We are gathered here today to celebrate the life and the memory of – (NAME), a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt and friend(EXAMPLE).
(NAME) was born (DATE). (he/she) married (his/her) sweetheart,(NAME) in (YEAR) and was married for # OF YEARS years until (he/she) went to be with the Lord in (YEAR).
(he/she) is survived by (his/her) FAMILY MEMBER(S) and (his/her) FAMILY MEMBER(S).
(NAME) was devoutly committed as a Christian and spent (his/her) life studying and worshiping under the LUTHERAN(*example) doctrine. In fact, (he/she) attended Faith Lutheran church in Somewhere, Texas. Most importantly (he/she) had a firm, and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ.
I was speaking with A FAMILY MEMBER yesterday and (he/she) told me that (NAME) loved to read scripture. In fact, A FAMILY MEMBER told me that (he/she) practically wore (his/her) large print Bible out… marking scriptures… folding pages… writing notes.
It gave me great comfort for A FAMILY MEMBER to tell me that (NAME) was ready to be with the Lord and, in fact, (he/she) longed for the day to be united with (his/her) Lord and to be in the presence of (his/her) loved ones that have gone before her.
As we look to God’s Word for comfort today, I would like to focus our thoughts on the eternal home that God has prepared for (NAME) AND the eternal home He is preparing for all of us. The older that I get, the more that I understand that life is actually very short but ETERNITY, on the other hand, is forever.
The Bible tells us John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (2) “in My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
This is one of my favorite Scriptures and it’s appropriate today because it is a promise of hope that is spoken from the lips of Jesus Christ.
You see, when Jesus said this He was trying to get those that around Him to understand something. They were concerned about their own fate. He had just revealed to His disciples that He was about to leave… about to be crucified. They were having a hard time grasping this idea and were trying to figure out what it meant for them… He said.. “don’t be worried about this… keep your faith in God and in Me… I’m going to make preparations for YOU. If it wasn’t so I would have told you. Where you will go I will be with you!
When you recognize that life is actually very short but ETERNITY is forever then you must consider that Jesus is the Door to this eternal home.
Jesus said, in John 10:9 “I am the door, If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
The Bible tell’s us about the place that He prepares for us….
Paul had a glimpse of Heaven and he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
The apostle Paul had such a great vision of eternity and heaven that he was stirred over a desire to depart and be with Christ or to remain in the flesh. He realized that there was nothing in this life that offered any comparison to what eternity offered.
Philippians 1:23-24 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (24) Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
This is the reality that must take shape in our lives if we are to be properly prepared to deal with, not only (NAME)’s death, but others as well….Even our own. **When this truth becomes reality for us death loses its sting.
The Bible says “Death where is your victory… where is your sting?”
Why? Because Jesus has prepared a way, and a home, for us.. BUT we must choose to know Him, to accept Him and we must chose to walk through His door.
Life requires us to consider that and to consider that “life is short but eternity is forever.”
I have no doubt that (NAME) is walking with the Lord right now. And as we grieve the loss of (his/her) presence here on earth … I like to envision that as (he/she) moved from the physical realm into the spirit realm that He, Jesus Christ, stood and greeted His good and faithful servant….SAYING “WELL DONE!” You see all through the Bible we can read about the proper, honorable place of Jesus Christ… which is seated on the right hand of the Father.
BUT I want you to notice something here…. as His servant, Stephen, is approaching death, he says, in Acts 7 “Look! I see the heavens opening and the Son of Man STANDING at the right hand of the Father”.
Jesus desires, anxiously, to receive those who serve Him.
That’s why, today, we can rejoice in knowing the company of who (NAME) is in. The company of Jesus Christ.
When we attend these events, in which we celebrate the departing of our loved ones… .we often are reminded about our own lives. About how our lives are actually a testimony.
SAMPLE TESTIMONY:
I was talking to A FAMILY MEMBER yesterday and I asked (his/her) what (his/her) fondest memories of (NAME) were and what (he/she) loved to do. It’s remarkable that both answers to these questions were really the same.
(NAME) loved to be with (his/her) family. A FAMILY MEMBER said that some of (his/her) fondest memories of (his/her) (mother/father/friend/etc) were (his/her) talks that they had while doing simple things… like the dishes .. or cooking. You see.. it wasn’t the activity … it was who (he/she) was with.
YOU SEE LIFE IS SHORT…
SAMPLE TESTIMONY:
Another fond memory was hearing (him/her) talking in (his/her) bedroom. Her daughter told me that this often happened and when someone investigated why she was talking to herself they always found (him/her) to be praying.
YOU SEE ETERINITY IS FOREVER …
I find this particular memory fitting because, and I’ll leave you with this, that (his/her) favorite Bible verse was Psalms 50:15 :
Pray to me in time of trouble.
I will rescue you,
and you will honor me.
Let’s honor the Lord in prayer as we remember (NAME OF DECEASED).
Father in heaven,
we thank you because you made us in your own image
and gave us gifts in mind, body and spirit.
We thank you now for (NAME)
and what (he/she) meant to those who know and love her.
As we honor (his/her) memory,
make us more aware that You are the One
from whom comes every perfect gift,
including the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
We ask for your comforting hand to embrace those that are grieving
And that your love and grace speaks to those who are here to remember (NAME).
In your name we pray, Amen
