Mr. Sherman's Homily
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We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Sherman Cross—A man of immense love and palpable kindness. On behalf of his family and his church families, thank you all for attending.
A common saying I’ve heard among Christians, especially Seventh-day Adventist is: The only thing that you will be bringing to heaven is your character. Our characters are the things that people remember most about us. We are remembered for many things, whether good or bad. When people say our names when were not around, others will think of our character.
Sherman Cross was a man of the highest character. While there are countless aspects of his character that we can discuss at length, we will reflect on 3 this afternoon.
3 Beautiful Characteristics of Sherman Cross
Mr. Sherman was oh so loving.
It was no secret that Mr. Sherman had a smile that can light up an entire room. His love was so deep that you can just feel it in the atmosphere. When Mr. Sherman was speaking to you, he had a way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room. His handshake—one that he developed in his many years of business leadership—was the perfect balance of valor and gentleness. Additionally, this love that he expressed was deeply felt by his family. The love that he shared to his wife, children, and grandchildren was nothing short of amazing. Truthfully, this love didn’t come from nothing. Mr. Sherman was only able to love because God first loved him. 1 John 4:19 says
We love because he first loved us.
Mr. Sherman was loving because his Heavenly Father is loving, as well. 1 John 4:8 says
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God’s loving character gives us so much confidence in Him. His love carries us through every season of life, amen? Especially seasons of grief and loss. God’s love is so wide, so deep, and so high that we cannot begin to fathom how much love He has for us. To even attempt to quantify God’s love for us is an impossible task. But even though it cannot be comprehended, it surely can be experienced. God’s love gives us this space to mourn and grieve the loss of Mr. Sherman, for God even mourns and grieves with us. It also gives us the opportunity to look back, and celebrate the amazing life he left behind. God’s love never failed Mr. Sherman, and I know that God’s love will never fail us.
Mr. Sherman was very compassionate
Mr. Sherman had a way of expressing compassion that would move your heart. In a world that seeks to steal and be apathetic, Mr. Sherman always chose to give and be compassionate. There is a story of Mr. Sherman choosing to show compassion to an employee of his. One day, Mr. Sherman found out that a certain employee was need in need of a car. And out of the compassion of his heart, Mr. Sherman didn’t just find his employee a car, but he also purchased it for them. What love. What compassion. And this compassion didn’t come from a place of favoritism. It truly came from a place of love. And we know that this type of compassion can only come from the heart of God Himself. Mr. Sherman was only able to be compassionate because his Heavenly Father was compassionate to him. Lamentations 3:22-23 says:
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
God’s compassion towards us is truly unfathomable. Many times, the enemy tries to trick us, and have us think that God is selfish. The enemy tries to convince us that God always has His arms crossed toward us. But the Scriptures speak not of such a God. Conversely, the Bible shows us a God who is willing to get in the dirt and intimately form humanity. The Bible shows us that God was compassionate enough to become human like us, and show us what true abundant life looks like. I know that Mr. Sherman wasn’t the only person that was able to experience God’s compassionate heart. There are many of us in here that have personally experienced it. May we learn from Mr. Sherman, and extend the same compassion that our Heavenly Father extends to us.
Mr. Sherman was highly honorable
As a business man and administrator, Mr. Sherman had a real sense of honor to him. He was a man who stuck to his word. In the words of the Bible, his “yes” meant “yes”, and his “no” meant “no”. We all know honor and consistency are quite rare characteristics to find in people today. Busyness and hectic schedules have made it very difficult for people to remain honorable. And even as a health care executive, Mr. Sherman’s honor remained.
Mr. Sherman was honorable because his Heavenly Father is honorable.
“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
To know God is honorable is to know that God means what He says. He doesn’t just say things for the heck of it. If He says it, He means it. For when He speaks, reality is created. God’s honorable heart should give us a lot of hope, Amen? Why? Because if Jesus says, “I am coming quickly”, we ought to believe that He is coming quickly.
The Second Coming of Christ
Something that Mr. Sherman was so passionate about was the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. My wife and I had the beautiful opportunity to share a meal with Ms. Patty and Mr. Sherman, along with Tom and Josie Reynolds. That lunch is one that I will always remember because Ms. Patty whipped up some delicious Shirley Temples for us! It was also memorable because we were deeply meditating on the soon return of Jesus. I vividly remembered Mr. Sherman having such a keen mind toward end-time prophecy. In early Adventism, there was this vigor and excitement toward Christ’s soon return. Our pioneers believed in it with every fiber of their being. And Mr. Sherman was no exception. He always sought to learn about and understand the nuances in End-Time Prophecy. He had a deep passion for the Scriptures, and grew closer to the heart of God in his studies.
And with the same Spirit, I come before you all today to reiterate that JESUS IS COMING SOON.
On that day, death will no longer take any of our loved ones.
On that day, division will no longer be the norm.
On that day, sickness and disease will no longer taint our bodies.
On that day, war will no longer be the answer.
On that day, the wicked will be brought to judgment.
On that day, evil will be brought to its knees.
On that day, God will fully reign supreme.
On that day, we will be reunited with our loved ones.
An on that day, we will be reunited with our precious Sherman Cross.
To conclude, I will be reading Revelation 21:1-8
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
