Mema's Funeral

When I think of Mema, I think of a sweet, giving, fun, and welcoming woman. As I began to think over the time I got to spend with her, I couldn’t help but to think back on those sweet memories of me walking through the door only to see Pawpaw grinning and saying, “There he is!” While Mema would say, “There’s my handsome boy, come here and gimme’ some sugar!” as she’d reach out for a hug. But not only was she sweet, but she was giving. I can remember back when I was a kid and we’d drive through the night to get to Lynn Haven. We would walk through the door and be hit with the wonderful smell of her beef stew and then we’d see her pound-cake and butternut cake. And not only that, but she was just a silly lady. The other day I received a video of her saying, “A little powder and a little paint will make you look like what you ain’t.” But most of all, when I think of Mema, I think of someone who made you feel welcome. There was never a time where she made me get the sense that she didn’t enjoy me being around, there was never a time where I heard her speak ill of others, she was simply someone who made you feel special. And as I began to prepare for this sermon, this text stood out to me in the book of Ecclesiastes 7 which reads,

“A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.”

You see, Mema was a woman who lived and died with a good reputation and truly this is one of the most valuable things that we can have. And although she taught us so much, there is one final thing that this text says we learn from her today and that is that, “Every funeral anticipates our own.” It is not a stretch to say that to many Panama City is known as a party town full of things to distract us from the issues of life. But it is in this text that we are told that this funeral home is a better place to be than at the best spot on the boardwalks. But why is this? It is because one day, for all of us, there will be some guy just like me standing over a casket much like this and because that is true, we should take time to consider the reality of death. The happiest of parties, the greatest of adventures, or the prettiest of beaches will give temporary enjoyment, but for us, this passage says, that we today are being drawn to learn things of life-long and eternal significance. And with that said, I want us to consider two things. One being the brevity of life and the other is having a good name.

The brevity of life. I can remember being in my early teens and longing for the day I got my license, and then I could remember longing for graduation, and then I could remember longing for our wedding, and oftentimes we find ourselves longing for vacations and it simply seems that days pass by at a snail's pace while you’re waiting on those things, doesn’t it? But as I look at my daughter and how quickly she is growing, I am quickly reminded of how quickly time passes by. In James 4:14 we read, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” Have you considered that? The brevity of life? It is a somber thing, but this passage tells us it is a good thing because it impacts the conduct of our very lives. But not only this, today we should contemplate another thing and that is having a good name.

What does that mean to you? Does it mean to be a person of wealth or morality? In the gospels we read the story of the Pharisees standing before God on the last day and here is what He will say, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” and in Revelation 3:5 we read, “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

Simply put, having a good name is not dying as a popular or well liked person, rather it is having a good name that is known by God. But the problem that I have is that God knows me. The real me. And He knows you. The real you with all of your bumps and bruises, all of your sin and shame. And this is the question that we are confronted with when we consider death: When I die and stand before God, what right do I have to expect Him to let me into Heaven since He knows everything wrong I’ve done? Well, it isn’t our work, or happy life, or friendships, but it is the work of Christ on our behalf. Romans 5:8-11 says, “8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us [right with] God.”

The reason that I have comfort in life and in death is not the job that I have, but that Christ knows my name. You see, the greatest thing about Mema was not her great cooking, funny jokes, or sweet personality, but it is that she knew Christ. And do you know that that same Jesus can sympathize with us in our mourning? He isn’t some robot looking down and telling us to get over our hurt. You see, when Lazarus died we find that Jesus wept, so He sympathizes with the pain you and I feel today because He’s been there too. This same Jesus, who knows all about your sin and shame, is willing to love those who come to Him and He extends His arms out to heartbroken sinners and calls them to come.