This afternoon, I performed the funeral services for a seven-week-old boy. Yes, you read that correctly, seven-weeks-old. There is never a time when a loved one passes that we say, “Oh, they lived long enough.” But, seven weeks is difficult to process.

While I would never claim to understand the pain, grief, sorrow, and loss the parents and family of this young boy were experiencing, I did find myself wrestling with feelings of grief. This one just doesn’t sit well with me. I just found myself asking the question, “Why?”

Now, we professionals in the ministry are supposed to have all the Christian cliche answers. You know, I was supposed to say, “Well, God has some kind of plan in all of this” or “the Lord works all things out for good for those who love him.” But, while I do believe that ultimately God will do something with this, those just doesn’t seem appropriate in a moment like this.

My heart absolutely broke when both parents decided to share some beautiful words about the love they had for their son during the service. The mother also read a letter written by the baby’s older brother. It was incredible. I was overwhelmed by their ability to share as they were saying goodbye.

The most difficult moment to watch was when the family had their last moments before the casket was sealed. Viewing the grandparents and parents touching and kissing this tiny baby boy for the last time was gut-wrenching.

I really struggled through this one. I encouraged the family to remember the love they felt for this little boy. I encouraged them to remember the joy that he brought into their lives. I encouraged them to lean on one another…to love, support, and encourage one another in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

I believe God is in contol of all things. I shared with the family that the God I believe in and serve is big enough and strong enough for their pain, anger, frustration, doubt, and questions. I shared that I believe it’s often our pain, anger, frustration, doubt, and questions that lead us closer to God. When we stop asking questions, it’s tempting to stop seeking, to stop learning, to stop growing.

This was a difficult day. But, it reminded me of how blessed I have been. I have not faced this kind of loss. I’m not sure I’m strong enough for it.

I will be keeping this little baby boys family in my heart and prayers for a long time.

Believe it or not, I actually cut my message short this morning. At both morning services, I was a little long-winded and had to trim some things while I spoke. Even though I probably could have continued sharing at the 10am service and held us only an additional 3-5 minutes, I felt like I should just skip around this story. One of my favorite authors is Donald Miller. His book, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligous Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, is one I highly recommend to anyone asking me for a list of good reads.

In his chapter on belief, Miller shares the following on pages 109-112:

What people believe is important. What people believe is more important than how they look, what their skills are, or their degree of passion. Passion about nothing is like pouring gasoline in a car without wheels. It isn’t going to lead anybody anywhere.

My friend Andrew the Protester believes things. Andrew goes to protests where he gets pepper-sprayed, and he does it because he believes in being a voice of change. My Republican friends get frustrated when I paint Andrew as a hero, but I like Andrew because he actually believes things that cost him something. Even if I disagree with Andrew, I love that he is willing to sacrifice for what he believes. And I love that his beliefs are about social causes.

Andrew says it is not enough to be politically active. He says legislation will never save the world. On Saturday mornings Andrew feeds the homeless. He sets us a makeshift kitchen on a sidewalk and makes breakfast for people who live on the street. He serves coffee and sits with his homeless friends and talks and laughs, and if they want to pray he will pray with them. He’s a flaming liberal, really. The thing about it is, though, Andrew believes this is what Jesus wants him to do. Andrew does not believe in empty passion.

All great Christian leaders are simple thinkers. Andrew doesn’t cloak his altruism within a trickle-down economic theory that allows him to spend fifty dollars on a round of golf to feed the economy and provide jobs for the poor. He actually believes that when Jesus says feed the poor, He means you should do this directly.

Andrew is the one who taught me that what I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do.

I used to say that I believe it was important to tell people about Jesus, but I never did. Andrew very kindly explained that if I do not introduce people to Jesus, then I don’t believe Jesus is an important person. It doesn’t matter what I say. Andrew said I should not live like a politician, but like a Christian. Like I said, Andrew is a simple thinker…

…If Andrew the Protester is right, if I live what I believe, then I don’t believe very many noble things. My life testifies that the first thing I believe is that I am the most important person in the world. My life testifies to this because I care more about my food and shelter and happiness than about anybody else.

