Saturday, September 29, 2007
Wes was asked to speak at Scott's memorial service today. Here's what he had to say:
I first got to know Scott through health problems: my dad, his regular racquetball partner, had hurt his ankle, and I took his place. Scott was a better player than I was, and was typically able to beat me. He has better control of the ball, and could serve much better than I could. But, I had a trick up my sleeve as well. He had a pacemaker, and as long as we both kept running on the court, he would eventually have to slow down to keep his heart rate in check. Those key moments of incapacitation were where I scored most of my points.
My wife, Lauren, told me last week that she doesn't think that she would have fallen in love with me if it weren't for Scott, and I think that she is right. Scott was one of my best friends, and I enjoyed our times together getting breakfast at the Blue Star Cafe, playing racquetball, and talking after church more than almost any other time during the week. He was one of the first people who knew that I was interested in dating, and then marrying, Lauren, and the person who "got" more of my Simpsons' quotes than anyone else. He got me interested in reading John Howard Yoder, and in watching Quentin Tarentino movies.
But, Scott was also the closest person who I have ever had to a mentor, and has shaped me in more profound ways than I will ever fully realize. And I think that that is what Lauren was referring to last week. We would talk over bowls of oatmeal with raisins about church history, about theology, about why being a Christian means that I can't ever be completely comfortable with myself living as a priviliged American. He introduced me to the concept of Christian Social Ethics, helping me to see that living as a follower of Jesus means working constantly and tirelessly for social justice, means more and requires more than living with personal piety. He helped me to understand that loving other people means that I should care that they don't have money for food or for medicine, and that I and other Christians should oppose systems that keep them from getting it. He is in many ways the reason that I am in medical school right now, and the reason why I want to be a doctor who serves and advocates for the poor.
So, thank you Scott for being my friend, and asking me questions that I will continue to wrestle with for the rest of my life. Thank you for helping to make me into the person I am today, and for showing me who my neighbor really is.
