A Look At Life

Song: In the Sweet By and By as Family Enters

“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. John 14.1-6

1. The Funeral is a universal custom. It is our attempt to:

a. Remember

b. Honor

c. Offer Comfort

d. Prepare

On his eightieth birthday, John Quincy Adams was walking slowly along a Boston street. A friend asked him "How is John Quincy Adams today?"

The former president replied graciously,

"Thank you, John Quincy Adams is well, sir, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out, its walls are shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon; but he himself is quite well, sir, quite well."

That is the attitude we need to cultivate so that when the call home comes we may say with Paul:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4.7)

2. Funerals remind us of:

a. The Certainty of Death (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

b. The Shortness of life (James 4:14) – this was a shocking death – should not have happened

c. The Shortage of life (John 10:10)

1) How much do we waste on the trivial?

2) There is power in priority!

d. The sovereignty of God and Reality of Eternity.

The truth is that we preach our funerals by the way we live.

Song: How Great Thou Art

Psalm 103

15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

I. Accomplishments of Life (103.15)

God wants us to be the Person He Made Us

There is a Time of Flourishing – Psalm 1

What would you say were Julie’s Greatest Accomplishments?

She Was a Strong Woman – “Toughest woman I ever knew”

Physical Strength – “Roller Derby” in her younger years; she had 7 living brothers as well as a sister

She was fearless and on at least one occasion went to school to defend her BROTHERS from bullies

She had her babies at home with a midwife from her church [Hebrew women in Egypt when Moses was born

Spiritual Strength and Tenacity that gave her a sense of peace and purpose

She was direct in her speech – “You either loved her or hated her” – most loved her, in fact her children’s friends preferred being at the McIntire house

She Was Self-Taught

She had to stop her education at 8th Grade because of the passing of her mother and she needed to take care of the family in her stead

Auto Repair; pulling a friend’s car out of the ditch with a wench; driving and pulling a huge trailer; taking the boat to the lake (even when Mr. McIntire couldn’t go); driving the boat and pulling up to 6 water-skiers

Able to do Construction right along with men – roofed her house when she was pregnant

Taught herself cooking and knew her recipes – fortunately she had her husband write them down so that the family would be able to pass them down through the generations; she cooked like at a restaurant – whatever the family wanted – one very important rule: “Eat what is on your plate.”

She was a Capable Woman

Hunted with Jim and their son, James; killed a 10 point buck – larger than either of them

Able to raise and butcher beef; chickens//Planted Gardens

Home Remedies for Ailments – Garlic and Prune Juice; Hot Sauce (Headache cure); Vinegar for Upset stomach; Olive Oil for earaches