Memorial to Caleb Dean Gramkow – October 24, 2015 3:00 PM
(message given by Wade Weber, Mandy's oldest brother)
We gather together today in this moment of grief to remember our shared life together, our shared hope together and our shared faith together.
October 21, 2015 – Caleb Dean Gramkow was born into this world and ushered straight into the loving arms of God. Embraced in the womb of a loving family for 19 weeks. Now embraced securely by a heavenly father for eternity. Team Gramkow has been busy preparing a place for this baby boy and so had God.
God had been preparing hearts to receive gifts known and gifts unknown.
As Mandy and Ben have described to me, their whole journey of childbearing has been a journey of faith.
Faith in action. Believing in the goodness of God – no matter what conventional wisdom might say – continues to characterize their journey. From the faith promptings to open up their hearts and home to another child, to discovering their pregnancy, through each checkup, to discovering he would be a boy – to give that boy a name…
Faith in action. Being bold. Giving God the glory – in good times and hard times because He is the Lord of ALL times.
We have a tradition in the Weber household to sing the Johnny Appleseed song as a table blessing before we eat our family meals. But as I was traveling here this weekend, I was struck by the powerful words of faith this song simply states.
It goes like this...
The Lord’s been good to me and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord’s been good to me. Amen (pause) Amen (pause) (next three amens quicker) Amen Amen Amen (pause then slower) ah… men.
The kids usually put some bravado at the end of that song.
We have now sang that together as a family, with you Caleb.
So please know that you are now a part of the family and every time we sing this song, we, together with you, declare the goodness of God in all things and at all times.
Named CALEB
Ben and Mandy chose to name their son Caleb Dean Gramkow. The naming of a child carries significant meaning and purpose to the gift that each child is. And Caleb’s name reflects the faith his parents have in their God. You see, Caleb is a Hebrew name with a rich history. Literally, the name is a compound Hebrew word that means “all of heart” or “whole hearted.”
The most notable character in the Bible is Caleb – one of the twelve spies sent into the promised land of Canaan after God had liberated the captive people of Israel from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Through 10 plagues and the Passover, God used Moses to speak boldly to Pharaoh to “Let my people go.” And eventually by faith, the people were set free. Freed to worship God and live “all hearted” to Him.
But that journey of faith was just the beginning. God led the newly freed nation to a mountain, through the desert, to the boarder of the land long promised to their ancestors. A land only remembered in story and legend. Yet here they are on the verge, on the edge. And the Lord calls for leaders – one from each of the 12 historic tribes of Israel. One among them selected was named Caleb – of the tribe of Judah. The leaders were to go before the people and spy out the land to see if it was good and return to give a report to the people. For 40 days they investigated the land. They returned and they reported the abundance of this promised land – truly a land flowing with milk and honey. Yet they also saw the giants and the obstacles. And those observations brought about great fear among the people. Yet in Numbers 13:30 it says “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses saying ‘We should by all means go up, take possession, for we shall overcome!’”
Caleb stood tall even in the midst of daunting circumstances. First, with sheer size of the giant inhabitants of Caanan and then from the fear and doubt of his own people. But he called the people to believe and boldly act upon the goodness of God and the faithfulness of his promises. Caleb indeed did enter again into that promised land, but it was not the path that he originally thought he would walk. But God saw Caleb’s faith at that moment and promised that he would indeed enter the promised land. But when and how… He would wander on the edge of the promised land for 40 years with his fear-filled extended family/nation (not shared but in notes) as God would not allow the nation to enter into the land promised yet. Caleb’s elders, peers, and role models would all pass away in the wilderness – being freed from bondage but not fully realizing the abundance of inhabiting the promised land. His faith would be tested again and again as God’s plan took hard turns and appeared to be literally going around in circles. God’s promise remained true – He would lead the people to the promised land and He would raise up a generation of Israel who walked in faith.
I am confident that Caleb was a part of building faith in the people during the wandering, even when Moses, the one called to liberate the children of God, died before entering into the land. Would the people live by faith? But God - in keeping his promises assures Joshua (and I believe Caleb) – to be strong and courageous because He promises to be with them. Caleb and Joshua would be the only remnants from Egypt that would enter into the Promised land, yet they have been the catalysts to enable a nation to follow God no matter what. Think about Jericho – marching around a city 7 times? Staying silent then shouting, trumpets and musicians at the front – only a people who have learned to walk in faith can see this as a means for God to accomplish his promises. It does not mean that the people were perfect, but it does show that God will and would get the glory for the people conquering the Land. I am convinced that Caleb was instrumental in growing faith for 40 years among a fearful people. The land remained a good and bountiful land, and God remained with them as they entered into it. But his vision and assurances of God were refined each and every day until the promise was fulfilled.
