Wed, 08 Mar 2000 14:00

Transcript of funeral service

 


Funeral Service for Logan Thomas Gaskins
October 7, 1996 - March 5, 2000

March 8, 2000, 2:00 p.m.

Colonial Baptist Church
6750 Tryon Road
Cary, NC 27511

 

Obituary

Order of Service

Prelude..............................Shirley Ludwig

Opening Prayer.......................Paul Jackson

Song - "Mourning into Dancing"

A Treasured Quilt....................Scott Wylie

"Jesus, You Are My Life".............Kathy Peterson, soloist

Remembrances.........................Gary Gaskins

Hymn - "And Can It Be"

Message..............................Paul Jackson

Postlude.............................Shirley Ludwig

 

 

Following the service the burial will be held at Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh, NC.

Everyone is invited to attend a reception at the church after the burial.


Obituary

Logan Thomas Gaskins, 3 years old, of 8220 Charlbert Court went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on Sunday, March 5, after an 11-month battle with medulloblastoma, a brain and spinal cord cancer. Logan bravely endured two brain surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments during the course of his illness. Logan attended Otters Sunday School Class at Colonial Baptist Church, and he will greatly missed by all who knew him.

Logan is survived by his parents Gary A. and Laura C. Gaskins of Apex and a brother, Adam Gaskins of the home; paternal grandparents Louis and Sandy Gaskins of Lenoir; maternal grandmother Julia Conley of Winston-Salem; maternal grandfather Wayne Conley of Kernersville; maternal great-grandmother Julia Braunlin of Nitro, WV; maternal great-grandfather Walter A. Braunlin of Glenwood, WV; paternal great-grandmother Louise Bird of Great Bend, KS. Also several aunts and uncles and a host of friends.

Logan's family wishes to thank all the many people who provided meals, encouragement, childcare, practical help, and prayers during this past year.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14b

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to:

Colonial Baptist Church
2201 Candun Drive, Suite 101
Apex, NC 27502


Opening Prayer

Certainly a difficult day for all of us. It's a day where we are sharing in the grief and the pain and the sorrow of the loss of one little life, a very precious and dear life. We don't know too many three-year-olds who have had an impact on as many people as Logan has had. I'm sure there are many more than that are in this auditorium that have touched Logan or prayed for him or ministered to his family in some way. But we are here today to find the blessings that may be hidden in the pain. The blessings that only God could figure out, and offer to us, and open our eyes to. It is a day in which we all ought to reflect upon our frailty, our humanness, the shortness, the brevity of life.

The first thing I want to do is thank many of you, all of you, for coming. Friends who are here, certainly family members, who surround this casket and this mom and dad. There are so many people who have had a part in ministering to them, people who have brought food; people who have cared for them medically, physically; doctors; surgeons; people who have administered treatments. There are people who have done special things, maybe things that really aren't seen. I want to thank those of you who gave the hugs and prayed for them. I also want to thank this funeral home, who has offered many of their services today, and relieved the financial burden of the Gaskins. It's a blessing that we have come together as a community to minister to a hurting family. Gary and Laura, there's no one who has hurt more than you have, and I want to thank you, too, today for being good parents, for being loving, godly parents, and giving Logan a special home, and also for introducing him to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Psalm 139, a Psalm of David, it reads, "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know. I can never escape from your spirit. I can never get away from your presence. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous, and I know it well. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They are innumerable. I can't even count them. They outnumber the grains of sand, and when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me, and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."

The Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, chapter 8, wrote very encouraging words about God's love for us. And I'd like to share them with you, at least portions of that chapter.

"Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you, through Christ Jesus, from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses could not save us, because our sinful nature condemned us. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son, in a human body like ours, except that ours is sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us.

