Meditation for Celebration of Life Service for Kory Mayes
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This afternoon we have gathered to remember the life of our mother, grandmother, sister and friend, Kory Mayes, but we’ve also gathered to find comfort and hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which really is good news in the face of death.
I’d like to begin by reading a Psalm from the Bible that is known to most of us. It’s Psalm 23. It’s a psalm written by David…who himself was a shepherd that the Lord called to be King over the people of Israel. This psalm takes on special meaning when we realize that the primary metaphor that was used to describe what a King was, was the metaphor of shepherd. A King is one who shepherds the people…and David says his Shepherd, his King, the true King over all people is the LORD....
A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
As I shared earlier, I had never met Kory. I’ve only very recently come to know some things about her through my conversations with Steffany and Al, and also through conversations with those in our congregation who had volunteered with Kory at the Orphan Aid Thrift Store.
And in all of these conversations, my sense was that it is not certain for us whether or not Kory could confess that the Lord was her Shepherd. She was not part of a church community, nor did she confess faith in Jesus Christ....though as a child and youth she was raised in the Catholic tradition. There was a lengthy season in her life when she and her husband participated in and practiced what is know as Kabalarian Philosophy. A philosophy of life that I had not heard of before recently talking with Steffany about it. You can imagine, I read up on it.
It’s my understanding that Kory was quite committed to this way of living and way of understanding the world although I’m not certain how committed she was to this philosophy in the later years of her life.
But as I read more about this philosophy I noticed a number of things. Kalalarians believe in a higher power, god if you will, they call it the Principle of Life, or just the Principle. It does not appear to me that they believe this god to be personal; that is, one you can have a relationship with. They believe that everything in the universe has a Reason or a Purpose and in order to know that one has to unite oneself to the intelligence that lies behind all expressions of life, they call that the Reason of Being. Kabalarianism focuses on attaining overall health and well-being by living with purpose, by eating well, by practicing breathing techniques, and mind control in order to attain higher levels of spiritual expression. Kabalarians pay a lot of attention to names and birth dates believing that a persons name reveals who they are and their birth dates who you should be.
I could say a lot of other things that I learned, but as I was reading I came across this quote on a Kabalarian Philosophy website:
“We are all here to play a part in life. Every species in life has its place and reason. Mankind is here to have dominion, to keep all things in harmony. .... We have been given dominion on this earth and all things upon it that fly above it, and all things connected with it. We have been made the steward who must give an accounting.” (https://www.kabalarians.com/cfm/articles/new/the_why_of_life.cfm)
That language sounds a lot like the language of Genesis 1 where we find the calling that God gives to Adam and Eve and to all of humankind. The call to have dominion and to be good stewards of the earth. Let me share that part of the quote again: “We have been made the steward who must give an accounting.”
Consider these words from Paul’s letter to the Romans 14:
Romans 14:10–12 (NIV)
10 For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
I don’t know if Kory confessed faith in Jesus Christ as her earthly life came to an end, but I do know she appeared before God to give an account of herself. God alone is judge. He is both just and merciful and we may know that he will always do what is right....and I hope we can take comfort in that.
Now, I want to take us back to Psalm 23 for a moment and notice with you an important grammatical shift. Did you notice the pronoun shift. The psalm begins with HE. He is my Shepherd. He leads, he makes me lie down, he refreshes, he guides.....But then we the psalmist finds himself in the darkest valley…sometimes translated as the valley of the shadow of death.... the pronoun change draws into a more intimate relationship. Now the psalmist is no longer speaking about the Lord, but directly TO Him. You are with me, you comfort me, you prepare a table for me, you anoint me, your goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life.
The psalmist knew this Shepherd intimately, and so may we.
In this moment we’ve come together to celebrate a life, yes, but the reason we are doing that is because that life on earth has ended. He are here because of death. And the Bible says there is one Shepherd who is with us even in the shadow of death. That Shepherd is none other than Jesus the Christ, the One who walked among us in the region that today we call Israel.
Listen to what Jesus said:
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
About 2 1/2 years ago I was in Israel, and visited a sheep pen. Likely it was very similar to the kind of sheep pen in Jesus’ day. Imagine a large area enclosed with a wall made of stones and wood longs and branches, with one small opening, the gate of the pen.
You see in John 10 Jesus not only says he’s the Shepherd, but that he’s also the Gate.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
In Jesus’ day it was a common practice for the Shepherd, when all of the sheep were inside the pen for the night, it was a common practice for the Shepherd to lie across the Gate. That way, if an intruder or thief came they had to confront the Shepherd first. When Jesus says that he is the Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep he’s referring not only to his coming death on the cross, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but many think he might also be referring to what a Shepherd does laying down himself at the Gate of the pen in order to confront any intruder.
Most all of us experience Death as a terrible intruder. Death says the Bible is the last enemy. John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Jesus has come so that we might have life. By dying in our place, by taking our guilt and shame, by enduring the punishment for our sin, Jesus defeated the Intruder called death by rising on the third day to eternal resurrection life.
And one of the great gifts he gives to us when we receive the life that he graciously offers us, is a deep and abiding peace that comes from his Holy Spirit. Jesus says to his disciples and to us.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
When Jesus had risen from the dead; quite literally going through death and coming back to bring comfort and confidence to us, we read in John 20 what Jesus did for his disciples.
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Friends, let this be a comfort to us and a profound hope for our own lives. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. Come to him to find peace, and life in abundance.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
AMEN