Harry Abel Memorial Service

My closing thoughts for this afternoon come from the place in the Bible where King Solomon was dedicating the Temple to God. The ark of the covenant had been taken into the Holy of Holies and then the Bible says in ...

2 Chronicles 5:11–14 (GW)

11 All the priests who were present had performed the ceremonies to make themselves holy to God without regard to staying in their divisions. 12 All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, their sons, and their relatives—were dressed in fine linen and stood east of the altar with cymbals, harps, and lyres [Guitars like instruments]. With the musicians were 120 priests blowing trumpets. When the priests [who had carried the ark of the covenant into the Holy of Holies] left the holy place,13 the trumpeters and singers praised and thanked the Lord in unison. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, they sang in praise to the Lord: “He is good; his mercy endures forever.” Then the Lord’s temple was filled with a cloud. 14 The priests couldn’t serve because of the cloud. The Lord’s glory filled God’s temple.

There are 5 thoughts I would like for us to glean from this passage:

Holy to God

The first thing I would like us to see is that all those involved in the Temple dedication, especially the musicians and singers, had done the things necessary to make themselves holy to God. They were even dressed in special outfits of fine linen showing their dedication to God’s service.

There is nothing more important in this life, whether we are a musician, a singer, an electrician, a plumber or a corporate CEO, than being prepared to meet God.

Harry had done that.

He had repented of his sins and surrendered his life to Jesus. Was he perfect in following God? No. None of us are. But thanks be to God who takes our whole-hearted efforts towards Him and His holiness, feeble as they may be, and draws us into salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Nothing is more important than being ready, prepared to sing that last song before the glory of God falls. Are YOU ready?

If not I urge you to seek for God with ALL your heart. Asking the Father to forgive your sins according to what Jesus did on the Cross. Surrendering control of your life to Jesus. Believing that God hears you.

If you have any questions about doing that, get with me after this service is finished. I would love to pray with you.

Skilled Musicians

Secondly, the crowning act of the Temple dedication was to get these sanctified, holy musicians and singers involved. These folks were dedicated and skilled. They had taken the talent God gave them and used it for His glory.

I was thinking last night about something Rush Limbaugh used to say quite often. Like him or hate him, Limbaugh had a talent for speaking and getting his point across. But he would often say of himself that his: “talent was on loan from God.” Someone, many years ago questioned him about saying such a thing. He questioned Limbaugh for daring to say such a thing. To which Limbaugh said:

Andy, one thing about great comedy is that you never should explain it, even to people that don’t get it, but I’m going to take a risk with you since you seem to think that talent on loan from God is bragging. Let me tell you, as I have announced countless times on this program to other people who thought that I was claiming to be God. (Laughing) Talent on loan from God is my way of giving thanks to God for what He has blessed me with, among other things, my talent. The fact that it is on loan signifies that I realize I am but a passing speck in the cosmos, that I am here for a brief instant and will be gone.

Harry had talent on loan from God. He honed that talent and became skilled, but still it came from God and has now returned to God.

The Apostle Paul asks us to remember:

1 Corinthians 4:7 (NASB 2020)

… What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

Whatever talents you have, musician or not, they originally came from God. Practice. Get better. But use them for the ONE who gave them to you.

Praised and Thanked God in Unison

The third thing I want us to see is that the musicians and singers played and sang in unison — they were all on the same page of music.

Now if you listened carefully you heard there were a LOT of musicians and singers involved in this last song before God’s glory fell. The scripture says ALL of the musicians which included at least 120 trumpet players (realize these are not modern brass trumpets, but rams horns). There were hundreds, maybe thousands of people in this group.

And somehow they put aside all their own preferences, their own styles, their own pride, THEIR OWN EGO ... to play and sing in melodious, beautiful, glorious unison.

If you have ever been part of something remotely resembling unison of purpose, you know the power of such a thing.

I believe Harry knows what that is right now.

The Words Used

In unison these singers and musicians declared the fourth thing I want us to see.

New American Standard Bible (Chapter 5)

“[God] indeed is good for His kindness is everlasting,”

Even as we mourn Harry’s death we need to see it for what it is: a home-going. Harry is in the presence of the Lord. He knows the fullness of what was sung at the Temple dedication.

He knows that God is indeed good.

He knows that God’s kindness is eternal.

Harry is no longer afflicted with diabetes, a bad heart valve and failing kidneys. He has no more pain. God is good!

In this world good comes and goes, but in eternity God’s kindness to us will last forever.

Harry will experience the goodness and kindness of God forever.

The Result

Finally, as the musicians were playing and the singers were singing, proclaiming in unison that God is good and His kindness lasts forever, the cloud of God’s glory filled the house.

The glory was so heavy the singers and musicians could no longer stand, they could no longer play, they could no longer sing.

All they could do was fall before God in worship.

I have been in worship where a small touch of God’s glory fell and it drove me to my knees.

I felt I could barely breathe.

Tears flowed from my eyes.

I was overwhelmed by God’s glory.

Folks, at the end of the day, at the end of this life, our goal has to be more than money, or fame, or pleasure — it has to be God’s glory.

I believe that if Harry were able to communicate anything from beyond the grave it would be that if we are living for anything else than God’s glory we are living for the wrong thing.

Closing Prayer