Tribute to Sean Cavender

MARCH 13, 1987 – JULY 20, 2023

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, so a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.” (Proverbs 27:9)

I confess to knowing very little about oils and perfume. Certainly, a fragrant aroma is better and more desirable than a putrid smell. Soap and deodorant are more pleasant than the lack thereof. Beyond that, I’m not the guy to speak to about fragrance. Of course, Solomon’s purpose is not to exalt the excellence of beautiful odours – this is the lesser through which he introduces the greater – the value, the sweetness, and the delight of a close friend. In 2011, I was a speaker at the annual High School Road lectures in Indianapolis, Indiana. There, I met a young man who was also on the lectureship schedule, Sean Cavender. Over the next several years, he and I would become very close friends. We have always lived 1,200 miles or more apart but through social media, occasional visits, reciprocal gospel meetings, shared vacations, and being co-founders of an online publication (GROW magazine), our relationship and mutual respect continued to grow. Without a doubt, he was one of my very closest and best friends.

Sean was at the Truth Lectures 2023 in Athens, Alabama. On the morning of July 20, he spoke at the 8:00 a.m. slot on The Kingdom of God. That evening, after the lectures had concluded, his vehicle was struck and Sean was killed at the intersection in front of the Athens Bible School. He leaves behind his wife Kristin and two young sons, Xander and Zeke; his parents Randy and Brenda, his sister Savannah (Benjamin), his nieces Olivia and Evelyn, and his grandparents Aubrey and Kay.

In 2 Samuel 1, we find “The Song of the Bow,” a tribute written by David lamenting the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan who died in battle against the Philistines. David mourned the loss of these two great heroes of Israel. Saul and Jonathan were very different men. One was a valiant and powerful king, yet unfaithful to the Lord; the other, David’s best friend (1 Samuel 18:1, 3; 19:2; 20:17), a kindred spirit, and most importantly a man of God. David eulogized these two important figures with the phrase, “How the mighty have fallen” (2 Samuel 1:19, 25, 27). He was not addressing their spiritual condition – one of them was faithful, and the other was not. It was not a statement of scorn or to disparage them in death; quite the opposite, for he called them “…the beauty of Israel … beloved and pleasant in their lives … swifter than eagles … and stronger than lions” (2 Samuel 1:19, 23). It was an acknowledgement of the great place they occupied among the people of Israel and the hole their departure had left for the nation. But beyond that, David closed his song with a personal note, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me; your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. How the mighty have fallen…” (2 Samuel 1:26-27a).

Though my brother in the Lord was not as prominent among the people of God as Saul or Jonathan were, a mighty warrior in the Lord’s church has fallen and a hole remains. Sean was a perpetual encouragement to many, a diligent Bible student and a humble, yet powerful proclaimer of truth. There was so much potential good to come from this young man to God’s glory – but alas, how the mighty have fallen. I am distressed for you, my brother Sean. You have been very pleasant to me.

Those who knew and loved Sean are in sorrow, but not without hope.

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)

I am so glad to have known and loved Sean in the here and now. I anticipate a great reunion with him and all of the righteous in the there and then.

– William Stewart

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An archive of articles by Sean can be accessed on the GROW magazine site.
An archive of audio sermons by Sean is at Westside church of Christ, Wichita, KS

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July 2023 | GROW magazine