I am learning to believe better things. I am learning to believe that other people exist, that fashion is not truth; rather, Jesus is the most important figure in history, and the gospel is the most powerful force in the universe. I am learning not to be passionate about empty things, but to cultivate passion for justice, grace, truth, and communicate the idea that Jesus likes people and even loves them.

When I read all of this, I was reminded about the call on our lives to “do good, every opportunity we have, to all people.” I was reminded of how easy it is to buy into what the world tells us is important and to forget the things that Jesus tells us. I am reminded that, when we let Jesus take the lead, we will be more inclined to remember the things Jesus calls us to (caring for those in need, sharing His love with the world around us, etc). When we remember these things, we will be more inclined to put them into practice.

It’s all about learning and putting what we learn into practice. If we aren’t doing the things Jesus talks about, have we really learned any thing at all?

I often find myself wanting to simply pause to catch my breath at the beginning of the New Year. For so many of us, the Advent and Christmas season can become so busy and congested that we simply want to slow down and take a break.

 

As one year ends and a new one begins, I like to take time to look back over the previous year. I recall the highs and the lows. I celebrate victories. I mourn over struggles and losses. I identify the places where I have seen God doing great things. I look at the things I’ve accomplished, the lessons I’ve learned. And, I remember the failures and the lessons that come along with those. I read all the lists of the Top 10 movies, music albums and singles, memorable moments, etc. that are found in all the magazines. I even come up with my own Top 10 lists.

 

Why do I spend time looking back? Generally, it’s to remember the great things (both good and bad) that have taken place over the year, that have shaped me, molded me, and made me into the person I am today.

 

When I look at the things I determine to be good and successful, I try to identify ways that I can incorporate more of these things into my life.

 

When I look at the things I determine to be not-so-good and failures, I try to identify ways that I can avoid repeating these mistakes.

 

While it is good to remember, it’s not good to get stuck in the past. We have to remember that there is a New Year that lies ahead of us. There are new goals, new opportunities, new challenges, and new joys that await us. But, we just might miss these things if we’re stuck dwelling on the past. It’s good to remember…but it’s important that we stay focused on the road that lies before us.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 has always been one of my favorite verses. It says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” Isn’t that verse incredible? Doesn’t it fill you with a great sense of awe?

 

When we have faith in Christ, when we admit our dependence on Him, when we call on Him and acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior, He takes us as we are…no matter what our past looks like (good, bad, ugly)…and makes us into new creations. He does not define us by our past. He defines us by who we are in this moment and by who He knows we can be.

 

When you look back over the past year, there may be things you wish to celebrate and things you wish to forget. But, no matter what our pasts may say about us, when we are “in Christ” we are new creations! “The old has gone, the new has come!”

 

Throughout this New Year, remember, you are a new creation!

Advent and Christmas are more than preparing for the birth of the King of Kings. This season of preparation and celebrating the coming of Jesus, God-in-the-flesh is the Hope God’s people had been waiting for all their lives. The prophets spoke of One who was to come…and here He is. During Advent and Christmas, we are reminded that the One who came will come again. Are we ready to receive the King we have been waiting for, hoping for all of our lives?

For years and years, God’s people eagerly awaited and anticipated the coming of the Messiah. He came and dwelt among them. Many missed Him because He didn’t come the way they expected him to. This rings true today…many of us miss Christ because we aren’t open to the various forms in which He shows up on the scene.

This Christmas, are you prepared to receive a King born in the most humble of circumstances? Are you preparing yourself for His return?

While at Yorktown UMC, I was blessed to work with Reverend Dr. Donald Charles Lacy. He has written many books. Recently, he sent me a collection of his sermons from the B cycle of the lectionary, focusing on the Pauline passages. This evening, I came across a passage that got me thinking about whether or not we are truly yearning for the return of the King. Dr. Lacy writes,

The culmination of ages of yearning is now at hand. The great and often unfathomable streams of human experience and God’s omnipotence seem to come to a unique intersection in time and space. The forces and energies of all that “was, is, and shall be” have brought to humankind the gift above all gifts. The Word came and dwelt among us. Considering the day and time, eyewitnesses were many. Let there be no doubt the Savior is on the scene. He comes in flesh and blood. Institutions of that day and time would not be able to defeat him. His body, the church, in its broadest and most diverse forms would continue, victorious even against the gates of hell.