PROPERS: BURIAL OF THE DEAD, RITE 2
TEXT: ROMANS 8:14-19,34-35,37-39
PREACHED AT THE FUNERAL OF E.B. “HAPPY” DEAS AT CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION, STARKVILLE, ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2019
ONE SENTENCE: The suffering of the present moment is transitory and the love of God transcends our finite life.
Some 2,600 years before the birth of Jesus, the author of Isaiah 53 peered into the future and wrote these words:
2He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem…
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem…
7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:2-3;7)
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:2-3;7)
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Clearly, Isaiah never met Happy Deas.
Happy was anything but a suffering servant, as described by Isaiah. At this moment, I can hear the echoes of his boisterous laugh emanating deep from within his heart. That is a blessing that will not soon depart.
Our lives have been enriched by his countless stories, told with such relish, vigor, and animation. After hearing his many stories, I must admit that my perspective has changed on a number of topics:
· I will never dismiss electrical engineering students as calculating bookworms. The creativity exhibited in pranks against fellow students is amazing. I still laugh and retell some of those stories.
· I will never see a vestry retreat in the same light as before. His commentary afterwards placed events in a whole new light.
· The comradery of a close group of friends can transform life in ways that are unimaginable… and can provide a safe place to laugh and be one with a group.
· Retirement is not some staid slice of life in which one puts up feet and vegetates. No, it was the time in which he gave birth to new ideas and initiatives, such as my favorite: Deas Woodworking Products, International.
· The value of honesty: One never doubted where Happy stood on an issue. He would shuck the corn on any topic for which he had clarity and strong feelings. There was no need to guess.
· And, finally, the rootedness of faith. Happy was born into the Episcopal Church, was nurtured at old St. Columb’s in Jackson, and continued his lifelong journey of faith wherever he and Babs went. He was a churchman to the core.
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The last several years, though, were trying times for Happy – and, by extension, for Babs. His health declined and he came face-to-face with his human limits. That is something that each of us will face – either slowly or quickly.
In such moments, when we look straight in the eye at our mortal nature, we can take comfort in the Apostle Paul’s words in his Letter to the Romans. The words which were read today are perhaps the high point of the New Testament:
“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the children of God. Who is to condemn? It is
Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or sword?
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved
us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There are two points I want you to hear in this passage from Paul’s hand. Keep them in mind for yourself, and keep them in mind for our brother Happy.
First, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Once we are claimed as his, there is no impediment large or small, tall or short, finite or infinite, that can keep us from his loving embrace. I believe that to the core of my being. It is an essential part of the Christian faith.
My second point relates to Paul’s early words in this passage, and it bears noting for Happy’s last years and his transition to eternity. Suffering, though significant and hard, is limited. It does not last. They are a mere transient shadow to the eternity of God’s kingdom. We will ultimately know this truth, as Happy already knows it. “Weeping comes for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
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Happy lived his faith. He was unabashed in how he lived it. Because of that, I want to mention one last biblical passage, after a brief suggestion.
Babs, on one of these clear, crisp, cold nights – it doesn’t matter if it is Advent or Lent – step out into the darkness. Be like the patriarch, Abraham, and look up into the night sky. See the countless stars that shine in the firmament. Remember these words from the Book of Daniel: 3 “Those who are wise[a] will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3)
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And Babs, as you remember, there was that time years ago when you and Happy bought that very expensive bottle of wine at a church silent auction. You invited several folks over to share that bottle, with each of us having a small glass.
In the future, we can lift that cup of wine, and give thanks for the gift of Happy’s life, and for his eternal presence in our hearts and lives – as lasting as the stars in the heavens.
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