"A Celebration of Grace in the Life of Brent Cherry "
Pastor Susan Langhauser
Monday, June 21, 2010
Matthew 25:31-46
Grace and peace to you from God the Creator, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
When a good man dies, especially if he dies “too soon,” it tends to raise all kinds of questions about the nature of God and our place in the world. Among the most frequently posed, are the questions of “Why?” Why does death take the bright lights in our lives? Why does God allow sickness and pain to overcome people who are such an important part of us, and of who we are becoming? Well, I don’t pretend to have the answers for those questions. In fact, raising them when we are deep in sorrow is, in itself, a part of the grieving process. And the only answer we have that even begins to have meaning is an answer of faith: God – who is the author of life – will bring forth new life. That is the promise to which we cling, that is the rock solid foundation of who we are and what we believe. And no one knew that better, or lived into that promise with more gusto than Brent.
Brent Cherry was a wonderful and poignant illustration of the old adage that in order to really learn a subject, you should teach it. It’s clear, judging from the way he lived, that his favorite subject to both learn and teach was life itself.
He might not have characterized it that way, because his interests were so varied. He realized back in the 4th grade that he wanted to be an educator, and he pursued his goal with single-mindedness, graduating from Pittsburg State and beginning his teaching career in Sedan, Kansas, and continuing it in Olathe. In addition to his classroom activities, he devoted himself to math clubs, science clubs, summer camps for children with special needs, the Confirmation program here at Advent – in these and other places, Brent was a teacher who embraced the humility to also be a learner. It was in the grand classroom of life, however, that Brent proved to be, perhaps unintentionally, a most effective instructor.
Brent learned some time ago that he was dying. That’s a learning that anyone lives with, at best, only uneasily. Brent was no different. He did not, however, allow it to define his living. He was not dying from cancer; he was living with it. That attitude accounts for the beauty of Brent and Cindy’s decision to journey to New England earlier this month to celebrate their anniversary. It would have been understandable if they had chosen simply to stay home in the face of an increasingly debilitating illness. But that wasn’t Brent. Brent wasn’t about accommodating his own discomfort; he was about living through every minute that his life had to offer.
Today, I especially want to speak a word to you young people out there whose lives have been touched by Mr. Cherry. One of the things he wanted more than anything was for you to read. He wanted you to learn. We Lutherans talk about Jesus as the “Word” of God, and Brent Cherry had a love affair not only with words, but with The Word. He wanted you to have faith. He did NOT want you to idolize him, but he wanted you to be inspired by his life and his work.
Yes, Brent Cherry was, first and foremost, a student of life – and because he relished learning above all else, he was also a teacher. Not just a teacher of facts and tidbits of information that delighted and amazed us, Brent was a teacher of life. He was passionate about this world and the people in it – his family, his “girls,” his students, his friends. He was passionate about knowledge and passing it on. He wanted us to understand…and embodied the Bible phrase: faith seeking understanding. He wanted us to learn acceptance, of each other and of life itself. He was passionate in his love of God, and in sharing his faith through every day he had among us. He even taught us how to face our ultimate fear, and he did it with grace, courage and humor.
Holy Humor, Pastor Roger called it. Brent was the very essence of God’s wink at us, the very presence of finding light in darkness, courage in fearfulness and strength in the everyday miracles that we who enjoy them now, might miss.
One of my last conversations with Brent was about trying to share with everyone around him the simple joys of normal, everyday life - through laughter, beer in the gazebo, story-telling, quote-sharing and the warm embrace of loving relationships. All the proof you need of that is to look over the story of his life and the list of things that indicated “You Know You Were Influenced by Mr. Cherry if…” That list will bring a smile, and perhaps the tribute of tears.
A colleague of mine has written that “The rock-bottom reason for the church’s existence is to be a community that knows how to deal with death.” Brent was a shining example of Christ’s church at its best, because he knew that death is not ultimate.
The way Brent lived his life, and especially the past few years, was a testament to the creative and creating power of God to bring life out of death, the power to make all things new.
Brent chose the reading from Matthew’s gospel a long time ago. The separation of the sheep and the goats had captured his imagination: not because of the aspect of judgment, but because of the unconscious activity of those who apparently had served God so well that they were actually unaware that they had done so. That’s who Brent wanted everyone to be – and that is most assuredly, who Brent was. He was a child of God, a lover of humanity, and a willing worker in God’s kingdom here on earth.
And now he has been received into the loving arms of the One who made him at the first, and who welcomed him home with a resounding, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Brent made God proud. And we were privileged to have journeyed with him. So I will add my own quote, which I hope would have made Brent’s Top Ten List: “Death isn’t death to God…it is the stuff of New Life.” Thanks be to God. Amen.