A Celebration of Patrick

The text of Patrick's Celebration Service follows: (I've tried to do a "jump page" so the post isn't so long on this page but don't know if it will work - if it doesn't work, and if you can coach me on how to do it, please send me an email so I'll know better next time - I'm technically challenged).

Patrick K. Revere

May 23, 2011

We’re here to celebrate the life of a wonderful friend, brother, coworker …and of a loving husband and devoted father …Patrick Revere.  We’re also here to grieve our loss and to gather around Patrick’s family, around Alice, Seth, Silas, and the Nicelys and Zucks. We’re here to say to them, “We love Patrick, we love you, and we’re here for you.”

Let’s listen to the words of Jesus Christ:

            “Do you let your hearts be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

            And let’s listen to the words of Paul, the Apostle:

            “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:  that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one born out of due time.”

Christianity, faith in Jesus Christ, is supremely a recognition that the tomb of Christ is empty…that He rose from the dead…that He conquered death…and that by believing in Him we share in His victory over death.  Christianity stands or falls on the reality of Christ’s resurrection…there is no halfway ground…no tenable middle position.  The historical record tells us that He rose from the dead.  The lives of His people for 2,000 bear witness that He rose from the dead.  And today, this afternoon, in this place, even in the midst of our grief, those who place their trust in Him know, in their heart of hearts…that He rose from the dead…for He now lives within them.

Music

Readings and prayers

Hear again the words of the Apostle Paul: (Eugene Peterson’s Paraphrase – The Message

            Some skeptic is sure to ask, “Show me how resurrection works.  Give me a diagram; draw me a picture.  What does this resurrection body look like?”  If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is.  There are no diagrams for this kind of thing.  We do have parallel experience in gardening.  You plant a…seed; soon there is a flourishing plant.  There is no visual likeness between seed and plant.  You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed.  What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike.  The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.

            You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning.  Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies – humans, animals, birds, fish – each unprecedented in its form.  You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies – sun, moon, stars – all these varieties of beauty and brightness.  And we’re only looking at pre-resurrection seeds – who can imagine what the resurrection plants will be like.

            This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body – but only if you keep in mind that when we’re raised, we’re raised for good, alive forever!  The [body] that’s planted is no beauty, but when it’s raised, it’s glorious.  Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful.  The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural – same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!

            So we are taught that physical death is not the end of life…but rather a threshold to be crossed into the presence of God in expectation of the resurrection.  When we have placed our trust in Christ – as Patrick Revere did - we can trust His tender care through all the seasons of life.

SHARING BY THE CONGREGATION

Earlier this year I was cutting a tree down; I had tied the tree off in the direction I wanted it to fall; I had made the proper notch; and I thought I’d made the right felling cut – I was confident the tree would fall where I wanted it to. Problem was…I failed to account for the fact that the top of the tree was leaning in the opposite direction. I realized my mistake only when the tree came backwards and clamped down on the bar of my chainsaw the way an alligator’s jaws chomp down on a piece of meat – so there I was, shoulder against the tree and hand trying to free the chainsaw – hoping that if I could get the chainsaw out that the tree would settle back on itself and I could make a correcting cut. It was Bob against the tree and the tree was winning. Oh – did I mention that this particular tree was a bit too close to the house for my comfort?

            Just when I’d reached the limit of my strength a long arm appeared over my head and a big hand was on the tree – I couldn’t believe it. I looked up and asked, “Are you an angel?” It was Patrick Revere. Patrick had been walking with his dog Grommet, seen my dilemma, and there he was – hand on the tree, hand on my problem – just what you’d expect from a friend, just what you’d expect from Patrick.

            Some of us here this afternoon were boyhood friends of Patrick’s. You could tell us about his life as a foster child passed from home to home, you could tell us things that would make our hearts break with sorrow, you could tell us stories that would make us wonder how he ever made it to be the man, the husband, and the father that he was.

