Day 19 - Tito Chavez - Part 2

Lord Jesus Christ, speak to me.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice…” 1 Peter 1:3-6a

Tito’s funeral really got me thinking on Wednesday. Typically, most funeral’s contain some sort of eulogy where some friend or family member talks about the deceased and shares stories they remember from their lives. Tito’s funeral was no exception. In this case, Pastor Greg spent several minutes sharing stories of his interactions with Tito, stories of his son Blake’s friendship with Tito, and stories that the family had shared about Tito. One of the funnier moments was the time that Tito asked Pastor Greg, “Does it hurt to have to preach so long?” Tito and his brother made me laugh pretty hard once too. I was in the habit of always asking them how to say English words in Spanish. One day I said, “Come se dice en espanol, ‘pastor?’” They gave me a puzzling look and said in plain English and Spanish, “pastor.”

But, back to the more “devotional” thought. The passage above from 1 Peter says, “Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In the original greek language, the word translated praise comes from the Greek word, “eulogetos,” which, of course, is where we get our English word, “eulogy.” To eulogize someone is to praise their life. Tito’s funeral was a great praise and celebration of his life. Like I said yesterday, I wish Tito could have been there to hear it (though I’m hoping that God allowed Tito to hear it from heaven!). My point it this – everyday, and particularly on Sundays at church, should be a eulogy. Each day should be a day for us to eulogy God the Father, Son and Spirit - to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died. And rose again. Our worship services, in a sense, are weekly funerals for Jesus. They are a chance to eulogize our God and Savior. What would you say at Jesus’ funeral? How would you remember the life of Jesus? However you answer that question, take the opportunity today and tomorrow and then on Sunday to celebrate the life of Jesus. Worship him. Eulogize him. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…Thanks Tito.