Graduated to Glory!
Fred, my step-dad, has ended his fight with cancer. He has died. The conversations we had at New Years were the last face to face in depth conversations that he and I shared. We did talk on the phone during the intervening months and I was able to make it across the country be with him at the end. We (my mom, one of my brothers, and my step-sister) were with him, surrounding him and lifting him in prayer. His long battle ended with a gentle sigh. The last words he spoke in this world were, “I love you (all).”
His obituary as published, is:
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Fredrick M. Server
Fred Server’s pilgrimage on earth ended Wednesday, March 14, 2007. His Father called him home. A celebration of his life and death will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2007 at Village Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers the family requests that gifts be made to the Village Baptist missions programs.
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The newspaper uses a whopping eleven lines, four sentences to declare the end of Fred’s life. The obituary before his is 33 lines, the one after is 45 lines for a family-less indigent hospice patient. Some of the obituaries are more than 100 lines.
Why is this important? There have been some ‘complaints’ that Fred’s obituary did not do him ‘justice’. Never mind the fact that Fred wrote it himself. A careful look at his obituary comparatively tells one everything they need to know about Fred.
You see, the other obituaries tell us what jobs the people had, where they lived, where they were born, how they died, who they left behind, who in their families were already gone and a myriad of mundane details.
There is nothing that tells us of the ‘heart’ of the person. Fred’s obituary tells us where his heart was. He knew he was a ‘pilgrim’ (Hebrews 11:13-16, 1 Peter 2:11). This world was not Fred’s home (and home is where the heart is). Fred knew who his Father was (Romans 8:14-16, Galatians 4:4-6). Finally, we know by his request to support missions that Fred continues earnestly to want to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone.
What more do we need to know about Fred?
Okay, today I will tell you one more thing about Fred.
Fred spent time studying the Word daily (Acts 17:11). He recorded his ‘Quiet Time’ in a journal. He was studying the book of Job – an upright man stricken as a testament to God. The last words Fred wrote, “‘I know that my Redeemer lives... one day I will see him face to face’ [1]– The hand of God has put this cancer upon me. I don’t understand why and I don’t have to. I want to say with Job, ‘Tho he slay me, yet will I trust HIM!’” [2]
[1] Job 19:25-27
[2] Job 13:15
His obituary as published, is:
--
Fred Server’s pilgrimage on earth ended Wednesday, March 14, 2007. His Father called him home. A celebration of his life and death will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2007 at Village Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers the family requests that gifts be made to the Village Baptist missions programs.
--
The newspaper uses a whopping eleven lines, four sentences to declare the end of Fred’s life. The obituary before his is 33 lines, the one after is 45 lines for a family-less indigent hospice patient. Some of the obituaries are more than 100 lines.
Why is this important? There have been some ‘complaints’ that Fred’s obituary did not do him ‘justice’. Never mind the fact that Fred wrote it himself. A careful look at his obituary comparatively tells one everything they need to know about Fred.
You see, the other obituaries tell us what jobs the people had, where they lived, where they were born, how they died, who they left behind, who in their families were already gone and a myriad of mundane details.
There is nothing that tells us of the ‘heart’ of the person. Fred’s obituary tells us where his heart was. He knew he was a ‘pilgrim’ (Hebrews 11:13-16, 1 Peter 2:11). This world was not Fred’s home (and home is where the heart is). Fred knew who his Father was (Romans 8:14-16, Galatians 4:4-6). Finally, we know by his request to support missions that Fred continues earnestly to want to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone.
What more do we need to know about Fred?
Okay, today I will tell you one more thing about Fred.
Fred spent time studying the Word daily (Acts 17:11). He recorded his ‘Quiet Time’ in a journal. He was studying the book of Job – an upright man stricken as a testament to God. The last words Fred wrote, “‘I know that my Redeemer lives... one day I will see him face to face’ [1]– The hand of God has put this cancer upon me. I don’t understand why and I don’t have to. I want to say with Job, ‘Tho he slay me, yet will I trust HIM!’” [2]
[1] Job 19:25-27
[2] Job 13:15
posted by Unchained Slave at 6:15 AM
1 Comments:
Hi David,
For a man of few words, Fred said a lot, and the tone of his life spoke volumes more.
When a person writes their own obituary, it's a premeditation of what thier voice would be from beyond the grave. The blood of Abel cried out over wrong doing; the voice of Fred speaks better things than that of Abel, which shows us that he knew a better covenant and the one who gave it, who Himself faced death with triumph.
No offense to Abel, who knows Him now. But I hope you see the thought that struck me in this, because of the hope that Jesus gives us. His peace be with you.
Loren
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