Free Bird - Biker by Faith
So, it's been almost a month. Truth be told I have been gone a lot of that time (Annual Conference, helped Seth McClymonds with Extended Horse Camp - though only in the evenings - service camp trip last week at Pittsburgh Project - spent this week playing catch up...). Truth be told I just haven't felt like being online much this week... Not that I have nothing to say (heh - have you MET me?) but I just haven't wanted to sit here - in front of the glowing screen...
But I was thinking today about a funeral that I had a couple weeks ago. The guy who died was a biker. Now, I've known a few bikers in my day (especially at the Eagle's Club in Kane), but to have them come out in force...well, that was an experience...
I tried to call the guy's wife, but she wouldn't talk to me at all. An unidentified woman got on the phone and told me that they wanted only about ten minutes because, and this is the quote that was the tagline for the weekend, "he was a biker by faith."
Now, I went through a bunch of drafts of things I could say about being "a biker by faith." Even comparing Jesus to a biker... But it was disingenuous - I don't really know what a biker is... Only as a very outside observer...
So, I walked into the funeral home during the visiting hours (half hour after they started, but the family wasn't there yet...a shadow of things to come...) and when I went in, Skynyrd's "Free Bird" was playing. I sang along as I walked through the errily empty rooms
I spied (heh - HEARD - they were Harleys afterall) some motorcycles coming into the parking lot, so I went out the side door to talk to the funeral director and the family. I FINALLY got to say hello to the widow whose only words to me were, "He was a biker by faith." I also was introduced to her fiancee, a guy hand picked by the guy who had just died...it's complicated...
So, all night and all the next morning I was singing "Free Bird." That became my anchor to these people who didn't want too much "God stuff" at the funeral. So, very brief words of comfort, a prayer, John 14, an opportunity for others to talk about this guy (really, what could I say?) , then my spiel, a committal. Okay - probably not 10 minutes, but short. So that was my plan...
The morning of the funeral I'm running really late and I don't get to the funeral home until about 7 minutes before the funeral...and nobody's there. I mean NOBODY. I finally tracked down the Funeral Director about the time the funeral was supposed to start (just fed my fear of missing a funeral...or going to the wrong funeral home...). Turns out, the family was late. Remember the comment about shadows of things to come? So we got started about 30 minutes late, not too bad all things considered...
So, it was an open casket funeral - the biker guy was behind me during the service... When I was waiting for the family, I prayed at the side of the casket. The family had regailed the body in typical biker...um...stuff. He had a Harley shirt and hat on, a leather vest (I think), various small tokens and...um...a joint in his hand. No lie.
So, what do you say to this crowd who believe themselves to be "bikers by faith?" I don't know... To be honest, I'm not even sure what all I said that day, but I really felt the presence of God there. And, just as I was going to begin, there was another person who wanted to pay final respect to the deceased, so I had to step back and wait and, guess what, "Free Bird" starts playing over the sound system... We listened to about half the song before I started with the words of comfort...
I remember starting "my" part of the service with something like, "It was pretty amazing that Free Bird was just playing - because yesterday when I came in here to visit the family it was playing and all night and all morning it's been running through my head. 'If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?' has been playing over and over in my head - which is what happens when you hear a song you know and like. But I think it means something more today..." Someone yelled out, "[Name] will ALWAYS be remembered." And I said that he would, and relayed some of the things people had just said about the kinds of things the biker guy had done - how he'd go "a hundred, hell, a thousand miles to help you out." There was a fierce sense of loyalty and belonging in the kinds of things that were shared that morning - and I made sure to recount them when I was talking about Jesus and the love of God that "is bigger than even death. Like it or not, believe it or not, accept it or not, [Name] is standing before God. Like it or not, believe it or not, accept it or not, that God loves him, and you. Not butterflies and puppies kind of love, but the kind of love that has your back, the kind of love that will go a hundred, even a thousand miles just to help you out." And I kept saying that all the good, all the right and all the caring things they saw in this guy were a reflection of the God who made him, the God who loves him...and you enough to die. Jesus talked about going ahead of the disciples and taking care of them - one measure of a life is how we are remembered, how we've prepared those we leave behind. Those who were closest to Jesus, those who loved him and were loved by him, were prepared to change the world. How has knowing this guy changed your world? How has seeing the love of God reflected in him changed you, changed your world?
Okay - not sure how I put some of that, except what is in quotes. But I'll tell you what, God was really present there - for me, for the biker family. It was amazing.
God is so good...all the time...
