Bob's Memorial

2 Corinthians 5:17

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 5)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

Friends and family, we gather here to remember the life of Bob. to grieve and mourn the loss of a son, a brother, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. A man that played a very important role in the lives of many. A soft spoken man, with a great sense of humor, a passion for travel, a love for his family, a shoe in for an iced oatmeal cookie. Bob was an expert in the kitchen, and could make a mean apple crisp. Even though he had a recipe, he would tell you that he made it with his heart not his head.

It’s difficult to capture in such a short amount of time the greatness of someone’s life. I am so grateful to have known Bob for the last 16 years. Bob played a very important role in the lives of me and my family, but especially my children. Throughout the many times that we have been at his and Deb’s home, his love for my babies was unmistakable. I don’t know how many times I walked into the kitchen of their home to find a young shirtless Kaitlyn covered in flour as her and Papa were making apple crisp. Or to find Mady walking out of Papa’s paint room covered in paint and needing a bath. Bob never let the kids go hungry, as he was never in short supply of a cookie, a piece of pie, or a bowl of cereal for them. They would sit with him as he played his guitar and make up silly songs, usually about being kids. These are good memories. Bob was always about making and preserving memories. A good example, Shortly after Kaitlyn was born I had deployed to Iraq. My first child and I’d only been with her for about three days. Bob, knowing how important Kaitlyn was to me, set up his video camera in the living room of their home, and recorded all the tummy time that Kaitlyn did. He recorded all the play time that she had with papa and nana, and momma. He knew how important this was to me and didn’t want me to miss out on the early stages of my children’s lives. I remember going camping with Bob, and taking the girls down to the creek for some fishing, and seeing the patience that he had as the girls were ecstatic to get their fishing poles in the water. Seeing his love for the girls always brought a smile to my face, even if we were trying to tell him not to give the girls another bowl of ice cream or pie, or let them have a soda right before we drove back home. The beautiful memories I have with this man and my kids are too numerous for me to count.

So this is a sad time for us, as we mourn the loss of our papa. and right now up close there is a lot of pain and hurt, because we miss him. But at the same time we are so grateful for the time we had with him. And if your here today you come knowing Bob in some capacity, and he has played some role in your life. If Bob were here today what would he tell us? What would he say? I think if he were with us today he would tell a lot of you just how much he loved and cherished you. He would admit that he was not a perfect man. He would apologize for things that he’d said or done. In Bob’s later years he would often think about the things that he got wrong, or the mistakes that he made, and they in some way always played in his mind, much like we all think about our mistakes and regrets. I have many memories of Bob and I sitting outside, talking about the things that we couldn’t take back. We would never want to sugar coat all the mistakes of life because its a part of what makes us who we are.

But the beauty in life is that there is hope. Shortly after Bob’s passing Deb came across some of Bob’s notebooks. In one of the pages scrawled in big letters we see Bob ask a very important question, “What is the meaning of life?” Certainly not a light questions, and one that has been asked throughout history numerous times and discussed in many formats, and definitely a question that older folks typically begin to ask as God grants them more time. Bob’s answer to that question was very simple. In his best handwriting he could muster he wrote Love, and underlined it. The only thing that is left on the page is a passage of Scripture, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;”

Why was this important to Bob? Why would Bob write down this text?

Being a man of faith, Bob knew that he was a work in progress. This passage is more than just a throwaway line or some cliche phrase. Rather I think for Bob this passage helped him understand just who he was in Christ. The opening line is a breath of assurance for the believer, as it proclaims, “If you are in Christ, BOOM! New Creation!” Bob was a believer. He believed the passage in John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He believed Romans 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” And these things gave him hope. At the beginning of this book of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” The passage that Bob wrote down is derived from the comfort that God gives us in times of worry and doubt. It goes on to say that the old has passed away; behold the new has come. This is not a reference to physical death, but to spiritual death. Death to rebellion, death to sin, and death to living for one’s self. His life was no longer his own, but dying to self he was now transformed into something new. And whats more is this is not Bob’s own doing. Rather, its God’s work in his life that would continue to transform him up to the point where he met Jesus face to face. This is not to say that Bob being a new creation made him perfect, but rather that he was being perfected in his life, being prepared to meet Christ as a new creation. And as the verse Bob wrote down finishes out, as a new creation, through Christ Bob is reconciled to God, who preaches the message of reconciliation to us.

So we can take comfort in what Bob took comfort in.

Bob took comfort in the Scriptures. Some of Bob’s favorite passages were Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Psalm 34:4-5 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Matthew 6:34 ““Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

These are just a few passages that comforted Bob, and if you have a chance, you can look through his Bible and see all the other passages he highlighted, underlined, and found rest and comfort in.

We can take comfort in the beauty of life

Bob’s paintings were one of the things he enjoyed. He loved music. He loved good food. He loved being around friends and family. The paintings, the memories, and the love that he had for his family are treasures that we can take comfort in.

We can take comfort in the ongoing love of friends and family.

Everyone here today is a friend or family member that I know will encourage and comfort one another. Lets find comfort in each other today.

We can take comfort in God’s love for Bob, and in his love for us.

As much love as there is for Bob in this room, there is more in the heart of God. God loves you and me. At this time of death we are strangely reminded of God’s love for each of us. Remember, he is the God of all comfort.

As believers, we can take comfort in our own relationship with Jesus Christ

John 14:1-6 ““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I’ll close with this. In life there are three absolutes: God will never stop loving you. God’s word is always right and best for you, and God’s purpose for your life is bigger than your biggest problem. Bob believed this and found comfort in the end. I hope you can find comfort in this as well.