GOOD MORNING

When Tony Campolo was 16 years old, he attended his first funeral at a black Baptist church.

"I was there," Tony said, "because my good friend Clarence had died. He wasn't young, but he wasn't old, and my heart was broken that my friend had died so suddenly.

The pastor began the service by talking about the resurrection and the glory of that day. He left the pulpit and spoke directly to Clarence's family. He talked to them about the 14th chapter of John, where Jesus said, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. I wouldn't have told you this if it weren't so. And I'm going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go there and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself."

Then the pastor did something strange. He turned from the family and approached the casket and began addressing the dead man. "Clarence!" the pastor said. "Clarence!"

He said it with such authority, Tony says, "We expected Clarence to sit up and say, 'Yes, what do you want?'"

"Clarence," the pastor said, "you left us too fast. You left us too soon." And he recalled the story of Clarence's life. He told Clarence of the ways in which his life had blessed the church, blessed his family, blessed strangers and people in his neighborhood.

"Now, Clarence," the pastor concluded. "We have said it all, and there's only one thing left to say."And with that the pastor grabbed the lid of the casket and slammed it shut with a resounding BANG! "Good night, Clarence!"

The pastor turned toward the stunned congregation and said again, "Good night, Clarence!" And then, with a sly smile, "We'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Clarence," the pastor said. "Because God is going to give you a good morning up there. Good night, Clarence, because God is giving you a good, good morning. I know, I know," he said, "I know there's a good morning up there."

And the organ began to play and the choir began to sing, "On that great gettin' up morning, we're going to rise, we're going to rise. On that great gettin' up morning, we're going to rise." And the pastor and the congregation began to sing with them and the people moved into the aisles hugging and crying and laughing and crying some more, clapping and singing and dancing with the choir and with Clarence and with the great cloud of witnesses who have gone on before.


Heading toward becoming a morning person,
DOM