Did you know that the Bible doesn’t have any eulogies in the way that we think of them? There are no big speeches recorded when someone died. Part of that may be that the early church thought of death days as birthdays. They didn’t celebrate biological birthdays, because that was what pagans did. The early church treated the day one moved into the world to come as the birthday worth celebrating.

So probably no surprise the Bible doesn’t record eulogies, and it’s rare to find eulogies or even inscriptions on tombstones that are more than a sentence long in the archaeological records of early Christians. This doesn’t make our eulogies bad, by the way. It just means when I go back to look at what we do in light of what they did, it’s different.

But there are two places in the Bible that pop up when you search for eulogies. The first is Ephesians 1:3-14. This passage is famous for being one really long sentence that classically trained Paul wrote in the heroic or epic meter associated with the style of classical epic poetry (e.g., Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey).[1] Even though it’s all one sentence, I’m going to read it in the way that a speaker would have paused to separate and emphasize different areas of focus.

Blessed (eulogo) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed (eu+logos) us

with every blessing (eulogo) of the Spirit

in the high-heavenlies in Christ,

No other verse in the whole Bible has three uses of eulog- words. It’s why this verse has been referred to as a eulogy.

insofar as he chose us in him

before the foundation of the world

that we should be holy and blameless

before him.

In love

he predestined us for adoption

to himself through Jesus Christ

according to the good pleasure of his will

for praise of the glory of his grace,

which he bestowed on us in his Beloved,

in whom we have our redemption through his blood,

the forgiveness of our transgressions,

according to the riches of his grace,

which he lavished upon us

in all wisdom and insight

when he made known to us the mystery of his will

according to his good pleasure,

which he purposed in him

for the administration of the fullness of (all) eras

to sum up all things in the Messiah,

the things in heaven and things on earth in him,

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined

according to the purpose of him who works all things

according to the counsel of his will,

to be the praise of his glory,

we who were the first to hope in Christ

in whom you heard the word of truth,

the gospel of your salvation,

in whom you believed,

you were sealed with the Spirit of promise,

who is a down payment of our inheritance

for redemption of his prized possession

for the praise of his glory.

That is different than what we think of as a eulogy, right? We use eulogy to mean a speech given when someone dies where, in a sense, we “bless” them and their memory. But here, in this eulogy that is simply blessing or praising God, we see a glimpse into our ultimate eulogy, the thing that matters most when we die: “He or she was a prized possession that God redeemed, and his or her life was lived to the praise of the glory of God.”

The other passage, Matthew 25, will resonate a bit more as the kind of eulogy we practice today. It’s what Jesus will say to the servant who was faithful:

Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your lord.

Well done (“eu”), good (empowered righteousness from God) and faithful (dutiful) servant (duolos). Enter into the joy (“grace recognized) of your lord.

If I were to combine these two passages, I end up with the kind of eulogy that I think we as Christians must long for when our time has come:

He/she was a good person (filled, changed, and transformed by God’s grace into the image of Jesus), faithful (walking as disciple of Jesus in the path God laid out to the place God has chosen for us), who brought glory and praise to God and brought the world a glimpse of the joy (“I recognize God’s grace at work at him”) which he/she once experienced in part but is now experiencing fully.

I have a lot of things I can say about Delynn.

· “Never ask a skinny man where to eat”: Delynn and I had culinary adventures, let me tell you. When he said, “Do you want to eat here?” there was only reasonable answer: yes. But if that was all there was to Delynn, my eulogy would be only about tasted buds and digestion, which are good things with good times attached to them, but they are not Delynn’s deepest Kingdom legacy.

· His jokes, especially when they involved his Pennsylvania Dutch accents, delighted me. But if that was all there was to Delynn, my eulogy would be about laughter (and food), which are both good things over which I make good memories with a good friend, but while they were part of Delynn they were not what drove him, and they are not Delynn’s deepest Kingdom legacy.

· He delighted in pushing me and every one else out of our comfort zones, like the time he handed me keys to a van and said, “By the way, you are driving across Costa Rica today. Let’s go. Try to keep up.” Or the time he took me to a rivalry soccer game and bought me the visitors’ jersey, and then was highly amused by all the dirty looks and muttered comments I got because he wanted me to experience, just for a little bit, what it was like to be the minority in a hostile environment. But if that was all he was, that would serve a good purpose to be sure, and my eulogy would just be about how crazy he was, and those are meaningful memories, but even that, which is part of his ministry, is not Delynn’s deepest kingdom legacy.

· He knew somebody everywhere we went. We would be stopped at a light in San Jose, and suddenly he was yelling at somebody who pulled up next to him – and he knew him. It happened twice in one day in San Jose. And that amazes me – that he had the energy to know that many people and that he remembered their names – and I deeply admired that in Delynn, and that skill certainly contributed to his living to the praise and glory of God, but even his God-given gifts of extroversion and a good memory are not his deepest Kingdom legacy.