            But then you could also tell us about a wonderful family, the Nicelys, with whom Patrick came to live, and whom Patrick came to regard with love and respect and looked upon as family, as real family. His love and affection and respect for the Nicelys grew with each passing year – his appreciation for what they gave him and what they meant to him continued to ripen – you meant so much to him, and as Alice has come to know you, you have meant so much to her.

            Patrick was an athlete, and no doubt that if he had had a stable childhood where the issue of day-to-day existence wasn’t a constant concern, no doubt that if he had met the Nicelys earlier, he would have had an environment in which his athletic ability would have earned him a scholarship at the collegiate level. As it was Patrick was focused on survival, on just making it in those early years of his life into adulthood.

            If you’ve known Patrick from those early years you are here because you are his friend; and you know that Patrick valued friendship the way few of us do. If you were a friend of Patrick’s you didn’t have to be perfect, you didn’t have to do what he wanted you to do in order to remain his friend, and you needn’t worry about Patrick trying to manipulate you to get his own way in a situation.

            On the other hand, you know that Patrick would tell you what he thought – because while Patrick cared about the feelings of others he was not a man to lie – he would tell you what he thought. This was a quality Vickie and I especially loved about Patrick, he was honest and straightforward without guile, without deception – a virtue that is an example to me and possibly to you.

            Patrick loved living things; plants and animals. He loved trees, he loved to select them and plant them and nurture them and watch them grow. And of course he loved animals, from bulls and cows to dogs and cats and turtles and snakes. And if his bull was ill, or a snake was caught in a web of landscape netting, he would patiently and gently do what he could to minister to the hurting animal. Celtic and Edith and Grommet and Nature Boy – I can’t think of Patrick without thinking of his dogs.

            Patrick had a sense of humor that was so dry and understated that the unwary could be around him and not know that he was making a joke. I particularly enjoyed this facet of Patrick’s personality. And I will always respect the fact that even though Patrick was often in pain with physical ailments that I never heard him complain or saw him use those ailments as an excuse for sympathy – if you asked him how he felt he’d tell you matter-of-factly, not making a big deal of it – Patrick had a lot to be thankful for and he never let the pain cloud his thankfulness.

            If you are here this afternoon from the Swift Creek Water Treatment Plant I hope you know how much Patrick loved working with you. I hope you know that Patrick’s relationships with his coworkers were important to him, and that when there were bumps in the relational road that it troubled him. Patrick knew that he wasn’t perfect, but he tried his best to have relationships of integrity and to do the best he possibly could. Patrick was deeply thankful for his job and he was thankful for the people he worked with.

            Just as Swift Creek Water Treatment Plant meant so much to Patrick vocationally, Swift Creek Baptist Church meant so much to Patrick spiritually. Swift Creek Baptist represented friendship and food for Patrick’s soul. The Revere family found a family in Swift Creek Baptist, a family that has surrounded Alice and the boys with love and compassion and care through this time of incredible grief. Patrick talked to me of the Biblical messages he heard on Sundays and of how much he appreciated that fact that they were straightforward and challenged him to live as a follower of Jesus Christ.

            Family and friendship, I keep coming back to those words when thinking of Patrick.

            Patrick was…and will always be…a presence in Vickie’s and my life. He’d come by just to talk, not necessarily to talk about anything in particular, but just to talk. Admittedly sometimes he’d come down to sneak a Dr. Pepper without Alice knowing about it, and we kept a supply of Dr. Pepper in the garage refrigerator – wanted to make sure we always had some for Patrick. I guess there are worse things than having a husband who sneaks out to have a Dr. Pepper now and then.

            But speaking of friends…and I know that there are many friends of Patrick’s here…but speaking of friends and friendship…I have never seen a friendship that surpasses the friendship that James and Patrick had…never. James, you know that Patrick loved you…and you know that he cared about you…and you know that he worried about you…and you know that he prayed for you. And James…I know that you loved Patrick more than words can express…and I know that in loving Patrick that you also love Alice and Seth and Silas…you have always been family to Patrick and Alice…and by extension to David and Sally…you are family not because you were born into the family…but family because your heart is one with the family…and you will always be family.

