As I sit here with the darkness of the night still filling the outside, that verse from 1 Corinthians has poured over me strongly as we face a day of mourning at the funeral of a dear friend. This week will be four funerals that I have been at or close to the person that passed so the smell of funeral home bouquets, handshakes and hugs, tears and reflections are heavy on my heart this day. But the passage from the New Testament speaks about the pain of that final step of this life when all we have done, accumulated, hoped for, wished we had not done all comes to one final exit decision; Heaven or Hell and yes, that is a choice!
As we move toward the home going celebration for my great friend, Bud Keim, in a few hours, so many have done so much to make this hour or so very special and honoring to a man that much deserves every modicum of effort invested in this ceremony. For me personally, this will be the most involved in a funeral ever in singing a great song requested by the family with my quartet, The Pathway Quartet as we sing, Just a Closer Walk with Thee. Then getting to duet a wonderful song, Does Jesus Care? with a great friend and then to deliver a eulogy to my wonderful departed friend and brother, Bud Keim. Many will be there today, many have invested time with the family yesterday and many will continue to be linked to Bud's bride, Ms. Nita, for a long time hence. We are all hurting, all rejoicing and all pondering our own lives and destiny; that is what funerals do in that they bring home the fragility of this earthly journey.
Death! That word can rattle anyone at any time. Death, for the Christian, is but a moment for it is the pathway from earthly life to eternal life with our Lord; THAT I believe as I do in this next breath God will grant me. Death does have a distinct sting for it shocks us especially if we have witnessed the human body in pain and torment as that body struggles to fight another day, an hour, a moment; for one more breath. But death always wins that struggle and then all that we have done comes to nothing as to taking any of it with us; except that one powerful decision each of us must make; eternal life in the fires of Hell or eternal life in Heaven with our friends and loved ones.
Greater Vision is, for me, one of the greatest singing groups in Gospel music. One of their great songs is called FACES. I would ask that you each watch this YouTube link and really listen to the powerful message of this great song for this song is Bud Keim:
I think the greatest element of death for the Christian is that yes, nobody yearns for that final moment but it is in the absoluteness of one blink of an eye and the pain is gone forever and the joy that awaits is unimaginable. Please know that personally I love my life, my family, my friends, the work I get to do, I get to sing praises to His Name often, I get to witness to people downtrodden in jails, I get to be part of something that is much, much greater than I can conceive. Bud Keim was one of those powerful influences on my life as the song speaks about. He would have never known all the Faces he touched on this journey but that same statement is true for each of us. When I think of the literally hundreds of thousands of men and women that God has granted me access to, I quiver with excitement in hoping they heard or saw something unique about me only from God's touch on my life. I also quake when I stop and realize what a poor example for Christ I have been through far too many years of my life meaning wasted opportunity.
Lord, bless this day in a special way and the multifaceted home going service. Father, make this day special for a hurting soul seeking peace in the midst of a personal storm in their lives. Jesus, touch each person that will be part of this event to provide calm and joy for the work. Dear God, thank you for loving me and my family! In Jesus name, Amen!
It is going to be Great!
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