On April 13, 1912, Alexander Holverson wrote a letter to his mother aboard the one ship which was thought to be the greatest ship ever built. His letter would be finished one day before the ship would hit an iceberg.
In his letter, Alexander described the ship as “a giant in size and fitted like a palatial hotel. The food and drink is excellent.” Alexander mentioned seeing millionaire John Jacob Astor. About Jacob Astor, he said, “He looks like any other human being even tho he has millions of money.”
This letter, salt stained from the ocean, was found Alexander’s pocket notebook when his body was recovered. Alexander’s wife, Mary, survived the sinking of the Titanic, by boarding lifeboat #8.
Alexander’s letter was sold in 2017 for $166,000 by the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in London. The letter is considered “the most important Titanic letter we ever auctioned” as classified by the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house. The rarity and the historical context added to its value.
One sentence which stands out in the Alexander’s letter says, “If all goes well, we will arrive in New York Wednesday AM.” However, as you know, the Titanic, did not make it. The Titanic sank early on Monday morning.
Life is uncertain. Surely, Alexander never thought the Titanic, on its maiden voyage, would sink to the bottom of the ocean. The Titanic was to be the greatest ship in the world. It was the ship of dreams. However, the voyage never finished.
As Christians, we know that life is uncertain. We should remember the word of James, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4.15)
Life is uncertain, but your eternity does not have to be.
I know many people would prefer to say, “We are the church and we go to the building”, but the term, “go to church” can mean when one attends or goes to the assembly.
The question this week is, “Why do you go to church?”
In a recent article found in the Spring 2020 issue of Preaching magazine, J. D. Greear cites some research from Great Britain regarding religious practices. The research referenced that “70% of British people never anticipate going into a church in their lifetime.” These results shown the British may be more secularized than anyone may think.
Dr. Greear also stated that these results did not indicate they were mad at the church or trying to avoid it. The research shows those surveyed could not see a reason to go to church.
Can you imagine 70% of a nation (if the survey is consistent) would see no reason to attend services of the church? What if those results were the same in our country? What about in our state? What about in the Gadsden area?
Acts, the book of history in the New Testament, reveals that the early church met together every day and found encouragement. Not only did they continue to teach one another (Acts 5.42) but they also shared what they had with each other (Acts 2.44).
Not only did the early church meet to worship (Acts 2.42) but they continued to meet because of their relationship. It was necessary for them to meet to “stir up one another.” (Hebrews 10.24)
So, back to the question, “Why do you go to church?”
Several years ago, an article crossed my desk titled, “Most Costly Celebrity Divorces.” Normally, I would ignore an article like that, but curiosity got the best of me. The article was nothing more than an article about the divorce settlement in terms of money. The article never discussed the “cost of divorce” without terms of money. Divorce costs lives, relationships and more.
Marriage is more costly than money. A great marriage is an investment, not only in your future, but for future generations. A bad marriage is a costly expense, not only in your life, but in the lives of future generations.
Your marriage not only affects you, but it influences your children on the type of marriage they will have. As the Bible says, our lights will shine for others to see. (Matthew 5.14-16) We provide an example to others regarding marriage. If we speak harsh about marriage, others will see it as harsh. If we speak well of marriage, others will see it differently than before.
How to Improve the Value of Marriage:
Value Marriage – To improve the value of marriage, you must value marriage. The Bible places a high value on marriage as it uses it as an illustration of Christ and the church. (See Ephesians 5.22-33)
Work on Your Marriage – Marriage takes work. Some people believe that once the wedding is over it is all happily ever after. Instead, marriage takes work. Submission takes work. Responsibility takes work. (See Ephesians 5.22-33)
Believe the 100/100 truth – The typical saying is that marriage is 50/50, but the truth is that marriage is 100/100. When two people enter a relationship and only give 50%, there will be problems. When two people enter marriage giving 100%, they will become one flesh and grow their marriage.
A few days ago, the church phone rang. A local funeral home was calling for a family requesting a church of Christ minister to perform a funeral, and the funeral would be the next day.
Over my brief years in ministry, this situation has happened various times. A loved one dies and it leaves the family with hard decisions, but many of those are quick decisions. Typically, without knowledge of an area, the family reaches out to a funeral home and asks them if they can find a minister. A few days ago, the call came to me.
Typically, these calls are unique. The one who passed may not have family in the immediate area, and the family needs some help. Other times, the family is unfamiliar with churches in the area, so they ask the funeral home to pick one. Still other times, like this one, the family is specific with their requests.
After clearing some time and moving some things around, I spoke with a member of the family regarding the loved one. He spoke of the quick decisions they needed to make in such a short period. Family would come in from another state, local friends may show up, but they were not sure. It was a confusing time for them.
Funerals are one of the difficult things to process in a time of a loved one’s death. There are decisions needing to be made, but the overwhelming thought of making those decisions, the cost and the time arrangements can be difficult.
Emotions run high at times like this. Families might see each other for the first time in many months or even years. Travel plans have been made as quickly as possible and the hope is everyone makes it and keeps it together.
When I arrived at the funeral home, the mood was quiet. Various family members scattered throughout the viewing room were talking and catching up on old times. Some sat quiet; possibly in thought of the man lying in the casket. Still others were just there. Their facial expressions held no emotion. It was almost like it was a formality.
There are situations you talk about when getting an education to prepare you for those future moments, but there was never a course on how to handle situations like this. What is a preacher to say? How does a minister conduct a funeral of someone he does not know?
To add to the confusion for a moment, there was no obituary. The family had decided against one.