            Jesse and Stephanie and Gabriel, Patrick loved you. He had deep respect for your marriage and family; and Jesse, he honored your vocation in serving our nation.

            David and Sally, Patrick often spoke to me of how thankful he was to be in your family. He loved you and looked up to you and between the Nicelys and the Zucks he had found two families to be the bookends of his life, two families to be reference points for stability and integrity and love and acceptance.

            And Mark, even though you and Patrick were often separated by life’s circumstances – I hope you know that Patrick loved you and always wanted the very best for you.

            But of course the real story of Patrick Revere is that a day came in Patrick’s life when it was no more just Patrick…it became Patrick and Alice. Patrick was devoted to Alice with all his heart and he never stopped being the best husband he could be. I don’t know how many times Patrick told me how thankful and blessed he was to have Alice as his wife – and how thankful he was that God had blessed them with Seth and Silas. This husband and this wife viewed their marriage as sacred – as a marriage rooted in Jesus Christ and sustained by Jesus Christ.

            As a Dad Patrick wanted his children raised to know Jesus Christ in a world which has lost it moorings. What his children learned about right and wrong, about truth and falsehood, about the things that really matter – those were all non-negotiables with Patrick.

            Patrick didn’t just talk about these things, Patrick didn’t just talk about the importance of marriage and children – he lived what he talked about – for Patrick loved spending time with his family, he loved doing things with his family – he loved being with his family. Patrick’s days were filled with Alice and Seth and Silas – whether they were taking walks, riding bikes, going to the gym – most of the time wherever Patrick was his family was with him.

            From a rough childhood of uncertainty and rejection to a family man passionate about his wife and children – what a story – it isn’t too much to call it a miracle. But Patrick would be the first to tell us that it wasn’t his doing, and Patrick would be the last to take any credit for it…Patrick would give all the credit to the God who loves him with every beat of his heart – the same God who loves you. The center of gravity in Patrick Revere’s life was, and is, Jesus Christ, who died for us, was buried for us, and rose from the dead for us.

            Patrick prayed for many of us here today…and Patrick prayed for us in two ways. For those of us who have come to know Jesus he prayed that we would live our lives faithfully in Christ…and for those of us who haven’t yet come to know Jesus…well…as you may know…for you know who you are…he prayed…and prayed…and prayed again that you would surrender your lives to Jesus Christ. Patrick loved his friends and he was concerned about them, concerned about their welfare and safety…and most of all concerned that they would know Jesus Christ.

            Patrick’s death is a tragedy – there are no two ways about it. But life in a war zone is filled with tragedy and we live in such a war zone as much as we try to deny it. We live in a world of disease and sickness and earthquakes and famines and other adversaries too numerous to mention. From the day we are born our bodies begin an inevitable journey to the grave – but of course our society has just about perfected the art of denial of death, denial of its inevitability and denial of its unpredictability.

            The question is whether we will live in this war zone with Jesus Christ or without Him; for the war zone exists because in ages past mankind repudiated, rejected, the image of God and chose to go its own way…and so sin and death entered the world. But God so loved us, He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…Jesus Christ…that whosoever believes in Him…trusts in Him…surrenders his life to Jesus…will not perish but have eternal life.

            Now our society would have us believe that we are all the products of time plus matter plus chance – do you really believe that? Do you really believe that your sense of right and wrong, your conscience, your love for your family, your concern about Alice and the boys, your presence in this place today – do you really believe that impersonal forces…forces without a heart and a mind…forces without feelings…forces without concern…forces without compassion…do you really believe that you are the product of time plus matter plus chance? Can we not see that the Emperor has no clothes on?

            On a morning about ten years ago Patrick and I were reading the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark…as we read the account of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist and of the voice of God the Father proclaiming “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” and of the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove to bear witness to Jesus Christ…Patrick said to me;

            If I were there I would have said to people that they’d better stand up and take notice.

