This is not my scheduled week to post here, but my friend Sam passed away last week.
Sam was not given a funeral, so the following is my feeble attempt at providing him with one...
We are gathered here today to give glory to God and to pay our final respects to Sam.
No obituary was printed for Sam, so I had to draw on things I have learned from our friendship of over twenty years.
Sam held several jobs in his lifetime but he was an artist at heart.
To the best of my knowledge, he never made any serious money with his paintings, but perhaps that is just as well.
If Sam had managed to make money this way, he would have likely concluded that his art had become too commercial and probably would have abandoned it for another art form.
I showed someone a portrait Sam had painted of Jesus and they remarked that it was a "little scruffy looking."
Artistically speaking, that made some sense to me.
You see, every culture tends to depict Jesus in art in terms of their own culture.
In African art, Jesus is often depicted as African.
In Asian art, He is often depicted as Asian.
I have a portrait of Jesus that was painted by a European artist that depicts Him with flowing blonde hair and blue eyes.
In this portrait Jesus looks quite European.
I think Sam was simply transferring some of his own "scruffiness" into the painting.
Honestly, I don’t think Jesus took any offense.
Sam enjoyed history.
His favorite TV program was
The Antiques Roadshow and he was also extremely interested in Nikola Tesla.
Sam read everything about Tesla that he could get his hands on.
Sam was always researching different things and would talk to me about everything from canyons in Mexico to the Antikythera mechanism found in an Aegean shipwreck.
Sam kept a notepad in his pocket.
If something came up in conversation that interested him, he would jot it down and research it later.
Sam attended several churches in his lifetime including the one I attend.
I think his curiosity fueled his desire to experience firsthand how different denominations choose to worship God.
Sam and I had many, many conversations over coffee and we disagreed about a great many things.
It is said that there are two things you should never discuss, namely, religion and politics.
Yet we discussed both.
And, since we were on opposite ends of the political spectrum, we found a great many things to disagree about.
I can honestly say that we never once allowed a disagreement of any magnitude to get in the way of a perfectly good friendship.
Sam understood my fondness for music.
It was Sam that introduced me to the music of an Australian country singer by the name of Slim Dusty.
To this day, I never tire of listening to Slim singing ‘Waltzing Matilda‘.
I will always be grateful to Sam for that.
Similarly, I will always be grateful to God for the friendship He gave me with Sam.
Sadly, at the end, I honestly do not believe that Sam had many friends and even fewer good friends.
More than a few severed ties with him altogether for one reason or another along the way.
Sam was not perfect.
Then again, neither are we.
If you seriously think about it, a lifetime of rejections must have caused Sam to feel a great deal of personal pain.
I can only imagine what that amount of rejection must have felt like.
Jesus did not have to imagine anything of the sort.
He knew firsthand what it was like to have people turn on Him.
One day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the victorious cry of an ecstatic crowd.
Matthew 21:9 (NET) - The crowds that went ahead of Him and those following kept shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna In the Highest!"
A short time later, an angry mob turned on Jesus.
Matthew 27:22-23 (NET) - Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?" They all said, "Crucify Him!" He asked . "Why? What wrong has He done?" But they shouted more insistently, "Crucify Him!"
I have often wondered how many people were part of both the jubilant crowd one day and the angry mob the next.
Jesus knew exactly how it felt to have one of His own turn against Him.
Matthew 26:48 (NET) - Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I kiss is the man. Arrest Him!"
And it happened just that way!
Jesus also knew personally what it felt like to have friends abandon Him.
Jesus told Peter there would come a time when he would deny Him.
Matthew 26:34 (NET) - Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, on this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."
Again, it happened just that way!
Yes Sam, in that regard, you were indeed in excellent company.
You see, your Savior knew just how you felt.
Now, that same Savior welcomes you home.
Lord, my prayer today is that You help us recognize that there are many Sam’s in the world.
Encourage us to accept them just as they are.
After all, that is just the way that You accept us.
For those of you that attended this "service" and stayed until the end, I offer my sincerest gratitude.
Sam was created in God’s image.
Sam mattered to God.
Sam mattered to me.
Funerals are for the living, bur everyone has a story.
In the end, doesn’t everyone deserve to have at least some of that story told?
It should not matter how many or how few decide to attend.
If it were possible for us to combine our voices in a closing hymn right now, I would ask that we sing "Just as I Am" before we part company.
One final and very personal note,,,
One of the last things Sam ever said to me was, "I can’t wait until you become a preacher."
Well Sam, this is about as close as I can get.
You deserved better.
This was the best I could provide.
Rest in peace, my friend.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com