"What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in pains of childbirth right up to this present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what to pray for, nor how we should pray, but the Holy Spirit prays with us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. What can we say about such wonderful things as these? Is God for us? If he is for us, who can be ever against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the One who has given us right standing with himself. Who, then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No! For he is the One who died for us, and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from the love of God? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours in Christ Jesus, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't. Life can't. Angels can't, and demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Just before I pray, I want to remind you all that while Gary and Laura have suffered great loss, they have also had great gain. No one knows the loss they have suffered. But there are some gains that are also revealed as you think about it. Number one, they gained a son to love forever, and they loved Logan with a godly love, a self-sacrificing love. No one can doubt the love that they had for their son. They sought out the best medical procedures and treatments that the world has to offer. They spared no lengths to provide health and well-being for their son. They gave him the best gift of all and that was a Friend forever, the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, the awareness of his presence and his power.

Another thing they gained was an experience to share. An experience that will come into play someday down the road when someone else suffers grief, and when Gary and Laura step up to serve, they will minister like no one else can, to the heart of maybe someone else who is grieving. And they've also gained a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And because of it, their faith is stronger, their marriage is stronger, and their hope of heaven is stronger. And if you've talked to them, you know that. They have an unshakable faith in God, and the things that will bother us won't bother them--the little trivial, trite things that upset us and frustrate us--because Gary and Laura have their eyes fixed on the celestial city. Their eyes are focused on eternity.

There is great gain today, and we have God to thank for that. Let's pray.

Precious Father, we ask for your blessing, special blessing upon this family as we've gathered together as a family, whether we're friends or family members. It's a blessing to be together. Encourage us. Strengthen us. Show us the hope that we can have through Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, Amen.


Mourning into Dancing

John G. Elliot
(c) 1986 BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)

      (Chorus)
      You have turned my mourning into dancing, Lord,
      Now my feet are filled with Your praise.
      You have clothed my spirit with a robe of joy.
      You have cast my sorrows away.

For Your anger lasts but a moment, Lord,
And my tears endure for the night.
But Your favor lasts for a lifetime, Lord,
And joy returns with the morning light...for

      (Chorus)

All my foes lose heart when they hear my voice,
For I speak in Jesus' name.
They turn back in fear at the sound of praise,
I'll not keep silent, I must proclaim...that

      (Chorus)


A Treasured Quilt

Gary and Laura have given me the honor of sharing a very special treasure with you. The people here at Colonial love Logan very much. And that was no more true than it was of his Sunday School class. Logan loved coming to Sunday School. He would sit in a teacher's lap and listen to a story. He would quote the Scripture verses that he had been memorizing. He laughed. He played. He loved to participate in all of the activities of that class. His classmates and teachers adored him.

A couple weeks ago, Logan's class made him a special quilt. I'll try to show it to all of you. Each of the children put their handprint on it, and then their names are below, all of Logan's friends. Logan's hand is in the center with the cross. And then there are Scripture verses around the edge. I want to read one of those verses to you.

Isaiah chapter 49 verse 16 says, "Behold, I have inscribed you in the palms of my hands." Logan's class wanted him and his parents to know that Logan was in the hands of God. If we could look at God's palms today, we would see Logan. Gary and Laura, I've also been thinking about your hands. Hands that have loved your son. Hands that have cared for him, comforted him, and held him. Your hands taught him about God's love. And now Logan has passed from your hands to God's. It's been clear to all of us that God has been strengthening you. You've been an example to us of how God can bring strength and peace to those who trust him. And on behalf of all of us here, I want you to know that we love you, we appreciate you, and we miss Logan with you. Gary and Laura, now more than ever, I pray that you would remember that your names are inscribed on the palms of God's hands.


Jesus, You Are My Life

Steve Fry
(c) 1994 and this arr. (c) 1997 Maranatha! Music and Word Music

You are my life, Oh precious Christ.
You are to me the pearl of greatest price.
My love for You will never die.
Jesus, You are my life.

      (Chorus)
      I come to You, I run to You.
      There's no greater joy than knowing You.

Oh, holy fire, love's purest light,
Burn all desires till You are my one delight.
My love for You will never die.
Jesus, You are my life.

      (Chorus)

Oh, conquering King, conquer my heart
And make of me a pleasing gift to God.
My love for You will never die.
Jesus, You are my life.


Remembrances

Great to see you guys here. You're beautiful. I don't know what it would be like this past year without the Lord Jesus walking beside us, and without the body of Christ. There's a lot of people who are suffering today, and they have no hope and no help. But if you have victory in Jesus, everything else is just details.

