Today I sit in my office and try to process the events of the last several days. It is January 6, 2010. We have celebrated Christmas, welcomed a New Year and yesterday my family buried my Uncle Earl Hodges. What a swing of emotions! And so for my first blog of 2010 I want to tell you a bit about the amazing man that was laid to rest yesterday. I hope I don't bore you, I just think I need to write a bit to process my feelings.
To begin with I think it is important to mention the unique family connection. Earl was my Dad's brother as well as my Mother's sister's husband. To clarify a bit my Dad and his brother married sisters. So Earl wasn't just my Uncle, he was my double Uncle. The reason that is important to note is because it means that Uncle Earl and my Aunt Diana were at all family functions we had growing up. If we had a get together with my mom's side of the family...they were there. If it was my Dad's side...they were there. We always seemed to live near each other, within usually a mile or two and when we didn't live that close we were always at their house or they at ours.
Uncle Earl and Aunt Diana are more like "other" parents to me. I wish I could put into words (and still be able to see my screen through the tears) all that he meant to me. Losing him was very much like losing a parent for me. It is going to be hard to imagine life without him, because I have never known life without him.
I had the amazing privilege of being his Pastor for about 8 years. Which I admit was a bit strange to look out as your are preaching and see people who once changed your diapers. But the truth is he always looked so proud. I used to say I didn't know if it was pride or boredom, but the truth is I know it was pride because I felt it and he told me from time to time. But it is here in this relationship that I find the blessing of it all...Earl Hodges was a child of God by virtue of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He has truly gone home to be with the Lord.
I shared briefly at his graveside yesterday a few words of hope to my family and now let me share them with you. Maybe, just maybe they will bring hope to you if you will allow them. We have just celebrated Christmas. In the book of Isaiah Chapter 7 we find these words "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (v. 14 NKJV) Now I can tell you that the word Immanuel in Hebrew means God with Us. but rather than me tell you and hopefully you think I am smart enough to know that, let me take you to yet another passage that confirms that statement...Matthew 1:22-23 ( NKJV ) 22So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,”£ which is translated, “God with us.”
I find that incredible...God with Us. God is not some distant being watching us from a distance and Bette Midler tries to suggest. He is right here with us. He came to earth in the form of a man and lived among us. After his death, burial, resurrection and ascension He is still right here with us, we are not alone!
There is one other verse I shared with them, I have written about it before so let me just offer it in passing and if you want more just look for my previous post on it...Zephaniah 3:17 ( NKJV ) 17 The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Hold on a minute while I SHOUT! This verse tells us right from the start where God is...He is in our Midst. As if that were not comforting enough...we are told that He rejoices over us! You know on December 30 when my uncle left his physical body (at 59 years of age) to become present with the Lord there was great rejoicing in heaven and some of it even came from my uncle, but I suggest that most of it came from the Lord as He rejoiced over Earl with gladness and singing. Oh, what a beautiful song that must be! Imagine!
I will miss him soooo very much, but this is not the end for Earl Hodges it really is the beginning! I love you Uncle Earl, I will miss you...but thanks to Jesus we will meet again!
Thanks for listening!
Bro. Chad
To begin with I think it is important to mention the unique family connection. Earl was my Dad's brother as well as my Mother's sister's husband. To clarify a bit my Dad and his brother married sisters. So Earl wasn't just my Uncle, he was my double Uncle. The reason that is important to note is because it means that Uncle Earl and my Aunt Diana were at all family functions we had growing up. If we had a get together with my mom's side of the family...they were there. If it was my Dad's side...they were there. We always seemed to live near each other, within usually a mile or two and when we didn't live that close we were always at their house or they at ours.
Uncle Earl and Aunt Diana are more like "other" parents to me. I wish I could put into words (and still be able to see my screen through the tears) all that he meant to me. Losing him was very much like losing a parent for me. It is going to be hard to imagine life without him, because I have never known life without him.
I had the amazing privilege of being his Pastor for about 8 years. Which I admit was a bit strange to look out as your are preaching and see people who once changed your diapers. But the truth is he always looked so proud. I used to say I didn't know if it was pride or boredom, but the truth is I know it was pride because I felt it and he told me from time to time. But it is here in this relationship that I find the blessing of it all...Earl Hodges was a child of God by virtue of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He has truly gone home to be with the Lord.
I shared briefly at his graveside yesterday a few words of hope to my family and now let me share them with you. Maybe, just maybe they will bring hope to you if you will allow them. We have just celebrated Christmas. In the book of Isaiah Chapter 7 we find these words "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (v. 14 NKJV) Now I can tell you that the word Immanuel in Hebrew means God with Us. but rather than me tell you and hopefully you think I am smart enough to know that, let me take you to yet another passage that confirms that statement...Matthew 1:22-23 ( NKJV ) 22So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,”£ which is translated, “God with us.”
I find that incredible...God with Us. God is not some distant being watching us from a distance and Bette Midler tries to suggest. He is right here with us. He came to earth in the form of a man and lived among us. After his death, burial, resurrection and ascension He is still right here with us, we are not alone!
There is one other verse I shared with them, I have written about it before so let me just offer it in passing and if you want more just look for my previous post on it...Zephaniah 3:17 ( NKJV ) 17 The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Hold on a minute while I SHOUT! This verse tells us right from the start where God is...He is in our Midst. As if that were not comforting enough...we are told that He rejoices over us! You know on December 30 when my uncle left his physical body (at 59 years of age) to become present with the Lord there was great rejoicing in heaven and some of it even came from my uncle, but I suggest that most of it came from the Lord as He rejoiced over Earl with gladness and singing. Oh, what a beautiful song that must be! Imagine!
I will miss him soooo very much, but this is not the end for Earl Hodges it really is the beginning! I love you Uncle Earl, I will miss you...but thanks to Jesus we will meet again!
Thanks for listening!
Bro. Chad
