Lowell Gruenhagen Memorial September 26, 2009
Elois shared that some of Lowell’s last words to her were “God bless you.” They were distinctly said in response to her sneeze, and because there were two sneezes he said it twice. I cannot think of more appropriate last words and I would have us meditate on them for a moment

To say, Bless you or God bless you is to counter what is happening with a sneeze. A sneeze is an involuntary, immediate reaction to something which has triggered an alarm in the body’s early warning system. It is a violent bodily reaction meant to dislodge and expel a foreign invader, before any immune systems can diagnose and attack it. The body amasses such force that it runs the danger of doing further damage to itself, as anyone who has sneezed while recovering from a painful injury can tell you. I once heard someone describe a sneeze as bringing us within an inch of death so strained are the body’s systems in a sneeze.
To say “God bless you,” is a radical statement given these indications of danger. It is a way of saying, that though you may be under attack and in great danger, God may nevertheless be bringing a blessing.

If you would bear with me, I would ask you to consider that God’s work of salvation is in some respects like a sneeze.
First it shocks us into an awareness of our grave danger. A spiritual problem we face as believers is that we gradually lose our sensitivity and aversion to something like death. We begin to treat death as though it is simply a natural part of life, instead of realizing that it is an enemy which counters God’s good intention for us. Because of the prevalence of sin we become less and less disturbed as we see it in our own lives. But as we learn of Christ we develop a sensitivity to the attacks of the enemy.
. The second comparison is that it will take more strength and power than is ours to overcome it.
A part of our grief at an occasion such as this, in addition to the grief we feel for our loved one, is our grief over the fact of defeat. Each death reminds us that we are up against a power we cannot resist or overcome. Something much greater than a sneeze is needed to overcome this invasion. Something more than any strength or ingenuity we can muster is needed in order to survive this onslaught. The death of one is a reminder to us all that life is lived in the shadow of death. In its shadow we can lose all will to resist, for we cannot expel this invader, and even we who remain seem defeated by it.
As anyone who has undergone cancer treatment will tell you, if you want to wage a war against death, you must be ready to risk your life. Death will not loosen its hold that easily. Jesus once said something to that effect, that whoever would save their life would lose it, but whoever was willing to lose their life would save it. But he added the words, “for my sake.” Jesus is inviting us to stay close to him. To learn from him. In Jesus God was doing a mighty saving event. It was nothing less that the expulsion of death from its grip on us. For the sake of life. Jesus risked his life. It was a forceful act that took his life. It looked as though death continued its reign. But then a three days later, as light gradually broke across the world, it became more and more apparent that death had not been able to hold this one. That death itself was being dislodged and in an action which will be completed in God’s time will be expelled from this earth, so we can live again.

That is the Christian faith, That is the greatest of all the blessings which has turned everything around. That is a whole new way of seeing things, even a sneeze. Instead of words of concern, “Oh dear you must be getting sick,” Instead of shunning them lest their affliction becomes our affliction. We say the words which seem strange and foolish. Bless You, May God bless you. Yes in this moment Lowell‘s words speak beyond an immediate sneeze, they are words of faith, that even though death is a tragedy, it does not mean God’s blessings and care are somehow ended. It is still the prayer, “God bless you.” To which we say. Amen