So I want to tell you today about Logan. He was kind of a reserved child. It's easiest to describe what he's like by contrasting him with his brother, Adam. So I made a little laundry list here. Logan is reserved, and Adam is expressive, and likes to make his feelings known. Logan likes to keep his hands to himself. Adam...doesn't. Logan is not easily excitable. Adam loves to exercise every calorie. Logan has a large "personal space." Adam likes to get real close and snuggly. Logan is a lot like his Daddy, and Adam is more like his Mommy. Adam takes initiative in social situations. He likes to make eye contact with strangers. And Logan is more socially passive. Logan doesn't especially like to take risks. If he's going to try something new, he likes to have a good feeling that he's going to succeed at what he's trying, and Adam doesn't really have a definition of success or failure, he just wants to do something and have fun doing it. Logan likes to pay attention to details, and Adam likes the big picture. Adam has the big, broad brush, and Logan has the little, fine-point pencil. And one difference between them which especially reminds me of the difference between me and Laura, how Laura and I are different--and yet, we thank God for these gifts--is it's real easy to teach Logan about rules and obedience. And it's easy to talk to Adam about your heart and relationships between people.

One example of that which really points out that difference, I'll always remember, is one time Logan and Adam were fighting, and Logan hit Adam pretty hard, and Adam got his feelings hurt and ran away, and I was trying to tell Logan, "Adam is your brother. We love Adam. We want to be gentle with Adam. You go hug Adam." And so Logan is very compliant, he heard the instruction, he wants to obey. And so by this time Adam's across the room, and he's sitting on the floor. But Logan, like his Daddy, a lot of times he wants to obey externally, and inside he's just filled with bitterness and resentment. So he goes across the room, he wants to hug Adam now, because his Daddy told him to, but Adam's sitting on the floor, and Logan has rules even for hugging. You know, there's a proper way to hug. You stand up--this is right, you know, you have a definition--two people are standing up, facing each other, and you hold out your arms like little robots, you embrace, and then you come back, and that's a hug. With Adam, whatever, you just kind of roll over each other and that's a hug. So Logan's building up this tension inside him because he wants to obey, but Adam's not cooperating. He's just sitting there. He won't stand up. And so Logan is really getting angry, and he points at Adam, he stomps his foot, and yells, he says: "You stand up! I'm gonna hug you!" I thought that was the funniest thing. I'll always remember that.

We have a ritual with the boys that we sing to them each night before going to bed. I think it comes from my mother singing to us at bedtime. One of Logan's consistent favorites was "Zacchaeus." We didn't teach him that, but I think I saw Chante, I think Chante gets credit for that. She taught Logan's Sunday School class at one time. We didn't even know he knew the song. We were driving around and just heard him singing, and "That sounds like Zacchaeus. Where did he learn that?" And so that was one of his favorites, and he always added a line in between the part where Jesus says, "You come down" and Logan always inserted the line, "You come down beside o' me!" And then we'd finish the song. As soon as we added one line, it was real easy to have a conversation there with Zacchaeus and then finish the song. And we did that.

At Disney World, there was a "Pizza Planet," just like in the Toy Story movie, which the boys liked, and on top of the building there's Buzz Lightyear and Woody and Mr. Potatohead. We went to "Pizza Planet," and while we were waiting for Laura to come out with a pizza, I noticed the boys were just fascinated looking up at Buzz Lightyear and Woody. So I thought it would be fun while we were waiting to sing "Zacchaeus," except insert Buzz Lightyear. So we did that, instead of Zacchaeus it was Buzz Lightyear; instead of Jesus walking by it was Logan and Adam walking by, and instead of a sycamore tree, it's a building. I never could have predicted how much they would love that. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, but now everytime we sing Zacchaeus, we've got to sing all four verses, with Zacchaeus, and Buzz Lightyear, and Woody, and Mr. Potatohead.

