Genesis 3:19 says, "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
We find this sentence about bread on the very first pages of the Bible. I found this verse because I determined that "bread" would be the theme of this funeral message. Edgar Maynard was best known as the bread man because he made early morning deliveries of Betsy Ross bread for many years. When I did a search for the word "bread," I knew I would find many references in the Bible, but I expected most of them to be in the Gospel of John. But here is the word in Genesis.
Hear that sentence again, "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Did you notice that the first mention of bread is connected with a famous phrase about death - "You are dust, and to dust you shall return."
I have known for a long time that bread would be an appropriate topic for Edgar's funeral, but I did not realize until last night that bread is doubly appropriate.
Edgar's brother Frank said to me, "The company made bread here." And the conversation went on for some time before I realized that Frank meant "exactly here… in this building." And finally, I realized that the Call Funeral Home building was a bakery before it became a funeral home.
Some of my Elders recollected that it was first the Feuchenberger Bakery and later the Betsy Ross Bakery. A lot of people who attended Pikeville High School in the old building across the street from there remember the wonderful smell of bread baking here while they tried to concentrate on biology class.
I have intended for some time now to plan a children's sermon about bread and time our bread-making machine to finish a loaf during the worship service. I can just imagine preaching about the Bread of Life with the sanctuary filled with the sweet aroma of fresh baked bread, but I am afraid that my people will be so hungry from the smell they won't listen to my sermon.
I didn't think it appropriate to run the bread machine during a funeral, but I want you to fill your head with the remembered smell of fresh baked bread. As I share with you the Scriptures about bread, sniff that smell again and let you mind be filled with the positive warmth that bread can bring.
Bread is a very important theme in te Bible. Did you know that Jesus was born in the House of Bread? Matthew 2:1 says, "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea." And any dictionary will tell you that Bethlehem means "House of Bread."
After remembering this bit of Biblical trivia, I thought to myself that Gary Justice should rename his funeral home to "Bethlehem Funeral Home" for it is in a house of bread.
Edgar Maynard's career revolved around his early years in the military, a few years trying to make it in coal, then a stint a Coca-cola before settling in for the rest of his career at the Betsy Ross Bakery. He rose early every morning to deliver bread for many years, and later worked as shipping clerk. So I thought it only appropriate to use bread as the Scriptural theme with which to tell Edgar's story.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, "Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back."
Edgar joined the Army while a junior in high school. He tried to talk some of his friends in high school into joining with him, but wasn't always successful. He served in World War II as part of what Tom Brokaw has called "the Greatest Generation." He saw intense fighting in the Battle of Luzon in the Philippines. He was injured, apparently on more than one occasion.
His grandchildren tell me that he didn't talk about the horrors of war, but he was proud of his service. After one injury, the doctors took out half of one lung from an injury he received.
After going out on the waters of the Pacific, he returned home to Pikeville. Since he had not finished high school, he enrolled again and that is when he met his wife of 57 years.
In my search for references to bread in the Bible, I discovered that bread is sometimes used to symbolize the dark side of life. Everyone has those dark days. For Jesus, it was Judas the betrayer.
John 13:18 says, "I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’
21After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me."
So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.
30So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch, but I want to suggest that the dark side for Edgar Maynard was the cancer that plagued him for 25 years. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1981, and that is when the doctors removed his lung. Remember that half his other lung had been removed during the war, so Edgar has lived for 25 years on one-half of a lung.
Cancer would come again in 1999, shortly after I became his pastor. I remember well visiting him in Lexington where they had removed part of his colon. He would also fight a battle with prostate cancer.
Jesus uses the image of Bread to describe salvation and resurrection.
John 631Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
The bread of salvation came to Edgar Maynard in 1982. For years Donna Sue tried to get Edgar to come to this church with her. Only after his first brush with cancer in 1981 was he ready. He came on Easter Sunday morning and was baptized the next Sunday.
For 25 years he served faithfully as a member and later as an Elder and chairman of the Elders. Every member of our church knew and loved Edgar.
I remember him best from Elders meetings where he always seemed to have a toothpick in his mouth. He didn't seem to chew it; he just balanced it on his lips. I would watch that toothpick bouncing up and down, waiting for it to fall, and never seemed to know what took place in Elders' meetings.
In his many years of service in this church, Edgar attended many board meetings. I think he must have made the motion to adjourn at everyone of them. Because of his health, he has not been able to attend a board meeting for several years. But at every board meeting, someone says, "In honor of Edgar Maynard, I make a motion that we adjourn."
Bread in the Bible is especially associated with the sacred act of Communion:
1 Corinthians 1016The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
1 Corinthians 1126For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Everyone in First Christian Church remembers Edgar best for his Elder prayers for the Bread and the Wine. This soft-spoken man seemed to be transformed into an orator. His prayers would leave you with cold chills running up your spin. I always thought he prayed like a man of deep faith and a man who had more education that I knew Edgar to have.
One of his most humbling stories relates to such prayers. As Edgar has told the story on many occasions, he began to be a little big headed about his beautiful prayers. People in the church were always patting him on the back and telling him what beautiful prayers he said at the Table.
But one Sunday as he stood to say his prayer, nothing came out. Absolutely nothing. He found that he could not open his mouth at all. After a long and awkward silence, the other Elder for the day, Francis Dale Burke, said a prayer for both the Bread and the Wine.
And Edgar was never so proud about his praying after that.
Another mention of bread in the Bible relates to the home:
Acts 246Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Edgar was a family man. He loved his family, and the older he got the more he loved them.
I never thought of Edgar as a romantic, but Donna Sue still carries with her a stack of cards that came with the roses he sent to her every year on their anniversary. The one she showed me was for their 56th anniversary and it said, "You are still the best thing that ever happened to me."
And Edgar especially loved his two great-grandchildren. He called the church to special prayers for both of those boys when they were very young. Even when Edgar was so sick, he would call me to have the church pray for young Isaiah and his several surgeries.
The Bible also uses bread in connection with life after death.
John 648I am the bread of life… 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Edgar has known life after death twice. When he was wounded in the Battle of Luzon, some medic thought he was already dead. They tagged his toe, and were ready to haul his body away when someone noticed that he was still breathing. It was a resurrection experience.
And now we stand here again, when Edgar is tagged for dead. But the Bible says it is an illusion. The body may lie here, but Edger is not dead. He is alive forevermore. The Bible promises Resurrection for all of those who claim Jesus as their savior.
When Jesus rose from the dead he appeared before the disciples on the shore of Lake Galilee, and once again bread entered the scene.
John 219When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
Today I proclaim to you that Edgar Maynard has received the promise of life everlasting.
He spent his life delivering bread, and now I believe he is eating at the Lord's Table in Heaven. He is eating the Bread of Heaven today. It is resurrection bread, and one day we will join him at that Table.
Take a sniff. What's that aroma? Can you smell a hint of the Bread of Life, the bread of everlasting life?