Brandon. We know she did not respond in a rational way as you and I see it. She was ill and acted out of her illness.
Brandon was a handsome, warm, affectionate, generous young man. He had lots of friends and loved to be with hem. He was gifted and loved to make things. He loved to put things together. He enjoyed building, especially driving nails. Sometimes he would drive them in trees in the back yard. He was proud recently of getting an ‘A’ in conduct. He loved to play with trains and had several sets. He loved his grandparents and they loved him and cared for him deeply. Clarence recalls just recently Brandon running up behind him and hugging him and asking, “Are you my buddy?” Rose heard his prayers each night and in his own sweet way he offered his prayers for his family and friends. I remember him coming out of church and he would always hug my leg before he left.
Phyllis’ problems drove her inward, but she did turn more to her faith and reached out to God in these last days. One of her poems reflects this quest. It is entitled “Pure Rain.”
All I’ve got
Is this song for you, world.
With all the pain and suffering you’ve endured.
Can not peace and pain blend in the rain?
So that God’s World will not be stained.
Can the people’s blood, sweat and labor make a difference?
Or will it, all be in vain?
Surely to God,
in the end.
All the suffering will blend in the rain.
Countries forever warring.
Jealousy, Hate and Greed.
In the end, all they
will have achieved,
is blood and suffering in the rain.
Can the people come to peace?
Swallow their hate and pride.
Cannot man learn to love,
and set war and anger aside?
C’mon people, I know there must be a way,
come to terms,
and forget the pain,
and put peace and love,
in pure rain.
We will miss them. Life will not be the same. But just as the sun leaves an afterglow when it sets in the west, so Phyllis and Brandon left an afterglow from their lives that will remain in our heart and memory.
The Goodness of God
And we continue to affirm the goodness of God, even in the face of death. We reaffirm our faith today in the goodness of God and rest on the conviction that his love is eternal and strong. God created life out of his love and he sustains it. We do not know why God has created the possibility of tragedies like this happening. They are a part of the universe God has created. Without the possibility of suffering and pain, there could be no growth or maturing. We know that God does not deliberately send these things upon us. Today, like a small child, we place our hand in the hand of God to lean upon him for trust and strength. We know our strength is not enough.
The Valley of Grief
Next, we know, and won’t forget, that family and friends are walking through a dark valley of grief. But we come to this valley of grief armed with the assurance that God is present with us. A favorite writer of mine, Harry Emerson Fosdick, who went through a deeply personal tragic experience, wrote once: “It was the most terrifying wilderness I ever traveled through. I dreadfully wanted to commit suicide. But instead I made one of the most vital discoveries in my life, I found God in a desert.” Sometimes our deepest insights are discovered in the valley. We find that in the midst of despair, pain, and suffering that God is there. Even when we do not know it or feel it, He is there. We grieve but we grieve not as those who have no hope. We grieve with a sense of trust in the presence of God who is with us. Phyllis expresses something of her trust in the poem entitled, “Miracle Man.”
Did you walk across the water, Lord? Just to prove to me.
That you can always be there, in my hour of need.
Did you multiply the loaves of bread? Just so man might see.
That if all we wait patiently, some miracle might be.
Did you heal that man with leprosy? Just to show us all,
that there is a larger plan.
We should follow or we’ll fall.
Did you tire Lord of Miracles? Just to prove to man.
That you were the Son of God, who gives life upon this land.
Did you walk across the water, Lord? Just to prove to me.
That you can always be there, in my hour of need.
We Weep with Hope
We weep today, but we weep not as those who have no hope. We acknowledge that it is all right to cry. It is OK to acknowledge that we have sorrow at Phyllis and Brandon’s death, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Death and the grave are not the end for the Christian. Jesus himself wept beside the grave of his friend Lazarus, and so we know it is good to express our grief and not to keep it deep down inside of us. We acknowledge that we grieve because life will be different without them. But we shall be able to face life and go on, because we have the presence of God with us. We acknowledge that although they are no longer with us, they are present with God where there is no suffering or pain. Our God’s love is unconditional and knows the whys of such acts far better than we and forgives all. God knew Phyllis’ detached state and forgives her.
Peace of Christ
We come also to thank God today for the assurance of peace which we have from Christ. Today we rest on the promise of life eternal through Christ. Our great sorrow is to be separated from Phyllis and Brandon, but we have the assurance today that through the grace of God they dwell in that marvelous eternal realm with him. As we lean upon God in faith, we know that one day we shall join them in the eternal realm where there is no hurt or sorrow but only peace.
Death as a New Beginning
Last, we thank God that death is not the end but a new beginning. The flowers present today are a sign of the love and devotion of friends and family. But they also symbolize for us the resurrection garden on Easter Day when Jesus Christ himself rose from the grave. They give to us an assurance that death is not the end but a doorway that opens from this life to a new life, where the spiritual person is with God. Jesus said, “I have gone to prepare a place for you.” He has gone to prepare that place for Phyllis and Brandon. They are there with God where they will dwell eternally in the home which he has made. We, of course, shall miss them, but today we rest with the assurance that they are with Christ and dwell eternally with him without pain and suffering. Each of us one day shall join them. Jesus said, “Because I live, you shall live also.”
Look to the butterfly for a lesson on
