The death of a young man

Readings at the funeral today include the first Creation story in Genesis and the Beatitudes from Matthew 5
What to say about L?
17 is too young to die.
One week ago we did not think we would be here today.
I knew him only a little.
We had a few difficult conversations
and occasionally we touched a deep spot.
"If you are going to die L, what would you do today?"
It is a question that faces each one of us.
What would I do today if I knew that
this time next week
it would be my funeral?

One of his answers you would expect,
"Well, there are these games and I would like to complete
all the levels"
We both smiled and I said "Well what is to stop you?"
And we both knew that this was not the most important stuff
that he had to do.
[There is some evidence that he tried to achieve this goal
and had late nights, and failing sight...and he threw himself into it!]
I am not going to tell you what else he said
because it was deeply personal
and there would be even more tears.
But it was about how he would have liked the future to be
and opportunities that would now never happen.

he was a bit worried that he would leave this world
and leave no impression
who would remember him
in 10 50 or 100 years.
It is a good & deep question.

We could all say
"Well we will all remember him for ever"
We need to be careful to not burden ourselves,
with an impossible burden.
Our memories are poor, they play tricks
and we lose them.
He was little bit worried too
that he would not be good enough
for God
Fortunately, I was able to tell him
that God does not require us to be "good"
God is not going to balance
the right and the wrong
and accept us only if it tips in our favour.

So that is why we commend the dead to God,
because God can and does care for us
and accept us
it is not reliant on our faulty humanity
or on our warped sense of good.

That relationship can and does begin now,
we do not have to wait until we die.
L had begun to discover that.
May each one of us
courageously set out to discover that too.