Just a few days before Logan died, we were lying in bed--Logan slept with us; we tried to give him an extra measure of security, and so he slept with us--and I was singing "Zaccheus" to him. It was kind of a time where his body had changed a lot from different treatments and things. His personality had changed somewhat. So I was singing this, trying to connect to a time in the past, when we used to sing that more. And I couldn't really tell, he was just lying there. His face on the right side was paralyzed, and he could still say words, but it was difficult for him. It was a real effort. And so I'm singing "Zacchaeus," and I can't tell if he's really getting anything out of it. So I sang Zacchaeus and Buzz Lightyear, and I just stopped there, just to see if he would, as they had in the past when I stopped, request the next verse. And so I waited...fifteen seconds, probably...thirty...it was really quiet. And finally he did, he made the effort and the words came out, "Do Woody." That really did my heart a lot of good. It showed me we still had a connection.

Laura did a great job as a wife and mother. She did a great job of making Logan feel comfortable in the hospital. The doctors and nurses at Duke were awesome. Laura became his own personal nurse. She learned all the medical stuff that she had to do at home, and I wish I could detail them but I don't know them either. Laura did great. Logan, I know, knew that Laura was his advocate. She got him really involved in the stuff where it was appropriate, of, like drawing his blood. There was a little line coming off and she'd draw the blood out, and he would like to grab the syringe and pull it, and you could see the blood coming down the line. I don't know if she originated it or if somebody at Duke started this, but they continued it anyway, that it's like a little red worm coming out. He really caught on to that. He liked that. And he liked to push the syringe back, and Logan very often would say, kind of in an excited voice, "The little red worm is going back in his house!" Now for me, a worm going...I think he didn't have the image of worms, maybe, like we do. That's kind of gross to me.

Laura made him feel like he was just another kid. He never expressed a feeling of difference or apartness from his peers. I imagine if he could articulate better, he'd say, "Hey, man, where's your Hickman catheter? We all have two eyes, and a nose, and ears. Don't we all have a Hickman catheter?" I was real thankful for that.

Logan passed away on Sunday, as you know, and on Saturday night when he was starting to experience a lot of pain, Laura called home health, and a nurse came with a morphine pump. And when he first gets there, he kind of has an attitude of he's telling us little options we have, and I guess he assumed it all went over our heads. It did all go over my head, but Laura understood what he was saying. He proceeded to make a decision for us, but then Laura threw out another option, and he was kind of taken aback a little bit. "You know, I guess, yeah, I don't see why we can't do that. OK, we'll do that." That situation kind of repeated itself over the next hour or two that he was there. I just remember the contrast between when he came in and when he was leaving, he just kind of had the attitude when he left of, "OK, you know what you're doing, you go right ahead." And I think, Laura, you did a heroic job. I love you sweetie.

Probably the most comforting thing for us in the past year is knowing that God is with us and walking beside us, and he knows exactly how we feel. He knows what it's like to watch a beloved Son die. And he knows how you feel, wherever you're at. Whatever your situation is today, God knows how you feel. Hebrews 4:15 is beautiful. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are," and then the best part, "yet was without sin." Jesus was tempted in every way, yet without sin.

Even though it's nice for us to know that God knows how we feel, when I think of Christ and what he did, I know that we have no idea how God felt, how Jesus felt.

One big difference is that God chose for his Son to die. Laura and I, it was obviously against our will that Logan should die. We fought against it every step, every chance we had. I was thinking, one example of how much it was against our will for Logan to die is that we allowed it to be within our will for a complete stranger to come in and open up his head. Parents typically don't do that, but we were really desperate. "No, we don't want Logan to die." I can't begin to comprehend what it was like for God to choose to send his Son to die. Isaiah 53:10 really arrests me. "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer." God chose for His Son to die, and Jesus chose to obey his Father to death.

The only understanding of that that I can have is in the same chapter of Isaiah 53, "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Jesus died for me, and for you, and for Logan. Logan couldn't be in heaven without being covered by the blood of Jesus.

And that's the other big difference. We did not choose for Logan to die. God did choose for his Son. And the other big difference is that our son is just like his parents, he's just a sinner. A sinner and a sinner get together, and they have babies, do they have perfect children? No. They just have more like themselves.

