Marcus Redding Goes to a Funeral

Marcus sat in a classroom just down from the auditorium of Fairhaven Church of Christ. It was hot in there. All the members of his extended family were standing around waiting for the funeral to start. The air conditioning was trying unsuccessfully to cool them off. He’d have to call Ray’s Air Conditioning and Heating tomorrow.

Marcus was thinking about how long it had been since he had seen a lot of his extended family. They all knew he had fallen away but a lot of them didn’t know he had turned back to God. He noticed how they looked at the tattoos that crawled up his neck and the jagged scars on his hands.

One of the funeral directors poked his head in, “It’s time.” The family began the somber march through the foyer and down to the front of the auditorium. Marcus could hear his grandfather in his mind. He knew just what Grandpa Sam would say if he could talk to everyone.

He would tell them about Jesus’ funeral. Whenever Sam heard about how popular someone was or how many people he baptized or how many came to his funeral, Grandpa Sam would remind them Jesus only had two people at his funeral.

There could have been a thousand people at this funeral. Easily. Grandpa Sam was an elder of the church. He ran a successful insurance business. Member of the Rotary Club. Had a bunch of fishing buddies. Lived in Tyler all his life. Good reputation. Loved by everyone. But he had some clear instructions about his own services. He knew it was a time for remembering and grieving and saying goodbye but he wanted more attention paid to God than himself.

So he made arrangements. One scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Two prayers. One at the beginning and one at the end. Three songs. “Wonderful, Merciful Savior,” “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” “Amazing Grace.” The message would be a series of short eulogies written by his two children and his four grandchildren. The eulogies would be read by the minister. Sam had given Marcus and his dad instructions that each of the eulogies focus not on what Sam Redding had done for them, but what God had done for them through—or in spite of—Sam Redding.

Marcus was the youngest grandchild. His eulogy would come last. He thought it would take him a long time to write his thoughts, but once he sat down at Lauren’s laptop it only took him a few minutes. Here is the text of the eulogy he handed to the minister on the morning of the funeral:

“The God before whom my fathers David and Sam walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil…praise his name. God worked through Grandpa Sam to teach me his ways. I followed them when I was young. I fell away for a few years. Now God has redeemed me from all evil. My grandfather loved me unconditionally. He prayed for me in my dark days. He welcomed me back with open arms. He performed the ceremony when Lauren and I got married. He taught me about God. He set me a good example. He loved his neighbor as himself. I thank God for Sam Redding. I miss him. But I’m comforted to know that he is in the presence of the Lord. I will keep my faith in God through his son Jesus Christ so that I can be in the presence of the Lord with Grandpa Sam someday.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.