Eulogy for Bob Goodson
Memorial Service
First United Methodist,
The passing of our friend Bob Goodson brings us together to
celebrate his life, and to offer our comfort to Marge. Marge, we share your
sorrow, and we offer to you our hope in the resurrection.
The passing of anyone is occasion for us to examine our own
lives in the light of what we understand to be the character of God. What do we
know about God?
We know that God is good. Faith enables us to
declare to the skeptics: God is good – all the time. The Psalmist’s cry is our
own: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love
endures forever” (136:1). We agree with the Shepherd’s Psalm that
“surely goodness and mercy will follow” us all the days of our life.” We know that God values integrity, or goodness, in his children. Proverbs
10:9 says, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths
will be found out.” When it comes to integrity, none of us may claim perfection,
for as Paul said, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans
We are all prone to judge others by their outward appearance
while God looks on our hearts. What matters most to God is the inner man, not what
may be seen and praised by others. Some of the harshest words of our Lord Jesus
were reserved for the hypocrites,
those who made a show of their religion while inside, like tombstones, they
were full of dead men’s bones. Every one of us, who enjoy wearing our best
clothes to church on Sunday -- to be seen of others -- should tremble at the words of
Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
It will come as a surprise to some, but as welcome relief to
us all, that God needs no assistance from us in the judgment of his children.
None of us is wise enough, or good enough, to pass judgment on our fellows. We
may have our Department of Justice in human affairs, but the Department of
Eternal Judgment is in the hands of God alone. That we do well to remember, as
we bid farewell to our friend and brother, knowing that like him, each one of
us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ desiring not justice, but
mercy.
We, who are often quick to condemn, and slow to extend mercy
to one another, should look again at the character of God. Frederick W. Faber,
the hymn writer, opens a lovely window into the heart of God:
“There’s
a wideness in God’s mercy, Like the wideness of the
sea;
There’s a
kindness in his justice, Which is more than liberty.
There is
welcome for the sinner, And more graces for the good;
There is
mercy with the Savior; There is healing in his blood.
For the
love of God is broader Than the measure of man’s mind;
And the
heart of the Eternal Is more wonderfully kind.
If our love
were but more simple, We should take him at his word;
And our
lives would be all sun-shine In the sweetness of our
Lord.”
This morning I asked our heavenly Father this question,
“Father, what can I say that will comfort Marge, and be of benefit to all who
gather to celebrate Bob’s life?” In his kindness, God said, “Look at his name.”
So I looked at it – Goodson, one word formed from two
words: good son. I smiled,
for I thought I heard God saying, “No man who wants to be my son will ever be
turned away. Every man who ‘confesses with his mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and
believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead, will be saved.’ Every
man who does that will be a good son to
me.”
Over the past 15 years, Bob Goodson graciously affirmed my
expressions of faith in Jesus. Many times he sent word to me of his
appreciation for what I had said or written. To my wife and me, he was a good friend. Today, I have reason to believe that to his heavenly
Father, Bob was a good son.
Thanks be to God for the life of Bob
Goodson. + + + +