Your life - a poem. Philippians 4.1

“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”  Paul’s love for the Philippians just screams off the page, doesn’t it?  I can relate to Paul’s feelings for those to whom he ministered . . . oh boy, can I!  You see, ->when God calls an individual to serve, he places within his or her heart a supernatural love for the people to whom he sends her.  Sometimes it means treading into deep water, murky water, but always it means an opportunity to point people to God.

Recently, I was asked to do a difficult thing, (referenced briefly in my writing two weeks ago).  From across 3000 miles she asked, ‘Would you be willing to give an agnostic blessing at my husband’s memorial?’  My mind instantly reeled.  Agnostic blessing?  Isn’t that a contrast in terms?  I knew what my answer had to be, and that God would supply what was needed. “Yes, I would be honored,” I knew at once that it was a brilliant opportunity (and responsibility) to love well, in many respects.  ‘Hmmm . . . I am wondering if it might be okay to read a beautiful poem in Donald’s memory—in tribute to his life’ . . . to my relief, she agreed at once.

After stopping by the home of this family I have known--but not really known, because of their bent toward privacy--for 8 years, I noted that the front of the ‘memory folder’ described Donald as having lived with ‘passion and purpose’.  As I drove away, I thought to myself, ‘Huh—passion and purpose--I often talk about those things, and how those who follow Jesus ought be people of both!  But . . . here, the wife had chosen to describe her 46-year-old ‘agnostic’ husband the same way!’  How much purpose is there really, in a life that ends with our last breath?  How much purpose is there to our days if there is nothing that comes after them?  How much passion can there be if we were not created on and for a purpose?  ‘Interesting how different, how shallow those words seem without God.  And where do you turn when you are dying and have no relationship with the Eternal? 

“Oh God, please, you must give me something for this family—that will honor Donald’s memory, just as he was, and yet honors You!  Lord, there are going to be so many people there from our small surf town and from the larger Southern California sports community—please God, give me something.”  So I googled ‘poetry: passion and purpose’ and in one response found that the oldest word for poetry in ancient Greek is poesis, which means "making."  Now that rung a bell.  I remembered the apostle Paul said, we are God’s ‘masterpiece’ in Ephesians 2.10.  Another Bible translation uses the word ‘craftsmanship’ . . . but that is only in English, because the word Paul used was also an ancient Greek word, poema.  Hold that thought for a moment … poesis – making; poema – masterpiece.   Ahhh . . . ‘see where I’m going?

I kept searching for something that would capture these things about Donald – husband, father, son, brother, competitor, friend, thoughtful, neighbor Don … No, twould be tough to find a poem to capture the full essence of this most remarkable individual.  Indeed, no poem could capture Donald, for he was poesis – he was the poem, created. 

[That concluded that portion of my eulogy.  God had come through—beautiful inspiration for Donald’s life, then I moved on and offered words of Christian hope to his ‘spiritual’ wife and children, and the standing-room only crowd of about 500 . . . God gave me what was needful, and it was more than beautiful.] 

Permit me to shift this to you now . . . friend, think of it—what words describe you?  What adjectives?  You can try to describe yourself, but only One can capture you, for only One fully knows you – the One that called you a masterpiece – a poema.  _____, ________, _______, ___, ___________, _____, ______, ________.  Whatever you put in those blanks, as God’s child, he sees you as beloved, cleansed, forgiven, delightful, remarkable, lovely, unique, and redeemed.  Let no one take those from you, my beloved.  Paul reminds us to stand firm in the Lord, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2.10

 You are a beautiful masterpiece,

       created in the mind and image of God,

              now go and live accordingly, my dear ones. 

                     Let no one or no thing deter you.  Amen.

Christine

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