Funeral Message

Prelude: Amazing Grace

Opening Song: The Old Rugged Cross

Welcome

I can think of four reasons for us to gather today.

First, we’re going to remember Sheryll and celebrate who God created her to be.

Second, it’s a time for us to begin the process of saying good-bye.

Third, we want to give God the glory for the gift of His Son Jesus as we seek the comfort which He alone can give us.

And, fourthly, it’s a time for us to look at our own lives. Each of us will die one day. A funeral service forces us to ask some of the tough questions which often don’t get asked. Questions like,

• “Am I ready to die?”

• “Where will I go when my life is over?”

Scripture Reading

? Read Romans 8:1, 26-28

Psalm 34:17-18 says: “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Lamentations 3

19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,

the wormwood and the gall!

20 My soul continually remembers it

and is bowed down within me.

21 But this I call to mind,

and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul who seeks him.

26 It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the LORD.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Song: How Great Thou Art

Obituary

Ecclesiastes 3:1 -8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

I wrote down two thoughts after reflecting on this passage.

1. No matter what happens, we can trust God’s timing.

This list is made up of opposites. Fourteen are positive and fourteen are negative. The fact that Solomon utilized extreme opposites and began his list with birth and death is highly significant. Solomon intended to affirm that all our activities, both constructive and destructive, and all His responses to people, objects, and events happen in His timing.

Illus. Verse 4 tells us there’s a time to weep and a time to laugh. I shared that with the family as we gathered to share memories. As you think of Sheryll, sometimes you’ll weep, and other times you’ll laugh at a funny memory. Don’t feel bad if you cry and don’t feel guilty if you laugh. It’s all part of the rhythm of life.

Positive events are paralleled with negative ones to reflect reality. Life is not all beauty and happiness; there is also pain and loss. Life certainly includes laughter and joy, but there is also a heavy side to life.

Solomon does not mince words, does he? Neither does he ease his way into this harsh truth. Every person and every creature that comes into existence also passes away. We step onto the stage of life and are physically present for a time and then our bodies give way. In a similar vein, Psalm 90 says, “The days of our life are 70 years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong.”

2. Since our time on earth is limited, let’s make the most of the time we have left.

In this ever-changing world, God alone can give meaning to life; He alone does not change. He directs the jumbled events that seem to have no rhyme or reason.