Eulogy

Eulogy

December 5, 2018

I haven't watched the funeral for George H.W. Bush as of yet.  I have only seen bits or pieces as time has afforded.  There is one image though, from yesterday's coverage, which has captured my attention.  The network was covering his casket carried into the Capitol Rotunda in preparation for lying in state.  Camera shots would alternate between the solemn joint services military honor guard processional and the observing dignitaries gathered on the steps of the Capitol.  It was a silent scene save for the sound of the guard calling out, "Step, step, step..." as the processional made its stately progress up the steps.  Befitting his service to the nation as President and as a Navy pilot, his casket was draped in the US flag.  I've lived long enough to witness more than a few state funerals - long enough to watch the funerals of US Presidents.  This time, the camera caught something...something which gave me pause.

The crowd gathered on the steps of the Capitol included family, government officials and military personnel in uniform.  As the casket made its slow ascension up the steps, those in uniform saluted the casket, whilst the rest covered their heart with their hand.  It was a touching, and fitting, tribute to one who had served this country as President.  The camera would often focus on George W. and Laura Bush.  At one point, she began to cry, wiping tears from her red eyes, her husband solemn in his salute to his father.  Her tears for the elder Bush reminded me of the tears of so many others at funerals I have officiated over the years.  I could not help but think that these are people little different from the thousands of ordinary human beings I know and love.  Laura's tears, visual evidence of grief and love, were for a man whom she knew as father-in-law for 41 years.  Little different were they from the tears of my wife as she too mourned the loss of her father-in-law now thirteen years ago.  I thought how private and, incongruously, public funerals are.  There is at least an attempt to protect families in their time of mourning.  They are given separate rooms in funeral homes and in churches.  Their pews are at the least cordoned off in the attempt to allow them private moments in their grief.  The family gets to choose those special to the deceased, or the family, to serve as pallbearers.  This is not so in a state funeral.  True, the purpose of a state funeral is to honor the deceased and his, or her, service to the nation.  But for the family, it is no longer private.  Laura's tears reminded me that service does come at a sacrifice.  Her husband was looking Presidential as he stood honoring his Presidential father.  The rest of the Bush clan shared the funeral for their patriarch with millions.  With cameras recording every moment, nothing was left private - nor was the personal left sacred.  Weaker individuals than this clan would crumble under the scrutiny.

There is another casualty in the state funeral - the good word.  Perhaps this is peculiar to our present culture.  Many have commented that there is a change in the national temperament.  We have become more mean-spirited as a people.  We are less respectful of others - particularly of those with whom we do not agree.  At the very least, it has been said, we feel freer to opine the thoughts which previous generations left private.  Few men have served this nation in the role of President in her 242 years.  By any measure, the person serving is rare indeed.  Thankfully, we have not seen evil - Hitler, Herod, Mussolini, Amin sort of evil - as President.  Evil of the magnitude that the dead body lies not in state, but hangs in scorn.  The sort of evil at whose funeral the people cry in relief rather than cry in sorrow.  Laura's tears stood in contrast to the churlish comments of those whose definition of evil is nothing more than to disagree with their worldview.  It reminds me how low we have become in the level of our discontent. As a people, we love many and varied things, but the thing we seem to love the most is hatred of one another.  To feed that love, we have made hatred an easy thing to attain - just disagree.

George H.W. Bush loved the nation he served.  He loved people - even those with whom he could not agree.  One aspect of his great testimony was that a close friendship, late in life, was with another former President he disagreed with - often.  He loved his family.  He treasured and adored his wife of 73 years.  Last, but not least, his life gave testimony he loved Jesus.  He was one of the very rare individuals who served this nation as President.  You didn't need to agree with everything he did in order to respect the eulogy - the good word - of his life.  It is called respect, for its lack we are the lesser for it.

"Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."  1 John 4:20 (NIV)