It's Friday....but Sunday is Coming!

Make sure your volume is up. I love this song!

I have tried to find the words to adequately express the new excitement that I have in celebrating Easter. I was always thankful for Christ's death and resurrection and appreciated its significance. But now it has taken on a whole new meaning. Not only does Christ's sacrifice and the miracle of His resurrection save me from my sins and give me eternal life, but it also provides me with the thing I so desperately want -- a reunion with Robbie! And not a short, casual reunion but one that will last for eternity. That's pretty awesome.

I used to think that when I got to heaven, I would race for Robbie, probably passing quickly beside Jesus. Now, however, I realize that the only reason my Robbie is safe and waiting patiently for me in heaven is because of Christ's unbelievable sacrifice and His submission to fulfil God's plan of salvation. For that I am eternally grateful. (pun intended!)

I am adding the remarks given by my boss and dear friend, Judge Arth*ur Ke*lsey, at Robbie's memorial service. They are inspiring and get me very excited.

Bob and Lauren: Everyone in this Sanctuary came here to tell you one thing: We love you. The two of you are deeply loved. By your family, your friends, your colleagues. Your brave and faithful response to Robbie’s death shows that you are also especially loved by God.

Robbie was a bright, joyful flash of light in your lives, a fleeting burst of new life. From all appearances, it looks as though his light has been put out, his new life extinguished. But let me remind you of what you already know: appearances are deceiving. Do not trust them or allow your emotions to be governed by them.

The truth is – Robbie’s light still shines. It is no longer a flash of a shooting star, it is now more like the radiance of an astral sun. His brief burst of life may have come and gone in this world, that much is true, but it has become an everlasting life in the world to come.

How do we know this to be true? We know it because we know Jesus Christ. To us, Christ was not just a moral philosopher – He was and is God incarnate, the eternal Logos who created the world and will be the one to end it. He came to earth as the Second Adam and took upon his shoulders the sins of the First.

It was Christ who declared that those accepted into the covenant of grace will never die. They simply leave one dimension of reality and enter into another. Our most favored poets, our most trusted theologians, our most learned scholars – they all admit that even their best speculations badly underestimate the splendor of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Robbie now sees what we can barely imagine. He has sailed over the horizon of death and landed on the shores of the City of God. He left us a mere child. For all we know, this very day, he now serves as an armor-bearer for angels. C.S. Lewis is right: If we were to see Robbie now, in all his glory, we might very well be tempted to worship him.

Robbie also now knows with certitude something we often doubt. And that is the only thing that matters in heaven is what we do for God on earth. What did Robbie do for God on earth? Did he build a bridge or write a book or split an atom? No. He did much more. He brought you love. He brought you happiness. He brought you joy. The greatest feats of the proudest man cannot compare favorably with that.

We believe these truths, to be sure, but how can we still not ask why? Why Lord? Let me say two things to you about this question.

First, I believe you should distrust anyone who attempts to answer this question for you. Not one of us participates in the councils of God or speaks on behalf of the Almighty concerning providential matters of life and death. On such things, God and God alone pronounces judgment. Everyone else falls into the category of Job’s counselors, with whom God was not well pleased.

Second, do not let your heart condemn you for asking this question. Jesus Himself, while dying on the cross, cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sa-bach-thani” – My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Every person on the hill of Golgotha heard Jesus ask that question: the Romans who executed him, the Sanhedrin who accused him, and the disciples who served him. They all waited to hear God’s answer. But on that dark day no answer was given. Many walked away from that scene thinking no answer was given because there was no answer to give. But they were badly mistaken. On the third day, Resurrection Sunday, God gave his answer. The world has never been the same since.

Bob and Lauren, today is Friday, but Sunday’s coming. On that Day of Resurrection, God will wipe away every tear you shed, answer every question you ask, and reunite you both with your beloved son.

Maranatha - Lord, come quickly.
Master, I prayed many times with Bob and Lauren about Robbie. Each time, we prayed that Robbie would follow us into the Kingdom. But you have decreed that we shall follow him. We acknowledge you as sovereign and holy. We admit that the mysteries of your will baffle us, but we trust both your goodness and your power.

Continue to fill Bob and Lauren with your Holy Spirit. May they not go a single day without experiencing your mercy and grace. May their love for each other grow in strength and resolve. And may the promise of being reunited with Robbie fill their hearts with invincible hope and show the world around them the power of the Gospel.

In your holy name we pray, Amen.



Pictures from www.freefoto.com