanding of “miracles” is totally skewed too. Thousands of years ago, people probably thought lightning was a supernatural act. They would probably think a laptop is a “miracle”. Perhaps Jesus performed acts that didn’t violate laws of nature, just how we currently understand them. Ultimately, I don’t think it matters either way though.
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Right. I don’t buy the theory, either, but I don’t mind the speculation.
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“part of the miracle came when those who had food shared with those who had none”
Amen
selfless giving is what love is all about . . . all the talk about ‘works’ aside, love is meant to be lived and shared, it is an action word
the bread came from God’s bounty and it is to be shared accordingly, it IS a part of the miracle
” Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam, hamotzi lehem min ha’aretz.”
Translation: “Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.”
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Thank you Christiane
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Old anti-supernaturalist speculation. And it just doesn’t fit the context, or how Jesus uses the incident in later discussions with His disciples.
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Hello Senecagriggs,
you wrote “The details of Heaven in Scripture are pretty opaque; but I’m thinking he’ll be there to greet us when we too pass over because that would be his desire and God appears to grant the desires of those who love Him”
I think you are right here. Love IS eternal. You all will see your friend again in the ‘world to come’. I am sorry your friend didn’t make it to the reunion, but a greater reunion awaits you all. You can trust to Our Lord that this will happen.
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A friend of mine has a theory about the feeding of the 5,000 and 4,000. He wonders if the miracle wasn’t so much that Jesus/God turned so few loaves and fishes into a satisfying meal, but perhaps those who CAME WITH FOOD were willing to put food into the baskets as the baskets went around. In other words, maybe part of the miracle came when those who had food shared with those who had none.
A miracle, maybe in either case, and in either case, it’s God at work.
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Good thoughts in both the post and comments. Again, I find this very helpful.
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A 45 year friend of mine was admitted to hospice yesterday – is now non-communicative. Two months ago he was [ by all appearances ] fine and planning for a November reunion with 10 of us buddies. He did not make it to the reunion. Last week ALL of us sent him e-mails telling him what he had meant in our lives.
Sad times; he is already missed.
The details of Heaven in Scripture are pretty opaque; but I’m thinking he’ll be there to greet us when we too pass over because that would be his desire and God appears to grant the desires of those who love Him.
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Chaplin Mike, If I (I should perhaps say we) can feel and sense the love, compassion and empathy you display on this site I am sure that the people you personally interact with feel even more so. It is essential for society to let others know how valuable their efforts are. People such as yourself and your team members are doers of the word not just hearers. No one wants to be born into this world as babies are safe, happy, warm and content in the womb but they learn to love this world, no one wants to die either, it is natural, to me the best we can do Is accept it and people of faith know they will be like the baby happy in the womb, they will like their new world. I do hope and am sure you do pick up on the appreciation that people have for what you do. I know your sermon was not about you but really it was, I can say it but you cannot. God shows his love in many different ordinary ways every day.
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