            Patrick Revere stood up and took notice of Jesus Christ. Patrick Revere stood up and said, “I’m going to follow Jesus. I know I’ve got a long way to go. I know I still make mistakes, I know I still sin, I know I still blow it – but now I know that forgiveness is there for me, now I know that I am forgiven and accepted by Christ, now I know that I’ve got an eternal future – and I know that I want my friends to know Jesus.”

            You see Patrick realized that of all the things Jesus Christ might be; the one thing Jesus couldn’t possibly be was a good man. For Jesus claimed to be God. Not only did He claim to be God, He taught that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one comes to God the Father except through Him. Jesus taught that we are to look to Him and His death, burial, and resurrection and to trust in Him for eternal life – and that is why Jesus couldn’t be a good man – for no good man would say those things, no good man would encourage others to follow Him, to lay down their lives for Him, to trust in Him for salvation – there are only three alternatives:

            Jesus could have deliberately deceived people, in which case He is the greatest liar who ever lived. But are His words and deeds those of a deceiver? Are His teachings the teachings of a deceiver? Jesus loved the unlovable and He touched the untouchable; He taught us mercy and forgiveness, and on the Cross He prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Are these the actions and words of a deceiver?

            Or Jesus could have been deluded. He could have really believed what He said of Himself but He could have been wrong. But again, is the life of Jesus Christ, the way He treated and loved others, and His teachings – are they the words and actions of a delusional person?

            Lastly, Jesus could have been exactly who He claimed to be – the Son of God in whom we are to believe and surrender our lives to. And isn’t the life of Jesus, aren’t the teachings of Jesus, and isn’t the death and resurrection of Jesus – what we might expect were God to visit this planet?

            Hear the words of Holy Scripture:

            Second reading from 1 Corinthians 15

We follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam is a life – giving Spirit.  Physical life come first, then spiritual – a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven.  The First Man was made out of earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly.  In the same way that we’ve worked from our earthy origins, let’s embrace our heavenly ends.

            I need to emphasize, friends, that our natural, earthy lives don’t in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God.  Their very “nature” is to die, so how could they “naturally” end up in the Life kingdom?

            But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand.  We’re not all going to die – but we are all going to be changed.  You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes – it’s over.  On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again.  At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed.  In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal.  Then the saying will come true:

            “Death swallowed by triumphant Life!

            Who got the last word, oh, Death?

            Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?

            Thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

           

            Patrick is with Jesus Christ today, in the Presence of God. We will miss him terribly, and the grief will long be with us – but this life is so much more than time plus matter plus chance; this life is so much more than a matter of “He who dies with the most toys wins”. This life is a prelude to eternity, for we have all been made in the image of God, but that image has been marred by sin…and so the question for us all is whether we will allow God to restore that image in our lives by acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord.

            In a few moments Pastor Rob is going to come and lead us in Amazing Grace. This afternoon there are two groups of people in this sanctuary; for while all of us have no doubt sung this hymn, not all of us have sung it the same way. You see, some of us…through no merit of our own…through no good works of our own…have learned to sing it as our personal experience, have learned to sing it autobiographically. Because like Patrick Revere a time came in our lives when we surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ, when we asked Him to come into our lives, when we asked Him to make Himself known to us, when we asked Him to cleanse us and forgive our sins.

            Others of us have not yet learned to sing it this way, we’ve not yet learned to sing it the way Patrick sang it, the way Patrick prayed for us to sing it – but this can be the day when we do, this can be the hour, this can be the moment. If you have not yet sung this hymn as your own experience, this is your time…as you sing it you can ask Jesus to make Himself real to you, you can ask Jesus to bring you into a relationship with Himself, you can know the same Jesus who Patrick knows, the same Jesus who loves you with every beat of His heart…pastor Rob…please come and lead us in Amazing Grace.