Funeral For A Severely Handicapped Man
Jeff Strite
Matthew 18:1-4
In the Gospel of Matthew 18:1-4 we're told that ''the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ''Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?''
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ''Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.''
OPEN: Randy lived to the age of 58 years and spent most of his life in homes that took care of him. We all are aware of the fact that Randy had extreme autism he, while he could talk he only did that when he wanted to. Like most people with autism he preferred not to be touched. But when HE decided to - he could be very loving. He might give you a kiss on the end of the nose or handshakes that would seemingly never end (a caretaker said he once shook hands for nearly 20 minutes)
ILLUS: I'm told that in ancient Scandinavian cultures disabled children were looked upon as angels. And there's a legend from northern Japan that tells of parents raising disabled children believing them to be the guardian angels of their families.
Now, to be clear, no human ever becomes an angel... that would be a major demotion for us. The Bible clearly tells us that angels were created by God to be OUR servants. And Jesus told us that we should not ''despise'' children because ''in heaven their angels always see the face of the Father who is in heaven.'' Matthew 18:10
Now we all know that (because of his extreme autism) Randy was very childlike. He loved Sponge Bob Square Pants and Sesame Street. His favorite character on Sesame Street was Ernie and ''Rubber Ducky'' was one of his favorite songs.
Randy was very childlike. And that would mean that he had his own personal angel. An angel that was always in the presence of the Father. More than that, when Randy died we know where he went. Jesus told His dis ...
Jeff Strite
Matthew 18:1-4
In the Gospel of Matthew 18:1-4 we're told that ''the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ''Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?''
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ''Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.''
OPEN: Randy lived to the age of 58 years and spent most of his life in homes that took care of him. We all are aware of the fact that Randy had extreme autism he, while he could talk he only did that when he wanted to. Like most people with autism he preferred not to be touched. But when HE decided to - he could be very loving. He might give you a kiss on the end of the nose or handshakes that would seemingly never end (a caretaker said he once shook hands for nearly 20 minutes)
ILLUS: I'm told that in ancient Scandinavian cultures disabled children were looked upon as angels. And there's a legend from northern Japan that tells of parents raising disabled children believing them to be the guardian angels of their families.
Now, to be clear, no human ever becomes an angel... that would be a major demotion for us. The Bible clearly tells us that angels were created by God to be OUR servants. And Jesus told us that we should not ''despise'' children because ''in heaven their angels always see the face of the Father who is in heaven.'' Matthew 18:10
Now we all know that (because of his extreme autism) Randy was very childlike. He loved Sponge Bob Square Pants and Sesame Street. His favorite character on Sesame Street was Ernie and ''Rubber Ducky'' was one of his favorite songs.
Randy was very childlike. And that would mean that he had his own personal angel. An angel that was always in the presence of the Father. More than that, when Randy died we know where he went. Jesus told His dis ...
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