(Eulogy – written 2020)
Of all the countries in all the world
Of all earth’s kindred ever sown
Of all the souls God ever pearled
This living stone in our hearts is known.
Hallelujahs came oft to his voice
Glories to God were poised on his lips
From unabashed joy from that perfect choice
Of Faith in Jesus Christ which none can eclipse.
From notches of trees to bended knees
He sought to know the Lord his God
From city trains to country lanes
He rarely walked with feet unshod.
No man-made custom did he well fit
Those norms and mores of society
For he perceived in man’s subtle writ
The empty tomes of notoriety.
He walked with God, there is no doubt
For fruit is known, according to season
And sinners now saints whose hearts do shout
Bring glory to God that only fools dare reason.
David is now walking in heavenly breeze
Singing and smiling to those that he meets
But that compares little to the sights he sees
Millions of mansions through transparent streets.
If we could close our eyes and see him there
To glimpse David’s heavenly mansion fair
We’d see him sliding down bannistered stairs
And swinging from golden rafters there!
A mansion glows like amber sweet
To those who love God through fervent heat
Striving in heart, though marred in each beat
Any vessel like that, in a great house, is meet.
But sweeter still to the tongue discreet
Is but one taste of the goodness of God
For greatest of all, and fully complete
Is salvation free at the foot of the Cross.
The Light of the Lamb through that shimmering city
Adorned and arrayed with manifold graces
Should dazzle our souls to the heart of infinity
For God’s kindness toward us throughout all the ages.
But here we stand still, in this place aside
Amid the stir of life’s daily fold
Recalling the confidence in David’s stride
In knowing there’s a land where we’ll never grow old.
Let not your heart be troubled
Be comforted in his rest
His heavenly reward is blessed
Because he loved the Lord the best.