Tag: Eulogy

Posted on

Sweets for the soul.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Sweets to the sweet,” Shakespeare writes in Hamlet, where Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude says this in Act 5, scene 1 of Hamlet at Ophelia’s funeral, spreading flowers on her grave.

Sweet words spoken to one another are far more effective and necessary IN someone’s life, rather than at the end of someone’s life. I say this at every funeral. There is a moment in most memorial services where someone eulogizes the loved one who has passed. The word eulogy is two words in greek, combined into one, “good word.” It is often translated in the New Testament as “blessing.” When parents brought their children to Jesus and the disciples wanted to stop them, feeling like it was bothering the Master; Jesus said “Do not block or barr” the children from coming to me. Then Jesus blessed them, he eulogized them – speaking good words over their lives.

This is not only the high standard of how we should treat one another, it is also a wonderful piece of proverbial wisdom. Because, when we speak kind or good words, it’s like we pass out candy to a toddler’s delight! Our words become tasty, and thus healthy to the soul. Honey is said to have incredible health benefits for our body. And here, among the wisdom sayings, it is listed as caricature for both soul and body.

When we speak kindness, we speak health! When we use kind words in our conversations, it’s like we are handing out free blessings as trick-or-treaters come to our door on hallow’s eve. When we greet those who serve us with kind words, we are like the sweet grandma that always has candy handy for her grandchildren. This proverb is a reminder, not only that this is how Jesus spoke to children and adults, representing the very nature and character of God. But also, what happens when we choose to speak sweetly, kindly to each other. So share a chocolate kiss in words to the next person you greet!

Prayer

Dad,
I am reminded of Paul’s words to the churches in Rome, that your kindness is intended to lead us to repentance! Thank you for pouring out the sweet, healing nature of your word. Thank your for mercifully, gently, patiently pouring out grace and speaking life over us and into us. Help us simply do the same for others, as you have done to us. Amen.

Posted on

Blood much thicker than water.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peter is a family man. He was married and possibly had kids. The Chosen series portrays Peter and his wife as having a tragic miscarriage, maybe so.

Here in his letter to the churches he writes about how family (wives and husbands) should behave, then naturally talks about how the Church should behave. Some churches, especially as they age, seem to gain a reputation of treating their own members worse than their own blood family. Peter doesn’t mention it, but it is a Biblical truth. The church, the body of Christ does share blood! They share the blood of Christ that washed and cleaned up each and every one of us who believe. So, as followers of Christ, His blood is way thicker than water!

Peter states the obvious that is often missed or purposely ignored in “the Church.” This was true then and it’s just as true today. The family of God should be of one mind, a word that speaks of harmony or frequency, no sharp dissonance in our words and behaviors towards each other. Then Peter uses one of the 23 “one another’s,” mentioned in the New Testament. He writes, sympathize with each other. Have a shared passionate suffering as though you were mourning together. Peter couples that word with the Greek word, “eusplagchnos,” which root word, “splagxnon,” is a medical term. Splagxnon are the visceral organs! Our “bowels” as they exercise positive gut-level empathy.

We must get away from treating each other so awful that it’s worse than what one faces in the culture of the world! He admonishes the Church to BE tender, BE humble. Then lays on the tough part, DO NOT RETALIATE! Don’t give evil for evil or insult for reviling, abuse.

But Peter, that’s exactly what we do! We were hurt badly, so we MUST hurt back! We were treated horribly, so we must return the favor! We don’t need to bless them, we need to teach them a lesson. They need a lesson, not a blessin’. People shouldn’t be mean and vicious in Church, but if they are, we will give it back to them a thousand times worse because it’s what they deserve!

This is why the Church can be such a difficult place to gather together because we’ve used the Bible as an excuse to judge and condemn each other. When we treat each other horribly, we are NOT behaving Biblically. Forgive, reconcile, keep no records of wrong! Peter begs us to employ God’s method of behavior towards us, “pay them back with a blessing,” and MEAN IT! Don’t fake a blessing, make it real. This word, “blessing” is the word Eulogy. You know, saying good words at someone’s funeral. Use the eulogy, speaking good words back, when someone is speaking vile about you. Find good in them. Find good in what God thinks of them. Then, speak it back and eulogize (bless) them. We’ve got to fix this about Church. We’ve got to start being Biblical instead of vomiting our supposed righteous indignation all over the family of God. It starts with us, let’s do it God’s way when we gather!

Prayer

Dad,
You know I hate the way we treat each other in Church, when we gather as the family of God, followers of Jesus. I am at blame as well. You know I’ve always hated it since I got deep into the culture of the church and saw what goes on behind the wizard’s curtain, otherwise known as “church leadership.” Sadly, I wanted to keep the young in age or in faith, far away from the inner workings of the church because it no longer looked like Jesus. We’ve got to do better, we’ve got to be better. We desperately need you to correct us, help us stay open and tender. Absolutely forgive us for misunderstanding the application of grace and truth by using power instead of humility. Wash our mouths out with your Spirit soap of mercy and make us clean. Amen.