Typically, a preacher can gain some insights from an obituary. It lists the occupation, the family, hobbies, church affiliation or even a passing thought; but without an obituary, there is not much there.
So, what do you say in a time like this?
With no insights from the family, all I had to go on was a name, a birth date, and ending date and a church affiliation.
The morning before the funeral I poured over thoughts, articles and information about the eyes of this man’s life. The information was massive. The advancements in technology during his lifetime were staggering. The world events were historic.
The man was born 24 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He grew up in the shadow of World War II. When he was 10 years old, the first coast-to-coast phone call was made in our country. He experienced the excitement as man Alan Shepard soared into space to become the first man in orbit. He would watch with others and man set foot on the moon. He would see prosperity and recession. His life would see many things.
Religiously, I know he attended church around here. His son, in a brief conversation, told me of growing up at a congregation near me. He spoke of his father’s attendance.
As the service began, I spoke of the times of the man’s upbringing and how things were different throughout his life. How many of the things he probably experienced seem odd to us today, yet he continued through those times.
Psalm 28 became my text. While some focus on Psalm 23, the end of Psalm 28 speaks volumes to someone who follows God.
Blessed be the Lord!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
(Psalm 28.6-9; ESV)
What encouraging words of David as he speaks of the exceptional power and saving grace of God toward His people. David knew first-hand the protection and the mercy God has upon those who are His children.
While you are speaking, looking out over an audience wearing masks has been odd. It is difficult to read facial expressions because over half of a person’s face is covered. Preaching has been unique in this regard, but this funeral was a little more unique.
As I spoke of the protection of God, I noticed no tears. No one seemed to be emotional about the passing of this man. Instead, it was a little eerie.
Typically, you can still see people’s eyes and you can see them tear up or wipe their eyes, but not that day. No one made a sound. There was not even an allergy sniffle. You can blame it on Covid-19 the Coronavirus or whatever you want, but it was unique.
After the service was over, no one spoke. I spoke with the son one more time. He thanked me for my time and I told him it was my honor. Everyone went to their cars.
Driving home, my mind raced of the oddity that I had just experienced. What if that was my family?
Was there some big event that happened among the family and I did not know about?
Maybe everyone had already grieved and the funeral was a time of closure for them?
Maybe everyone was just in shock of the passing?
What if the family had no relationship with each other and they did not know how to act?
Maybe this man and said his goodbyes and gave the family a word of peace before he departed this life?
What if the family genes had no tear glands?
I was grasping at anything to make the situation better. Even today, several days removed from the event, it still crosses my mind.
I wonder what it will be like when one of my family members passes? Will the family show up? Will we stare at each other? Will we tear up knowing that someone has left the Earth?
What will it be like at my funeral? Will my children show up and talk? Will they give an emotional tear to me leaving this life? Will anyone even notice?
These questions are what some struggle with their entire life. I have seen it first hand in the lives of Christians and non-Christians. I have watched people hold on until the last moment because they did not know what would happen after they passed.
I have heard people tell their families to get along after they are gone. I have been asked to help families stay together after someone leaves the Earth.
Death is a mysterious event. For some, it is a blessing. For others, it is scary. Some cry on their way to the other side and others scream until they cannot scream anymore. It is just a mysterious event that each one of us will go through at some point.
How do you handle death?
The recent events of a man I did not know made my mind spin. I wonder about his family, his life, his last moments.
Being in ministry for 23 years now, I have learned a few things. One of those things being, you can learn much about a person or a group of people at a major life event; birth, death, baptism, etc. You can see how a family reacts and responds and see the relationship they have or have had.
My thought today is this, how is your family?
Some families will only be together at a funeral home. It might be a tragic event that brings them close.
My appeal to you is not to let that be the only time your family gathers.
Don’t let your next gathering be an oddity at the passing of a family member.
From coffee cups, water bottles, and even snack containers; these are the items that litter many church auditoriums following brief periods of worship. Stuffed in the pockets of the seats are handwritten notes regarding the afternoon activities and future events of the day. In fact, the newest church seats resemble theatre seats equipped with cup holders more than the pews of piety from years past. The flashes of light against a screen, called PowerPoint, are the highlight of the service instead of humbly bowing before the Almighty.
Each Sunday for one hour members fill an auditorium for “worship.” For many, this may be the only time each week they worship God. For others, this will begin their week of worship. While each person may be drastically different, we all understand that worship is a part of our lives. The question may be, “How well do we respect our worship?”
My friends, I submit to you today, that we clearly see our respect for God in our worship of Him.
Let me pose a few questions for you to consider:
If our minds are not focused on the Father during the week, how can one hour on Sunday morning suffice?
If our worship is filled with what we want, when do we live in what God wants?
Do our children see us worshipping God, or respecting the world?
Hard questions deserve hard answers!
Take a moment and consider the words of A. W. Tozer this day:
“Christian churches have come to the dangerous time predicted long ago. It is a time when we can pat one another on the back, congratulate ourselves and join in the glad refrain, ‘We are rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing!’
“It certainly is true that hardly anything is missing from our churches these days—except the most important thing. We are missing the genuine and sacred offering of ourselves and our worship to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.…
“My own loyalties and responsibilities are and always will be with the strongly evangelical, Bible-believing, Christ-honoring churches. We have been surging forward. We are building great churches and large congregations. We are boasting about high standards and we are talking a lot about revival.
“But I have a question and it is not just rhetoric: What has happened to our worship?"
A. W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1985), 9–10.
Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (810). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Just some thoughts,
OurWork
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