But I was thinking today about a funeral that I had a couple weeks ago. The guy who died was a biker. Now, I've known a few bikers in my day (especially at the Eagle's Club in Kane), but to have them come out in force...well, that was an experience...
I tried to call the guy's wife, but she wouldn't talk to me at all. An unidentified woman got on the phone and told me that they wanted only about ten minutes because, and this is the quote that was the tagline for the weekend, "he was a biker by faith."
Now, I went through a bunch of drafts of things I could say about being "a biker by faith." Even comparing Jesus to a biker... But it was disingenuous - I don't really know what a biker is... Only as a very outside observer...
So, I walked into the funeral home during the visiting hours (half hour after they started, but the family wasn't there yet...a shadow of things to come...) and when I went in, Skynyrd's "Free Bird" was playing. I sang along as I walked through the errily empty rooms
If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be travelling on, now,
There's too many places I haven't seen
And if I stayed here with you, now
Things just wouldn't be the same
Well I'm as free as a bird now,
And a bird you can not change.
And a bird you can not change.
And a bird you can not change.
Lord knows I can't change
Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.
And though this feeling I can't change.
Please don't take it badly,
The Lord knows I'm to blame.
And, if I stayed here with you now
Things just wouldn't be the same.
For I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you'll never change.
And the bird you can not change.
And the bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change.
I spied (heh - HEARD - they were Harleys afterall) some motorcycles coming into the parking lot, so I went out the side door to talk to the funeral director and the family. I FINALLY got to say hello to the widow whose only words to me were, "He was a biker by faith." I also was introduced to her fiancee, a guy hand picked by the guy who had just died...it's complicated...
So, all night and all the next morning I was singing "Free Bird." That became my anchor to these people who didn't want too much "God stuff" at the funeral. So, very brief words of comfort, a prayer, John 14, an opportunity for others to talk about this guy (really, what could I say?) , then my spiel, a committal. Okay - probably not 10 minutes, but short. So that was my plan...
The morning of the funeral I'm running really late and I don't get to the funeral home until about 7 minutes before the funeral...and nobody's there. I mean NOBODY. I finally tracked down the Funeral Director about the time the funeral was supposed to start (just fed my fear of missing a funeral...or going to the wrong funeral home...). Turns out, the family was late. Remember the comment about shadows of things to come? So we got started about 30 minutes late, not too bad all things considered...
So, it was an open casket funeral - the biker guy was behind me during the service... When I was waiting for the family, I prayed at the side of the casket. The family had regailed the body in typical biker...um...stuff. He had a Harley shirt and hat on, a leather vest (I think), various small tokens and...um...a joint in his hand. No lie.
So, what do you say to this crowd who believe themselves to be "bikers by faith?" I don't know... To be honest, I'm not even sure what all I said that day, but I really felt the presence of God there. And, just as I was going to begin, there was another person who wanted to pay final respect to the deceased, so I had to step back and wait and, guess what, "Free Bird" starts playing over the sound system... We listened to about half the song before I started with the words of comfort...
I remember starting "my" part of the service with something like, "It was pretty amazing that Free Bird was just playing - because yesterday when I came in here to visit the family it was playing and all night and all morning it's been running through my head. 'If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?' has been playing over and over in my head - which is what happens when you hear a song you know and like. But I think it means something more today..." Someone yelled out, "[Name] will ALWAYS be remembered." And I said that he would, and relayed some of the things people had just said about the kinds of things the biker guy had done - how he'd go "a hundred, hell, a thousand miles to help you out." There was a fierce sense of loyalty and belonging in the kinds of things that were shared that morning - and I made sure to recount them when I was talking about Jesus and the love of God that "is bigger than even death. Like it or not, believe it or not, accept it or not, [Name] is standing before God. Like it or not, believe it or not, accept it or not, that God loves him, and you. Not butterflies and puppies kind of love, but the kind of love that has your back, the kind of love that will go a hundred, even a thousand miles just to help you out." And I kept saying that all the good, all the right and all the caring things they saw in this guy were a reflection of the God who made him, the God who loves him...and you enough to die. Jesus talked about going ahead of the disciples and taking care of them - one measure of a life is how we are remembered, how we've prepared those we leave behind. Those who were closest to Jesus, those who loved him and were loved by him, were prepared to change the world. How has knowing this guy changed your world? How has seeing the love of God reflected in him changed you, changed your world?
Okay - not sure how I put some of that, except what is in quotes. But I'll tell you what, God was really present there - for me, for the biker family. It was amazing.
God is so good...all the time...
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