WHAT IS A LIFE WORTH ?

IT HAS BEEN SAID, THAT IN OLDEN TIME, MEN THOUGHT THAT ALL
CREATURES SPRANG FROM THE EARTH, AND AS A RESULT, WHEN A MAN DIED, THE EARTH GROANED IN SORROW, AND THAT THE SOUND OF THE WIND IN THE TREES AT A GRAVEYARD WAS THE SIGHING OF MEN'S SOULS FOR WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

A MAN - ANY MAN, IS THE SUM TOTAL OF ALL HIS LIVING EXPERIENCES, HE IS A VAST COMPOSITE OF ALL HIS INTERACTIONS WITH GOD - SELF - AND OTHERS. WE NEVER MORE CLEARLY SEE WHAT THESE INTERACTIONS HAVE BEEN UNTIL WE STAND BESIDE A MAN'S GRAVE AND VIEW THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS LIFE BEFORE WE LAY HIM TO REST.

IN THIS LIFE IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT REALITY IS, IT ONLY MATTERS WHAT WE BELIEVE REALITY TO BE. IN THE LIFE TO COME IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT WE BELIEVE, THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS "WHAT IS".

IT HAS ALSO BEEN SAID THAT ALL OF LIFE IS RELATIVE. HOWEVER, IT IS ONLY BY COMPARISON TO ETERNITY THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GAIN PERSPECTIVE ON THIS LIFE. I BELIEVE THAT IF THE DECEASED WERE HERE NOW THAT HE WOULD BE TELLING US SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT HE HAS LEARNED.

IT WOULD NOW BE POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO SEE THIS LIFE IN A PERSPECTIVE THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO SEE WHILE HE WAS ALIVE. YES - I SUSPECT THAT A GOOD MANY THINGS ARE VERY CLEAR TO THE DECEASED JUST NOW.

NO MAN LIKES TO THINK THAT HIS LIFE HAS BEEN IN VAIN, YET THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT A MAN MAY TEACH OTHERS MAY NOT BE INTERNALIZED BY HIM UNTIL HE IS NO LONGER IN A POSITION TO PASS THIS WISDOM ALONG TO OTHERS. SO, FOR THE DECEASED, THE BEST THING THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE HIS LIFE A VICTORY, AND MEANINGFUL, IS TO DRAW FROM HIS LIFE WHAT HE WOULD NOW UNDOUBTEDLY TELL US FACE TO FACE IF HE COULD.

IN A STRANGE SORT OF WAY WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT THAT IS DON'T WE ? WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE DECEASED WOULD SAY IF HE WERE HERE NOW. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT WE ARE READY TO HEAR A NOTE OF REPROOF FROM THE GRAVE BUT NOT NEARLY SO WILLING TO HEAR THE SAME WORDS OF REPROOF FROM OUR OWN HEARTS. CAN YOU HEAR YOUR HEART SPEAKING - EVEN NOW ?

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART TONIGHT, IT IS TELLING US THAT NOW IS THE TIME TO RETURN TO THOSE VALUES WE KNOW TO BE RIGHT AND PROPER !

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART TONIGHT, IT IS TELLING US TO FLEE FROM FOOLING AROUND WITH EVIL !

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART TONIGHT, IT IS TELLING US THAT A LIFE IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE.

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART TONIGHT, IT IS TELLING US THAT WE MUST ONCE AGAIN ESTABLISH THOSE CHERISHED STANDARDS OF RIGHT AND WRONG, THAT WE MUST CRUSH THIS PHILOSOPHY OF " IF IT FEELS GOOD FOR THE MOMENT - DO IT " . WE MUST SEE THIS LIFE IN RESPECT TO ETERNITY AND WE MUST SURROUND OURSELVES WITH THOSE INSTRUMENTS THAT MAKE THIS LIFE MEANINGFUL.

BELIEVE IT MY FRIEND, IF THE DECEASED WERE HERE NOW HE WOULD PREACH THE WORLD'S GREATEST SERMON ON THE FLEETING NATURE OF THIS MORTAL LIFE.

WILL THE DECEASED'S LIFE HAVE BEEN A TOTAL WASTE ? WILL HE HAVE DIED WITHOUT MAKING THE SLIGHTEST RIPPLE UPON THE SEA OF LIFE ? WILL WE SAY WHEN WE LOOK BACK THAT HIS LIFE HAS BEEN WORTHLESS ? IF WE LEARN NOTHING FROM HIS LIFE THEN THE ANSWER IS YES, IF HOWEVER,IN THIS PAUSE FOR SORROW AND BY LISTENING TO THE MESSAGE OF OUR HEARTS, WE REFLECT ON THOSE ETERNAL VALUES HE HAS NOW COME TO SEE SO CLEARLY, THEN HIS LIFE CAN HAVE BECOME A VICTORY ! HE CAN HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE! WHO KNOWS WHETHER IN THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE THERE IS NOT SOMEONE THAT WILL TURN THIS CITY UPSIDE DOWN, SOMEONE THAT MAY LITERALLY CHANGE THE FACE OF HISTORY. WHAT A MEMORY THEN TO SAY THAT AT THE CROSSROADS OF DECISION, BY PAUSING TO REFLECT ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE DECEASED, THAT THEIR LIFE WAS CHANGED.

WILL YOU JOIN WITH ME TONIGHT IN A REAFFIRMATION OF COMMITMENT ?

TO NEVER CEASE TO STRUGGLE FOR WHAT IS RIGHT ?

FOR WHAT OUR HEART TELLS US.?

TO RETURN TO THOSE VALUES AND THAT COMMITMENT WHERE A MAN'S LIFE CAN BE THE TREASURE THAT GOD MEANT IT TO BE ?

WHAT IS A LIFE WORTH?

WELL IT DEPENDS ON THE LIVING DOESN'T IT ?

VICTORY OR SADNESS ?

THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU. SHALL THE DEAD CONTINUE TO BURY THE DEAD UNTO DARKNESS - OR SHALL THE LIVING LAY TO REST THE DECEASED KNOWING THAT HE IS TRULY NEVER DEAD SO LONG AS ONE PERSON LIVES WHOSE LIFE HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY HIS SACRIFICE.

SOMEONE HAS SAID IN THEIR HEART ALREADY THAT A FUNERAL IS NOT A PROPER PLACE TO ISSUE A CHALLENGE OF THIS NATURE TO THE LIVING. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU THAT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT, MOST ELOQUENT, EPITHET THAT THE DECEASE MAY HAVE IS THAT IN SOME SMALL WAY HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN SOFTENING MEN'S HEARTS THAT THEY MAY OBEY THE VOICE WITHIN THEM AND TURN AWAY FROM THAT WHICH PROVED SO FATAL TO HIM !

YES WE SHALL BURY THE DECEASED - BUT - WE SHALL NEVER FORGET HIM, NOR THE LESSON THAT HE HAS TAUGHT.

THANK YOU

WILLIAM EVERYMAN - 1987

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