True Tragedy

The BBC is even now carrying live the funeral of Senator Kennedy from a large cathedral in Boston. Yo Yo Ma is playing the cello and Placido Domingo is singing "Panis Angelicus." The local priest/pastor of the family finished telling us what a fine man Sen. Kennedy was and soon the President will tell us even more about how famous and great the Senator was to history.

As already written, the masses will pour into Vienna in late September to euologize Michael Jackson at a gigantic tribute show behind of the city's palaces.

Meanwhile in a small town in central Nebraska, another man lays dying, perhaps even this day being his last day of drawing breath upon this planet. In stark contrast to the show atmostphere surrounding the deaths and funerals of Senator Kennedy and Michael Jackson, Fox News and CNN will not be there the moment this man dies. No networks will cut into regular programming with the breaking news that our friend has died. Yo Yo Ma and Placido Domingo will not show up to play and sing at his funeral; President Obama will not interrupt his vacation to fly off to Nebraska and make an elequent speech about this man's life; the BBC will not cover the funeral live. But may I say, and try to say respectively, that our friends funeral will be of far greater meaning and significance than anything we might have observed on television or yet to come here in Vienna.

You see, our friend, Pastor Cooper, was just a simple country preacher who loved our Lord and Savoiur with all of his heart, soul, and mind. No one will have to pray and ask God to forgive Pastor's sins after he dies, as they did for Senator Kennedy. Pastor Cooper knew his Saviour, Jesus Christ, and knew Him well. Pastor and Mrs. Cooper loved people no matter what and in their own ways and words, showed the love and life of Jesus to many, many hundreds of people throughout their long life as Pastor and Pastor's wife.

Pastor Cooper will need no television audience to try and make him look good. Though he never served in politics, never rocked and rolled across the stages of the world, never sought after the fame and fortune of televangelism, Pastor Cooper made a far greater impact upon our nation and world than any politician or rock star ever did, could, or will. Pastor Cooper was in the work of changing hearts: living the Gospel; preaching the Gospel; helping the poor, the widowed, the orphan,; raising children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; all with the goal of making sure that each one knew who Jesus was, what Jesus had done for each one of them, and what it meant to have a sure and eternal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Hearts, lives, families, and marriages were saved as people understood Pastor's life and words and became followers of the Jesus Pastor and Mrs. Cooper so wonderfully lived.


So yes, family members of Senator Kennedy and Michael Jackson are mourning death, but Pastor Cooper's family will do more than mourn; they will know will all of their hearts that their husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather is in heaven and being told by the Saviour of humankind, "Well done, good and faithful servant."