St. John’s Church on Morgan Hill

Blake Heffner October 22nd, 2006

“Celebrating Two Heroes” October 22, 2006

Texts: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

INTRO: This morning we are going to celebrate two heroes among us. Kevin Johnson, whom Lauren just sang about, died four years ago, on October 20th at the tender age of 13. He would have been confirmed that fall, and this would be his senior year in high school. Our other hero is with us this morning. Lester Race, Sr. turns 80 years young tomorrow – praise the Lord!

There is only one legitimate reason that we dare focus on people other than Jesus Christ in a sermon. They need to exemplify or embody some facet of God’s Word. By the time we finish, I hope you will agree that both Kevin and Lester really serve as models for us, and the light in their lives can inspire us to live our own lives in faith, love and hope. First, let us pray…

1. Smile!

Both our heroes smile – easily, naturally and warmly. My earliest recollection of Kevin is of this exuberant lad in maybe second or third grade bursting into church with a big smile and saying “Hi!” Kevin could melt a snowstorm with that big grin. And if that didn’t work, he’d lay one of his bear hugs on you. Lester, you can try to hide behind that fuzzy white beard, but your grin is just as disarming. When you smile, your eyes twinkle with delight. You and Kevin have made so many of us feel warm and accepted.

I discovered – to my astonishment – that the word “smile” does not occur in my Bible – at least according to Strong’s Concordance. Isn’t that amazing? Yet, can you imagine Jesus not smiling most of the time? He had a way of disarming folks, with both his look and his words of compassion. Rev. Fritz Shafer, who served our church for 10 years, used to say: “God is smiling on us!” Whether it’s in there literally or not, I believe he was right. And smiling is an effective way for us to reflect God’s love toward one another.

2. Enthusiasm!

Both our heroes are poster boys for enthusiasm. Kevin was enthusiastic about so many things. When he was in midget basketball, he wasn’t the greatest player – though he was very tall. Kevin played with gusto. His first basket ever was for the other team, but that didn’t stop Kevin. He kept on playing. Kevin enjoyed being an acolyte here. Even when other kids didn’t think it was cool, Kevin would eagerly say “Yes!” whenever he was asked.

I got a birds-eye view of Lester at work back in the nineties, when we went out to Fort Berthold, North Dakota, on our two workcamp trips. When it came to any facet of carpentry or construction, Lester was in his element. One day, we had to repair a door to the church. It was terribly out of plumb. No problem for Lester! He found a way to straighten things out and make every thing work – with enthusiasm. With his infectious laugh and light-hearted approach, Lester has a way of making any effort seem like fun!

These guys exemplify the spirit of Ecclesiastes 3: “All we can do is be happy and do the best we can while we are still alive. All of us should eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for. It is God’s gift.” Next time you feel that your job or your schoolwork is getting you down, think about Kevin and Lester. Put a smile on your face and roll up your sleeves. The way to find happiness in our work is to approach every task with enthusiasm and zeal.

3. A Positive Outlook!

“Home on the range,” as we sing, “there never is heard a discouragin’ word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.” That’s the way it is with our heroes. They know how to look on the bright side of things. When Kevin was going down to Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia for radiation therapy, he got to know two older men. They told his mom, Gina, how Kevin helped them get through their ordeal: “If Kevin could show up everyday with a smile on his face, how could we complain about our problems!” In the darkest days of Kevin’s crisis, when a doctor or nurse would ask him how he was doing, he’d usually say, “Excellent!” In his thirteen months of fighting cancer, he never asked “Why me?” and he never complained.

Lester has that same outlook. I asked him the other day about his life and career as a “jack of all trades.” He said quickly, “No complaints!” That speaks volumes in this day and age when so many folks are dissatisfied with what they have, what they are doing, and who they’re with Our heroes have the capacity to look beyond the clouds and see blue sky.

4. A Time for Everything

Our heroes both bring us face to face with the mystery of God’s timing. The scripture lesson begins: “Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. He sets the time for birth and the time for death… God has set the right time for everything… and he never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does.” On this side of heaven we will never comprehend why a boy is given only thirteen years and another is given eighty or ninety. Birth and death both remind us how little we understand of God’s timing and plan. We have plenty of questions about such things, and no clear answers. We would certainly write the script differently if we were in charge. But, the Bible tells us that everything happens at the right time. Today let’s pause a moment and thank God that He is in control of the universe and every little thing that happens in our lives. Let’s admit how little we really understand and thank God that we are not in charge! Let us believe that God really has a plan that transcends the pain and suffering we experience.

5. Facing Suffering with Faith and Hope

Both our heroes have endured suffering, sustained by their faith. Kevin, at his young age, believed that God who loves us all has prepared a place for us, through Jesus Christ. We have a heavenly destiny and it will be glorious. This hope prompted Kevin to listen to a special song during his radiation. It’s called “Survivor” – by the group Destiny’s Child. It goes like this: “I’m a survivor, I’m not gonna give up, I’m not gonna stop, I’m gonna work harder, I’m a survivor, I’m gonna make it, I will survive, Keep on surviving.’” I believe Kevin did make it. He is a survivor and child of God!

You may be less familiar with Lester’s own taste of suffering. About 23 years ago, Lester and Dolores’ son Scott and Tammie had their first child, named Meghan. Meghan was born with an incomplete brain. She could hear but not see. She would never talk or walk. Meghan defied all the odds and lived to the age of five years! Meghan brought love and affection out of every person who met her. You can ask anyone in the family. Commenting on this stage of his life, Lester says simply “faith gets your through.” Amen.

Friends, all true heroes are strong in courage and hope. With hope, they are able to endure the pain and hardship we face. The Apostle Paul was such a person. He wrote: “I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his sons… We know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth… We [too] groan within ourselves… [Yet] we know that in all things God works for good with those who love him…” (Rom.

This is beautifully expressed in an anthem the choir will be singing in two weeks, on All Saints Sunday. Listen to the lyrics:

Everywhere I look around me there is pain in ev’ry eye; Broken hearts and promises, the sorrow of good-bye. I see suff’ring little children in a world that isn’t fair; and the only hope is the hope I have of a place somewhere. Where eyes don’t cry and hearts don’t break. We’ll never ever wonder why again. Our questions here He’ll answer there. Where eyes don’t cry and hearts don’t break.

It’s beyond my understanding how ev’rything will be; I only know my faith has sight of things my eyes can’t see. And a million years of endless joy for ev’ry tear we’ve cried, Will be the gift the Father gives as he welcomes us inside. Where eyes don’t cry and hearts don’t break. We’ll never ever wonder why again. Our questions here He’ll answer there. Where eyes don’t cry and hearts don’t break…

Let us pray…

Gracious and loving God, we bless you for the gift of these two men of faith and love and hope. Let the light of Christ we have seen in their eyes and their smiles, their enthusiasm and genuinely positive outlook inspire us.

O God, we humbly confess today that we really do not understand how things happen as they do. Yet, we believe that you are the One who has determined a time and a season for everything under heaven. You have gathered Kevin to yourself – yet made so much of his brief life among us. You have given Lester Sr. so many productive years. We thank you that we can celebrate his vitality today. Bless him, we pray, and his whole family.

Finally, Lord, we acknowledge that you have used difficult circumstances in our lives to teach us many things – how precious every moment is, how priceless love and joy are, and how blessed we are to have a living hope for eternal life, in and through Jesus Christ. Lord, when life hurts, lift our eyes and hearts toward you – remind us of your love that transcends time and space, your promise of a seat of honor at the wedding feast of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. In Jesus’ name and for his glory we pray. Amen.

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