My Sermon at Jeff's Burial service
Jeff Smith died, and with him goes much knowledge and joy for Gethsemane. It will be a little more empty without him around, it will be a little more predictable as well. Below is the homily I preached at his burial service.
HOMILY FOR JEFF SMITH'S BURIAL SERVICE Matthew 5:2-11
I walked away from last nights time of sharing stories about Jeff with one clear conclusion, I am grateful I was never in the same car as Jeff while he was driving.
The other characteristic of Jeff that I heard in stories shared last night, a characteristic most of us knew resided in Jeff’s heart, was his willingness to help others. Jeff would not think twice about helping people, whether it meant getting them home from Church, drying out basements or racing to Gethsemane to turn off the alarm, Jeff never thought twice about such action, it was his nature to help, to heal, to rescue, to be present when others were too busy.
Shortly after my son was diagnosed with Leukemia and we had returned home from the hospital, I experienced Jeff, and Jane’s instinctual desire to help. Jane reached out to us and set up a regular dinner delivery to our home. On one of those days Jane and Jeff brought one of the infamous dishes that Sara, the kids and I devoured as if we had never eaten food before. I remember that day well as Jeff was talking abut how he had been forgetting how to get to places, he knew where things were, he saw the buildings and destinations in his mind but he just could not remember how to arrive at his desired destination. It was not long after the tumor was discovered and his cancer brought us all together in ways that we still have yet to discover.
Again, from Revelation, “See, the home of God is among mortals. God will dwell with them; they will be God’s peoples, and God will be with them; God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” In his compassion, in his love and in his care for others, Jeff embodied what it meant to see God among mortals. In his outstretched hand to someone lying on the sidewalk bleeding, in his opening of the door to his car to admit the entrance of someone who had just been shot, Jeff, and Jane both, walked among us as God would have us all walk with each other. Jeff’s actions, his unflinching willingness to serve others and the love that Jane and Jeff shared revealed to all of us Gods powerful presence in the world. It is sad to have lost someone with such joy and passion for life as Jeff had, it is difficult to imagine the future without him. The only consolation I have left is that Jeff lived a full life, he used the time he had on this earth to do what God requires of all of us, to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.
We have all experienced Jeff in some form of the beatitudes, the Gospel read today, we saw him as poor in spirit, as meek, as a peacemaker. Jeff’s work among us as any one of those beatitudes is a sign of God’s blessing. In those moments, as we remember them, as we bring to mind those little memories that cause us to stop in our tracks and remember Jeff or even wish that that he was still here, we are blessed, those are the moments that Jeff has given us, not simply as his presence in our lives, but as God’s presence in this world. Jeff brought together all sorts of different people under one umbrella. Jeff revealed to so many how the Kingdom of God was coming into the world.
Jeff lived his life, whether he knew or not, with great passion for God’s beloved people in this world. He lived his life in the sure and certain hope that meekness was the way of God, that peace, righteousness and justice would finally and someday prevail. And mostly that God’s future in this world would be a time of mercy, of compassion not of cruelty. And so, as we celebrate this life, as we celebrate this man, remember that we are to live this life now, even when it seems utterly foolish to do so, for in the end we will all be blessed as Jeff is surely blessed in returning to the warm loving embrace of God. Amen.
Jeffrey G. Smith, rest in peace.
Be well,
A+
HOMILY FOR JEFF SMITH'S BURIAL SERVICE Matthew 5:2-11
I walked away from last nights time of sharing stories about Jeff with one clear conclusion, I am grateful I was never in the same car as Jeff while he was driving.
The other characteristic of Jeff that I heard in stories shared last night, a characteristic most of us knew resided in Jeff’s heart, was his willingness to help others. Jeff would not think twice about helping people, whether it meant getting them home from Church, drying out basements or racing to Gethsemane to turn off the alarm, Jeff never thought twice about such action, it was his nature to help, to heal, to rescue, to be present when others were too busy.
Shortly after my son was diagnosed with Leukemia and we had returned home from the hospital, I experienced Jeff, and Jane’s instinctual desire to help. Jane reached out to us and set up a regular dinner delivery to our home. On one of those days Jane and Jeff brought one of the infamous dishes that Sara, the kids and I devoured as if we had never eaten food before. I remember that day well as Jeff was talking abut how he had been forgetting how to get to places, he knew where things were, he saw the buildings and destinations in his mind but he just could not remember how to arrive at his desired destination. It was not long after the tumor was discovered and his cancer brought us all together in ways that we still have yet to discover.
Again, from Revelation, “See, the home of God is among mortals. God will dwell with them; they will be God’s peoples, and God will be with them; God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” In his compassion, in his love and in his care for others, Jeff embodied what it meant to see God among mortals. In his outstretched hand to someone lying on the sidewalk bleeding, in his opening of the door to his car to admit the entrance of someone who had just been shot, Jeff, and Jane both, walked among us as God would have us all walk with each other. Jeff’s actions, his unflinching willingness to serve others and the love that Jane and Jeff shared revealed to all of us Gods powerful presence in the world. It is sad to have lost someone with such joy and passion for life as Jeff had, it is difficult to imagine the future without him. The only consolation I have left is that Jeff lived a full life, he used the time he had on this earth to do what God requires of all of us, to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.
We have all experienced Jeff in some form of the beatitudes, the Gospel read today, we saw him as poor in spirit, as meek, as a peacemaker. Jeff’s work among us as any one of those beatitudes is a sign of God’s blessing. In those moments, as we remember them, as we bring to mind those little memories that cause us to stop in our tracks and remember Jeff or even wish that that he was still here, we are blessed, those are the moments that Jeff has given us, not simply as his presence in our lives, but as God’s presence in this world. Jeff brought together all sorts of different people under one umbrella. Jeff revealed to so many how the Kingdom of God was coming into the world.
Jeff lived his life, whether he knew or not, with great passion for God’s beloved people in this world. He lived his life in the sure and certain hope that meekness was the way of God, that peace, righteousness and justice would finally and someday prevail. And mostly that God’s future in this world would be a time of mercy, of compassion not of cruelty. And so, as we celebrate this life, as we celebrate this man, remember that we are to live this life now, even when it seems utterly foolish to do so, for in the end we will all be blessed as Jeff is surely blessed in returning to the warm loving embrace of God. Amen.
Jeffrey G. Smith, rest in peace.
Be well,
A+
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