The rich man died

All rich men die. All of them. The richest have died. The richest will die.  I met a man this week. He was dead. His name was Alan. I preached his funeral. I’ve preached a lot of funerals. I’ve preached funerals for dead men who are dead. This week I preached a funeral for a dead man who is alive. He still has a name. We mourn the loss of husband, father, brother, grandpa, sailor, friend. We celebrate the son of God, just getting started in Life. Not the “after” life. The Life. The Name. He is fully himself now. All the other names are left for us to enjoy for a time. To cry and to laugh and to admire. There are no rich men in heaven. There are no firemen. No doctors or lawyers. No fathers or mothers. There are Alan’s and Lazarus’s. All the names we are so desperately seeking in this, the before-life, run out of time.  You are invited into the everlasting name now. You can begin to live now. You can be living and alive at your funeral.  Or you can be dying and dead at your funeral.  What is your name?