March 10, 2012
Welcome
God is gracious. He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. Jesus said: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Psalm 147:1c, 3, 5; Matthew 11:28, 29; 5:4)
On behalf of Jean Yee and her family, I welcome you here to celebrate and honor the life of John Yee who was born on January 20, 1939 and returned to the Lord on March 4, 2012. By your presence, you are a blessing to this family and we pray that this day will also bless you with the joy of life and a better understanding of the purpose of your life according to God’s plan.
Let us pray.
O God, your care is like that of a father who has compassion for his children and a mother who comforts her child. We cast our heavy burdens of grief on you. Deal graciously with us in our anguish. Grant us the comfort of your rest. Assure us with the confidence that your faithful servant, John Yee has been received into the arms of your mercy, in the blessed rest of your eternal care. May our lives hereafter bear witness to the hope that is ours in the crucified and risen Christ, who defeated death for our sake and now reigns victorious in your glory. Through Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Larger than Life
As human beings, we are only able to meet and get to know some people. Our circle of friends even if it’s very large will never encircle everyone in this world. There are just too many people. We are then left with the task to become acquainted with people by reading about them or hearing stories about them. This is how I know John Yee. I had not the privilege to meet him in life but what I have heard from others and particularly from his children and loving wife, Jean, John Yee was “larger than life.”
When someone who has had great and significant influence over others, they do become larger than life in our hearts and memories and we remember them that way. Some of our great American leaders like U.S. presidents are etched on Mt. Rushmore or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whose stature is now in the Washington, D.C. Mall. They tower over us reminding us of how much influence they had and still have on our lives.
In addition to running successful businesses, John Yee became a martial arts master, a si fu. From his teachings, he tapped, harnessed, and released the inner potential that each person has for life. Through physical challenges and discipline, he was able to help all his students to realize their gifts, talents and abilities. John Yee was a real Mr. Miyagi and all of you are his Daniel LaRussos. John Yee has and will continue to have great influence in your lives and in this community for years to come.
In the Bible, Jesus tells a parable about a man who was going away on a trip and he called his three servants to watch over his estate while he was away. He gave the first servant 5 talents and this man invested these 5 talents and made 5 more. The second servant was given 2 talents and he was able to double his portion. The third servant was given 1 talent and he was afraid of losing it and knew that the man was unforgiving decided to dig a hole in the ground and buried it. When the man returned, he asked all the servants for an accounting. The first servant returned 10 talents, the second returned 4 but when the third servant came, he only returned that one talent that was given to him. The man got angry and took even that one talent away from this servant and gave it to the others. He told this third servant you could have just put it in the bank and at least I can earn a little interest. This parable speaks about one’s potential. God has blessed all of us with talents and gifts that we are expected to develop and use for God’s purpose in the world. John Yee was instrumental in your lives by identifying the potential that you possess.
The American psychiatrist/philosopher William James once said, “Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake. We are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental resources. Stating it broadly, the human individual thus lives far within his limits. He possesses power of various sorts, which he habitually fails to use.” John Yee didn’t believe in limits and through the practice of martial arts, he assisted others to go beyond what they thought they could do.
John Yee was strong man who commanded a presence when he entered a room. While he endured, survived and rehabilitated himself from a series of physical challenges, he was fearless. It seems like out of his own suffering and pain, he was able to redirect all of that energy to do good. He was like a cat with nine lives.
The Apostle Paul sharing with the Romans to persevere under persecution said, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)
While we would like to see or predict the future for our lives, none of us could do that. We live each day as it unfolds and we give thanks to God for yet another new morning to live. And when life throws us a curve or if we get hit by a pitch, we take our base and we move on. By doing that, we ultimately learn the meaning of life.
John Yee was able to use whatever suffering that came his way and endured; producing a character that offered hope to others. By accepting students to his academy who may have lost their ways, he gave them a reason to live up to their potential. He took a special interest with those who were disadvantaged and inspired them to have hope. He taught them to believe in themselves and that there’s no gain without pain. Out of that pain and suffering that John Yee endured like a cat with nine lives, he was out there in the community picking up strayed cats so that they will have a place to call home.
You have heard from John Yee’s children about another dimension of their father that only they had the privilege of seeing and enjoying. Contrary to that public persona of a fighter, strong willed, larger than life, strict si fu, John Yee was his true self when he was playful and outright goofy when he was with his children. He played jokes on his kids. Unlike traditional Chinese fathers, he wanted his children to play before they did their homework. He told them bedtime stories that enlivened their imaginations. He taught them to be proud Chinese-Americans. And when a family vacation was about over, he was sad to see it end because he truly valued his family for you gave him love and life.
John Yee was a child of God who was larger than life. When the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Jesus called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Matthew 18:1-5).
John Yee both in his life’s work as well as in his home welcomed all the children to him. In so doing, he welcomed Jesus Christ into his life too. I was told that John Yee liked to receive prayers. When he attended church service and the pastor asked if there were any prayer requests, he was ready to ask for prayers of healing and wholeness. One with think that for someone who was “larger than life” would not necessarily need prayers. One would think that with his martial arts abilities and leadership in the community that he would have everything he needed. But John Yee also knew that he was and is a child of God. He needed God’s love, grace and forgiveness just like all of us need God’s love, grace and forgiveness.
I believe that the real reason why John Yee was larger than life is because he knew God’s mercy and love made evident in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord. Today in paradise, John Yee is boasting with the hope of sharing the glory of God.
Let us pray.
Creator and Provider God, at this time of all times, we thank you for the precious gift of life made known to us in John Yee.
We thank you for health—and the skill and compassion of those who care for us when our health falters and fails.
We thank you for home: for the roof over our heads and the bed where we stretch out to renew our strength in sleep; and for loved ones who make that roof and that bed and all the rest into a true home.
And we thank you for hope: hope for the pursuit of the next goal when one goal has been reached; hope for recovery and a fresh start when a goal has eluded us; hope at last, when all hope seems lost, except for the one shining hope set before us in your raising our Lord Jesus from death. Amen.
Benediction
When you exit, you will be given two small envelopes. The white envelope contains a piece of candy to symbolize sweetness in a bittersweet situation. The red envelope contains a coin for you to buy something on your way home to suggest that you will continue to prosper and to have a healthy life. May you be blessed today.
I challenge you now, beloved in the Lord, to face bravely the journey which our friend, John Yee, has completed, having arrived safely in God’s kingdom.
Journey on, without the fear of falling, without any pretense about your true state as a sinner in need of God’s saving grace.
Journey on, with tender mercies of John Yee and so many others who have gone before you, secure in the hope that, when your time comes, the love of God will be sufficient for you, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Committal Service
Jesus said:
I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25-26)
Do not be afraid: I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead and see, I am alive forever and ever. (Rev. 1:17-18)
And from John, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we commend to God’s merciful care our brother, John Yee; and we commit his body to this resting place: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
“Blessed are the dead who…die in the Lord…They will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” (Revelations 14:13)
Let us pray.
God our Maker, you made our brother, John Yee, in your own image; you set his feet on a sojourner adventure; you watched over him along the way. As you lovingly received and welcomed him to the ranks of the redeemed, we pray that you would continue to guide our sojourner steps so that, at the appointed time, we might join John Yee in the communion of saints—forgiven, transformed, and fit for our new life with the Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Benediction
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen. Go in peace.