Benjamin B. Berner

Benjamin B. Berner
February 25, 2019
Isaiah 61:1-3
Psalm 23
2 Corinthians 4:13-17
John 6:37-40

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Jesus says, “this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

 You are here today because you knew Benji.  Or, perhaps, because you know his family.  In his short 44 years, Benji has touched many lives, and was deeply loved. I never met Benji, but I know some of his family members.  I am grateful that you all are here today to support Benji’s family.  They will need your continued love and support for a long time to come, I know.

In the gospel reading we just heard, from John, Jesus says, “this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”  In Baptism, Benji was given to Jesus, and Jesus has promised not to lose what is his.  Benji was something of a free spirit.  And Benji was baptized.  A free spirit who was claimed as God’s own forever.

A few minutes ago, we read Psalm 23 together.  Many people find Psalm 23 to be the most comforting thing in the entire Bible.  Maybe it’s the pastoral imagery, or maybe it’s because it reminds us that God is with us in the darkest times and deepest valleys of our lives.  Which is true, and worth remembering.

But what I really love about Psalm 23 is the original language of the part that gets translated as goodness and mercy following me.  The Hebrew word that becomes “follow” is actually more like chasing, or hunting down.  God’s goodness and mercy don’t follow us home, like a stray kitten.  No, God’s goodness and mercy hunt us down, like a tiger.  We cannot escape them, even if we wanted to.  God’s goodness and mercy are on your tail, chasing you throughout your life.

But, as we go through life, we all become disillusioned about some things.  I know from firsthand experience that it is easy to find ourselves giving up on God, either because of what we experience in life, or sometimes because of what we experience in the church.  And, although we might give up on God or the church, what matters is that God does not give up on us.  God’s love is relentless and will chase us down.  And when we think we have let go of God’s hand, we find that we are still safely nestled in the palm of God’s hand, the very place we have been all along.  We do not hold onto God:  God holds us.  No matter where our lives seem to take us.

Jesus says, “this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”  Benji is safely in the hands of God, the very place he has been all along.

Amen