The legacy that will ripple through eternity are all the things that brought glory and praise to God and brought the world joy: that is, all the things in which we could all see God’s grace at work in Delynn.

· He grew as a father, a husband, and a leader through humility, surrender, and dedication to living out the goodness God gave him and faithfully stewarding what was given to him. From Carmelinda: “You used to tell a story in your sermon about how when I was little I asked you why I have two daddies. And then you answered, “Because you have one that’s perfect and one that’s not.” Nobody likes to be sinful and flawed. Delynn didn’t like it any better than the rest of us. But he was committed to seeing it and surrendering it to God and others for the glory of God. That’s kingdom legacy.

· He grew a ministry because he was passionate about making disciples. He wanted to do everything for the glory of God, and he used all the talents God have him. Relentlessly. And even that, the older he got, the more he surrendered those things for accountability and direction for the glory of God, and kingdom fruit followed. That’s kingdom legacy.

· He talked with me about his frailties, weaknesses, and failures, because he could see there were places he was not embodying God’s goodness and he was struggling to fulfill his duties as a servant. We talked a lot about Gloria and Carmelinda, because Delynn wanted to love, steward and disciple them. I think it’s safe to say that his family, as well as those around him, saw him dedicated to surrendering himself more fully to God for our good and God’s glory. That’s kingdom legacy.

· And so, in the time I knew Delynn, he followed in the footsteps of Jesus: he increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and others. This happened =by the grace of God, and - as he always said - to the glory of God.

So many things linger. But his most importance legacy is a life in which the goodness of a grace-giving God transformed Delynn into a dedicated disciple whose testimony brought glory and praise to God. He recognized God’ grace and work in him and in others, and he is now experiencing it in its fullness in joy unspeakable, and full of glory.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that this week, and about eulogies, and about legacies. What is the ultimate eulogy for a follower of Jesus?

He/she was a good person (filled, changed, and transformed by God’s grace into the image of Jesus), faithful (walking as disciple of Jesus in the path God laid out to the place God has chosen for us), who brought glory and praise to God and brought the world glimpse of the joy (recognizing God’s grace at work) which he/she once experienced in part but is now experience fully.

Good person = only through salvation and Holy Spirit sanctification. There is no one good but God, and yet God lets us participate in his goodness by transforming us into his image.

· “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

· “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

We don’t do this. God does this. We cannot experience this without surrendering our lives to Jesus and following Him in worshipful obedience. If you want to be good, you must let God place His goodness in you.

Faithful = putting one foot in front of the other in the path and with the tools God has given me. This is not perfection; this is persistence.

· “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

· “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

God doesn’t need perfect people, which is good news for all of us. He needs persistent people. He doesn’t need flawless people. He needs people who are not defined by their failures, but by His forgiveness.

Bring glory and praise to God = my life and my words testify to GOD, not me. God must increase while we decrease. Our testimony is never about us; it’s about Christ in us.

· “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

· “Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11

· “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” 1 Peter 2:12

· “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

I cannot save the world let alone anybody else. But Christ in me can. As an ambassador, I just go to people and places so they can see that Christ in me is the hope of glory. God forbid I turn the spotlight on me. May my life always be a testimony that God is so loving and strong that he took even me and used my life for our good – and His glory.

Bring the world glimpses of joy = by manifesting God’s grace at work in ourselves and recognizing God’s grace at work in others

· “That has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world – just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace.” Colossians 1:6

· “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.” Acts 20:24

Lives lived in recognition of God’s grace, which always brings humility and adoration. Lives lived extending grace to others, which is the kind of act of love that covers a multitude of sins and makes it possible to live in the kind of Kingdom community that shines in the darkness.

Lord, may this be the eulogy of everyone in this room and listening online:

They were good people (filled, changed, and transformed by God’s grace into the image of Jesus.
They were faithful (walking as disciple of Jesus in the path God laid out to the place God has chosen for us)
They brought glory and praise to God and brought the world glimpse of the joy (recognizing God’s grace at work)
Now, they are experiencing the fullness of your grace in a world of joy unspeakable, and full of the glory of God.

THREE QUESTIONS

Who is someone whose kingdom legacy has inspired you, and why?
What is your kingdom legacy right now? What would you like it to be? Are they different, and if so, what is stopping you from pursuing the legacy you desire?
How has the grace of God been glorified or highlighted in your life? How have you experienced it from God’s people? How have you passed it on?

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[1] https://spoiledmilks.com/2016/04/28/pauls-longest-sentence-ephesians/