Yes, Logan was a dear, sweet, precious son. As Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14). But like all children, and like every one of us, every single one of us, we're all under the curse of the Fall, and we are helpless without Christ. King David said, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). After he sent the flood, God said, "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood" (Genesis 8:21).

Logan is precious--oh, we love him--but Jesus is perfect. He is the Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:14). He is the unblemished lamb, without spot or defect (1 Peter 1:19). And yet, the Father chose to offer up his Son as a guilt offering (Isaiah 53:10), for us, for me.

Romans 8:3: "For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering."

Zechariah 12:10: "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11). He gave his life, he chose to, as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28), the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18). "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Amazing love! How can it be?

Finally, I want to give praise to the Lord Jesus for sustaining our marriage. There have been plenty of opportunities in the past year for Laura and I to point the accusing finger at each other and to blame each other. And, speaking for myself, I gave in to that temptation more than once. But just as surely as Jesus took my life out of the slimy pit and put my feet on a Rock, an unmovable Rock, he has done the same for our marriage. We have nowhere to go, except first to Him, and then to each other. I am most definitely not standing up here as an example of a good husband. I was not able to sustain our marriage before we had children, and how much less after we had children, and how much less through this ordeal. Knocker and Laura are married today, and it's not because of who Knocker is, it's not because of who Laura is, but because of who Jesus is. He is the Rock. He is the Lord. And He loves you. Thank you, Jesus!


And Can It Be

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me who caused His pain,
For me who him to death pursued.
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

      (Chorus)
      Amazing love! How can it be
      That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

He left His Father's throne above.
So free, so infinite His grace.
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For Oh, my God, it found out me!

      (Chorus)

No condemnation now I dread.
Jesus and all in Him is mine.
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine.
Bold, I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown through Christ my own.

      (Chorus)


Message

I'd like to share with you a children's story. One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them. But the disciples told them not to bother him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them. For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the kingdom of God." And then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads, and he blessed them.

During this time, the Bible times, Jewish culture, children were a prized possession. One woman in the Old Testament cried out to her husband, "Give me children, or I die!" (Genesis 30:1). The psalmist says, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them" (Psalm 127:3-5). And Proverbs says, "Children's children are the crown of old men" (Proverbs 17:6). When Jesus told the parable about the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), he said of the father, when the son returned, "Bring the fatted calf here, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry, for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost and is now found."

In this story, Jesus demonstrates, gives us evidence of his love for little children. First, because of his touch. He touched them. The parents were lining up, bringing their children to Jesus so he would touch them. He wasn't baptizing them, the text doesn't say that. He wasn't saving them, the text doesn't indicate that. He wasn't even healing them. If that were the case, the Bible would have told us. Jesus was following a custom, a patriarchal tradition, where a father would place his hands on his sons and pass along God's blessing to the next generation. That was the kind of touch that these parents longed for. It was the kind of touch that God was giving to these children. Jesus held each child close and placed his hands on him, and looked to heaven and offered a special blessing.

This reminds me of Gary and Laura, because they, too, brought their children to Jesus. They brought them to Sunday School, as you've heard. They taught them verses, Bible stories. Gary told me last night their most precious time was just before bed, singing those choruses. I said, "What kind of choruses? Were they nursery rhymes? Bible songs?" He said, "Well, the only secular song I can think of is the ABCs." Everything else was taking them to Jesus, introducing them to a lifelong friend, a compassionate Savior.

Jesus demonstrated his love for children just in the way he touched them. And also in his anger when the disciples were bothered by all these children, and said to the parents, "Take them away." Jesus said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them. For the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." The text tells us that the disciples were censuring the parents, rebuking the parents, harshly telling the parents to go away, "Jesus can't be bothered by these children. He's tired. He's not interested. These children are not as important as the adults who have needs, real needs." And Jesus turned and rebuked them. When he saw it, he was greatly displeased. Why? Because he loved the children. He loved them in the way he touched them. He loved them, demonstrated by his anger at the disciples keeping these children from him.

And also, at the pronouncement Jesus made, listen very carefully, children, to what Jesus said to the adults. He said, "I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith"--their kind of faith--the faith of the children. "I assure you," Jesus said, "anyone who does not have a childlike faith can never get into the kingdom of God." I'm sure that caught their attention.

