Sunday afternoon I officiated at the funeral of a farmer from rural Butler. He was buried the way he lived, wearing bib overalls. It is not unusual for farmers to be buried in bibs, I’ve seen it several times. I did not know him, but knew two of his daughters and his son, and one of his grandsons attends our church. This family wanted to honor their farmer dad and came up with a creative idea. There were 8 grandsons who served as Pall Bearers. They each wore white T-shirts, blue bib overalls, work boots and red baseball caps.

It was the most memorable display of honoring a grandpa I have yet seen. What is one memory you have of how someone honored their parents or grandparent?

Jowett preached a sermon he had recently preached in his own church, Carr’s Lane, one of the great churches in England. The congregation did not respond well to the sermon, but the deacons thanked him for helping them out in a pinch. During the week the local newspaper announced that Jowett of Birmingham was enjoying his holiday there. When the deacons realized who he was, they approached him to preach again on Wednesday night. Jowett was surprised by the invitation.

“I preached for you Sunday,” he said.

“Yes,” the deacons replied, “but we did not know then that you were John Henry Jowett of Carr’s Lane!”

Their lack of respect kept them from hearing the good news Jowett had already preached. Could we be shutting down what God wants to do in our lives by not respecting the gifts God has placed among us?

When Adolf Hitler was looking for a chauffeur he selected the shortest man he could find and kept him as his driver for the rest of his life. This man was so short that he needed special blocks under the driver’s seat just to see over the steering wheel. Hitler used other people to make himself look bigger than he really was. Have you ever done that?

Paul told us, “Take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:10 TLB). Whose life are you making a difference in today?

I want to thank everyone for your expressions of love and respect for my Dad. I firmly believe in the command that we must honor our mother and father that our days may be long in the land (Exodus 20:12 and repeated 7 times in the Bible). When Dad asked me to speak at his funeral, I saw this as an opportunity to honor my father with my words.

I’m currently writing a history of the wartime experiences of my Mom and Dad and only need to do a bit more editing and add pictures. What are you planning to do to honor your parents?

To this day, I still remember the cool breeze, amazing sights, and smell of evergreens. My mind still pictures the abandoned cabin we passed on that hike. For a young boy, that was a great adventure that was a defining moment in my life. And I’m thankful for my father providing that out-of-the-ordinary opportunity for me.

Perhaps you can reflect back to some memory your father provided in the early days of your life. And perhaps it would be a good time to express thanks to your earthly father for the investment he made in your young life. One of the foundational requirements of scripture is that we “honor our mother and father, that our days would be long on the earth”. The promise works for us, whether they deserve to be honored or not.

What is your memory?