Eulogy John Kennedy Dixon

John Kennedy Dixon

August 24, 1999

God wanted to do something special for the world on January 28th 1965, and God decided to complete the work in the womb and to bring forth little John Kennedy Dixon. He entered the world the loud shouts and screams announcing his arrival, unfortunately all of the screams were coming from his bother because Johnny was bigger than most babies.

God probably took a step back and looked at him, and said, “this is good, very good. I will fill him with a capacity to love again and again, and again. He shall be known as a man of compassion.” And that little baby grew to be a boy, who grew to be a man, who grew to be a child of God. And after 35 years, God reclaimed the gift which He had given to the world. For the scriptures boldly proclaim in Psalms 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

John Kennedy Dixon. Behold, what manner of a man was this, what manner of a man did he become. He was a friend, a colleague, a compuer programming wizard. But what manner of a man was he and what did he become. He was an uncle, a neighbor, and a musician. But what manner of a maw was he? He was a faithful son, a wise father, and a great provider. Yes but what manner of a man was he and what did he become? Ahh, he was a man of faith, a Christian, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s the kind of man was he and that’s what he became.

For those who remain of this side of death, the Bible tells us, there is a time and a season for everything under the sun. A time to laugh and time to cry, a time to pe and time to give up, a time for joy and a time for pain, a time to be born and a time to die. The one experience that is common to us all is death. It is as common and as natural as all the other things done under the sun.

The Scriptures tell us there is a way that seems right t oa person , but at the end of it is death. If we are all living in order that we might some day die, it should be of utmost important that we live in such a way that in the end our lives would not have been lived in vain.

Onde day a very wealthy mad die. Somebody said, “I wonder how much money he left behind.” Somebody answered, “every sinple penny that he had.” Whether or not we have lived in vain will not be determined by how much we accumulated in terms of material goods, ford naked we came into this world, and naked we got out.

The only thing that we can take out of this world is what we have given away. For that is how Jesus said to lay up treasures in heaven. If we have not love and have not given, then our living has been in vain.

Brothers and sisters I submit to you this day that we are here to celebrate the homecoming of John Kennedy Dixon, Because his living has not been in vain. When I look out and see the number of lives that have been positively influenced by his life, then I know his living has not been in vain.

When I hear the testimonies that have been reported on his behalf, then I know his living has not been in vain. When I think of the way my own life has been touched by John’s presence, I know his living has not been in vain. When I think of the sadness and the grief which is in our hearths this afternoon, I know his living has not been in vain.

Today, we often think death is something to be avoided at all cost. But for the believer in Jesus Christ, death is merely the passing from one form of service to God to another. You see, John actually died years ago when he made the decision to follow Jesus Christ. He took Jesus at his word, when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. “ That first death was far more significant in the light of eternity than the second one.

Death is cruel and meaningless apart from God. It forces us to ask the question, “what’s the point of life?” The bible teaches that we are like the morning dew which disappears with the rising sun. Even though we may consider ourselves strong and healthy, rich and robust, independent and standing on our own, all of our lives are ultimately so very fragile. The bible says we go about boasting, “tomorrow I’ll do such and such, and next year I plan to do this to make some money”, when in reality we don’t know what tonight is going to bring. We ought to say if God wills, then I will do such and such.