Jesus was not referring to their innocence, and that as little children they were innocent of sin, or innocent of a big, bad world, and that they should be allowed to come to him because of their innocence, and that we ought to be able to come to God in our innocence, because that's impossible.

Jesus was not referring to their ignorance, that little children just don't know any better, and that we should come to God just simply trusting him, not considering all the ramifications.

No, Jesus was talking about childlike faith. It's not innocence. It's not ignorance. It's dependence.

It would have been silly for Logan to say to his parents, "I can do this on my own. I have no need of you. I don't need your rides to the hospital. I don't need your money to pay for the medical bills. I don't need your comfort." You know, that's exactly what we say to God so many times, as little children. Jesus said, you need to come to me in utter dependence. And that's exactly what Gary did, and Laura did, not too long ago, when they acknowledged their sin, and as sinners their inability to save themselves, and to guarantee a home in heaven. And they realized that only Jesus could provide that. And so in utter dependence, childlike faith--not in innocence, and not in ignorance, but in dependence--they came to God, and said, "Save me!" They knew they couldn't do it themselves.

And in these last few months, they've also had to come to God in utter dependence because the medicine couldn't do it, and the doctors--as hard as they tried, and as well as they worked--they couldn't do it, either. And they came to God in utter dependence, as little children.

Gary and Laura, I would say that it's probably about as bad as it gets, right now. Losing a child must be the worst thing that could ever happen. The way you feel, the indescribable aches that sometimes wave over you, that sometimes feel like somebody has ripped something away from you. There's no one who can help you. No one in this room. No doctor. No nurse. No family member can help you. As well-meaning as we may be, trying to fix it, we can't. And we all sit here in our helplessness. We don't know what to do. We don't know the reasons why. We're all utterly dependent upon God. The only one who can feel how you feel, the only one who can help fill the emptiness, ease the pain, and heal the wound, and give you hope, is the same One you depended upon for your eternal life, Jesus Christ.

And that's what Jesus said to the adults listening. He said unless you come to me with an utter dependence upon me for your salvation, you'll never get into the kingdom of God.

In an incredible little book called, "A Window to Heaven : When Children See Life in Death," Diane Komp, professor of pediatrics at Yale University, described her experiences as a pediatric oncologist living with dying children. By her own admission, in an interview for "Life" magazine, earlier in her life, she was an atheist at worst, and an agnostic at best. But after living with and studying these children, she became a Christian believer. Why? Because she saw incontestable evidence of God in miracles of living and dying among her patients. Life out of death, and light in the darkness.

No matter how independent we may think we are, we are sitting here today as a testimony that we are utterly dependent upon God. Unless we come to him with a childlike faith, in utter dependence, we'll never see the kingdom of God.

It says he took the children into his arms, and placed his hands on their heads, and blessed them. Can you imagine that scene as these little children scrambled up around Jesus, some on his lap, and his arms around them, as he hugged them, and they snuggled in close--what a picture! Can you imagine Logan snuggling up?

We are his children. And he longs to take us into his arms as well.

Paul writes in Galatians 4:6, "And because you are children of God, God has sent forth his Spirit, the Spirit of his Son, into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'" That's the equivalent of a child, whose Daddy has come home after a long day of work, and he runs out to greet his father, and he says, "Daddy! Daddy! You're home!"

Can you imagine Logan stepping into heaven and looking up into the face of Jesus, in the arms of Jesus, and Logan saying, "Daddy! Daddy!" Let's pray.

Father, this isn't the way we would have planned it. This is not the way we would have planned Logan's life, or the Gaskins home. We can't explain it, and even if you did explain it to us, we probably wouldn't understand. But the more we examine who you are and what you do, the more we stand in awe of your great wisdom, and your compassion to us. We thank you that in light of the pain and the sorrow that there is hope. There is heaven. There are the open arms of Jesus welcoming us, who must come to you as those who are utterly dependent upon you, not just to comfort us, and not just to care for us, but to save us. Thank you for loving us, and giving to us the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, your Son.