It's in the Lord's Hands: Funeral Sermon for Bob Key

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and from our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A few months ago, one of my congregation members stopped me in church. She asked me whether or not I had seen Bob and Dale recently. My schedule had been rather hectic, and I admitted that I had not. "You need to go see them," she said. I told her that I would.

Later that week, I made it a point to stop by, and that’s when Bob revealed to me that the doctor had diagnosed him with cancer. He and Dale knew they faced a decision of monumental proportions. Should he go ahead and have a biopsy and face the possibility of a collapsed lung? Should he undergo chemotherapy treatments? The doctor said that they probably wouldn’t extend his life much, should he put himself through the debilitating series of treatment, or should he let nature run its course.

At times like these, I know better than to tell a person what to do. I’ll ask pointed questions. I’ll raise possibilities, but when all is said and done, I know that such decisions are made by the person as he or she consults with family, friends, and with God. This is where we left it at the end of the visit, but I promised to check in more regularly as things progressed.

A week or so later, I called Bob and inquired of what his decision was. He straightforwardly said that he decided not to take any treatments. He decided not to have his lung biopsied. He was going to face the future without these things that he knew would drag his already weakened body further down. He then spoke these words to me, "I guess it’s in the Lord’s hands."

"Yes, it is, Bob" I said. "Yes it is."

Many times, it’s hard for us to place things in God’s hands. Many times it’s hard for us to let go of our worry, our fears, our doubts, or even the idea that there is something we can do to change our fortunes, change the outcome of our lives, or change something that is happening to us. There is something within us that wants to fight, to handle everything on our own, to strive for the last breath with every ounce within us. Few of us have the resolve to place ourselves into the strong hands of our heavenly Father. Few of us have the will to say, "Lord, whatever happens, happens. I trust you to get me there."

But that is exactly what Jesus tells his followers in our second lesson that we heard just a few moments ago. Let me set the scene for you. Jesus had just shared the Last Supper with them. He had informed them moments before that one would betray him. He informed them he would be going away from them and they could not follow him. He then informed Peter, the leader of the disciples that he would betray Jesus before the cock crowed three times. The disciples were perplexed. They were anxious. Their fears arose. What would they do without their leader? How would they continue on?

Jesus responds to their anxiousness by saying, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4And you know the way to the place where I am going."

Ah, but Jesus words didn’t satisfy all of the disciples. Thomas looked at Jesus and said, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

And Jesus replied, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me."
In a very real, tangible way, Jesus was telling his followers, "Trust me. Trust that I’ve got you covered. Trust that I will care for you and take care of you. Trust that no matter what happens to you, I will be there. And even if the worst should come to pass–if your life should be taken from you, I will take you to a place I have prepared for you. Do not worry. Do not fear. I’ve got you in my hands."

It’s in the Lord’s hands.

For a time, Bob did well. I visited once and he received a phone call from a good friend, and they had a chance to catch up on things. He was feeling pretty good and doing o.k. Until the day before Thanksgiving when he fell and broke his hip. Then things snowballed rather quickly. Surgery ensued. Bob developed sundowner’s syndrome thereafter. He went to Windsong to rehab. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for him.

Just over a week ago, I sat with Bob, Dale, and Barbara in Bob’s room at Windsong. The next day, he would be moving to Colonial Oaks. The cancer was spreading, and it had affected his ability to eat and keep food down. The nursing staff served him his dinner, and Dale helped him eat a few bites. We all knew things were really getting bad when he couldn’t eat much of the chocolate pudding he had especially saved. We visited for a few minutes before Bob excused himself. The food wasn’t setting well.

After taking a pill to settle his stomach, I pulled out my communion kit. There was another food Bob needed. The food of faith. In a matter of moments, that little room became a chapel holding the presence of God. In a matter of moments, Jesus presence surrounded us and entered us in, with, and under the bread and the wine of Holy Communion. Sins were forgiven. Faith was strengthened. And once again, we committed the future into the Lord’s hands.

It’s in the Lord’s hands.

Little did I know that in a matter of days, Bob’s health would spiral downward. Barely 72 hours later, I received a phone call from Barbara telling me that Bob was in really bad shape. She asked if I could come down and see them.

That late afternoon, we gathered around as Bob had entered into a morphine induced slumber. His body was shutting down. We knew the end was approaching. We visited about many things. We talked about who he was and the memories of all the things that he had done. We talked about his temper and how he could unleash it. We had a few things that made us laugh, even in the midst of the tears.

After some time, I excused myself to head back to Cat Spring. I stood at the bed side with Dale, and we prayed. Knowing that Bob was approaching the end, I prayed that he be commended into the waiting arms of Jesus, his Lord and Savior. I prayed that Jesus would wrap His arms around all of Bob’s family and friends. And I left knowing that the entire situation was where Bob had said it needed to be–in the Lord’s hands.

Bob entered into the hands of his Lord and Savior on Tuesday morning–the same day that was his father’s birthday. Today, we gather to celebrate his life and mourn that he is no longer with us. We celebrate getting to know all the things that made him special to us. We celebrate that he and Dale had 68 years together. We celebrate how he touched our lives. And we celebrate that he is no longer in pain and suffering.

But he will be missed, and these are the reasons for our tears, for we must be reminded today that Bob is not gone. We do not say good-by today. We say, "I’ll see you later." For as Christians we do not grieve as though there is no hope. No. Not at all. For you see, our lives are in the Lord’s hands too–just as Bob’s was. One day we will fall into those arms when our time on earth is done. We will go to be with Christ on that day and we will be reunited with Bob and all those who have gone before. We will come to that place that Christ has prepared, and we will be home–we will be in the Lord’s hands, and that is a very good place to be, now and always. Amen.