Christ Knows

The Funeral Service

Opening

I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

Invocation

O Eternal God, our Father, from whom we come and to whom we go, grant us the favor of Your divine presence at this time in our earthly pilgrimage; assure us by Your Holy Spirit that the one we serve, even Jesus, has conquered death and is alive forevermore; enable us to view our temporal lives in the light of the eternal; and so may our spirits grow calm and our vision clear. Through Christ we pray. Amen.

Introduction

1. Our Tribute - Commemorate

A. To pay tribute: We have come to pay tribute and honor a life well lived; a life that has touched many. What a high tribute it is to have lived for Jesus Christ! Pat Bidlack was a follower of Jesus and a child of Almighty God.

B. Poem – Walking With Grandma

I like to walk with Grandma, her steps are short like mine. She doesn’t say “now hurry up,” she always takes her time. I like to walk with Grandma, her eyes see things like mine do… wee pebbles bright, a funny cloud, half hidden drops of dew. Most people have to hurry, they do not stop and see… I glad God made Grandma, unrushed and young like me!

C. John 14:1-6

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

2. To comfort: Though we are assured that Pat is with Jesus there is a vacancy that she leaves in the lives of those left behind.

A. Meditation

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Christ knows your need

 God loves and cares for you

God loves each and every person enough to make Himself available for us to lean on him in times of trial and distress.

God will allow His presence to rest with you in this very moment. The presence of God brings peace to the troubled. The presence of God brings provision for tomorrow. The presence of God brings power for the weakened and the weary.

 The meaning of comfort

The original meaning of this word we translate comfort literally means “to come alongside and help.” When Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth, his purpose was to encourage them in a time of great trial that no matter what they faced in life, God would be by their side.

Today, this truth has not changed. God is here with us and has come alongside you to help you through this very difficult time.

Christ knows your grief

 The suffering of Jesus

When I think of the sufferings of Christ, I almost always think of the cross and the pain of enduring the crucifixion. However, it is helpful to remember that Christ suffered in many ways during His life and was no stranger to sorrow and grief.

Jesus lost His father, Joseph, sometime before His ministry began. Jesus lost His friend, cousin and partner in ministry, John the Baptist. Jesus also lost His close personal friend, Lazarus. It is from this passage that we find the shortest verse within the entire Bible: Jesus wept.

Today, I can tell you with confidence that God not only knows your pain but he understands because He has experienced it through Jesus. God knows your grief and shares your pain.

Christ knows your hope

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.