CALEB POINTS TO JESUS
Caleb Dean Gramkow has been sent out ahead of us to a good and bountiful place. A place where God dwells fully and a place prepared by those who believe in the life and work of Jesus Christ to buy our freedom from a rebellious life from God to a life lived worshipping and living boldly with God. But this bold faith filled life is not filled with bravado and pomp – but rather a deeply anchored resoluteness of the goodness of God in the full spectrum of our human experience.
Caleb’s life has cause Mandy and Ben to be bolder, to not be gripped by fear, to encourage them to step out in faith in Jesus who makes all things new, who turns mourning into dancing, and who brings life in the midst of death. But this boldness is not a conjured up coping mechanism to alleviate the pain and loss surrounding grief, rather it is the experiential reality of encountering the resurrected Jesus in the everyday lives of broken, fearful, failing, yet redeemed and loved people.
You see we believe that Jesus Christ was sent from God to us – a broken and rebellious humanity – to show us and live before us what life with God really is. He spoke of this other place and way of life – almost like a land of plenty and way of life that seems so good and yet hard to believe is real. His words resonated with the broken hearted, restored the contrite and ticked off the proud and self-righteous. People loved him. People hated him. He left some amazed and others enraged. He loved. He challenged. And at every turn it was for our good. So we might be restored and freed to worship and love God and one another more completely. Yet something profound occurred. Even when humanity was at its worst and when humanity could not recognize this love of God on display, we chose to kill the love of God rather than live with it. Jesus died on a cross for us – while we were yet sinners. We were in full rebellion not wanting anything to do with God – We think that in our rebellion we can successfully kill the love of God, but it only exposed our own ignorance of the nature and character of God’s love. He sacrificed himself on our behalf so that we might be restored to new life through Jesus Christ. God’s reality of love casts out fear.
So where are you today? Have you run so far from God thinking that you are too far out of his love that you just have to settle for whatever this live dishes out? Think again. God is right here next to you. He knows your rebellion and he offers His love anyway.
Have you run out of hope facing insurmountable odds? Are you tempted to despair? Think again, God is right next to you. He knows full well your struggle, your despair. He offers his love, his hope, his peace – not to make all the challenges or brokenness disappear – NO. Our God redeems broken lives, redeems broken dreams, redeems flawed and rebellious people so that we might know experientially the Love that surpasses all understanding, a faith that endures, a love that covers a multitude of sins, a God that moves mountains, a God who is found in the silence and the God who is found in our tears. That is why today we weep, and weep with others, as a demonstration of faith because we worship a God who weeps with us. Not because he is weak, but because he is real. He wants us to know and experience the love He has for us that goes beyond what we think is possible.
JESUS SHOWS US HIS SCARS
Ben and Mandy, Ellie and Beckett – we mourn with you at the loss of your son, your brother; my nephew.
But just as we believe that the cross that Jesus dies upon was not the final act, we also believe that He rose again on the third day – overcoming death and establishing a new reality and a new life – a reality beyond what we see or know. But I love the fact that when Jesus shows up alive - after his followers had all seen him die – he is still knowable and connected to his humanity. Jesus does not demand to be worshipped as the resurrected deity, rather he seeks to convince skeptical people of this possibility. He does not show us a perfect resurrected form free from flaw, but he shows us the wounds on his body – his side, his feet, his hands. But these wounds are now infused with meaning that defies conventional wisdom. Jesus invites us to believe in Him by showing us his scars. I believe that he shows us his scars so that we might know that he really knows about our human experience.
His nail pierced hands are holding Caleb.
His nail pierced hands are holding us.
Scar stained hands are leading us on.
WHAT ARE YOU POINTING TO?
Because like Caleb before him, Jesus speaks of a life that can be acted upon here and now. A life lived with God through faith in Jesus Christ that enables a restored life with God and others now, through death, and into eternity. It is because of that new reality – faith in Jesus Christ – alive and active today through the work of the Holy Spirit – that we can boldly live and invite others to live in this new reality.
The spirit of God is what enables Ben and Mandy to carry out the mission of God has called them into – to testify to the goodness of God in the midst of all this life brings. It is what enables them to bring hope, help and healing to challenging situations with Premi-Parents. It is why they choose faith over fear. It is why they challenge the reality of this world with the new reality of faith through Jesus Christ.
No matter what. God will get the glory. No matter what.
Caleb Dean Gramkow has shown us God’s promise. He is enjoying God’s presence now. We who remain see through a mirror dimly but someday we will see God clearly together.
Caleb Dean Gramkow has shown us a family life surrendered and living in faith together. Walking humbly yet boldly with their God.
Caleb Dean Gramkow has drawn our eyes and souls to see God and that promised land – for who He is. A God who loves us and knows us deeply - even in the most difficult moments of life.
What do others see from your life? As for me and my house, we will seek and serve the Lord.
Love you all. May faith in Christ grow in all of us in full view of this life. Humbly, Wade Weber
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