Funeral Service-
Jack’s Funeral Home 1-18-2024
-Scripture- John 11:25-26
On behalf of Roberta and the rest Marvin’s family, we thank you for coming out on this chilly evening.
Tonight’s message will be from the Gospel of John.
Allow me to provide a little backstory to the scripture we are about to read.
We often view Jesus as just a historical figure or as an unapproachable ideal and forget that he was a man who lived a real life experiencing real life events.
As a toddler, he had to learn to walk, feed himself, and all of the other things any other child would have to learn to do.
He went to school, learned the Torah which is the Hebrew bible like any other child of his time.
He had to learn a trade- in His case becoming a skilled carpenter like his adopted father.
In learning that trade it’s very possible he hit his thumb with a hammer on occasion, or got a splinter. His hands were probably very strong with a lot of calluses.
During his ministry, Jesus walked everywhere he went, mostly in sandals so he probably had a blister or two.
The bible specifically said he grew tired, needed naps, was hungry.
In addition to all of this, he also had normal human emotions.
He grew angry when he saw injustice. So angry he became physically violent when he saw money changers cheating people in the temple.
Jesus experienced frustration when his followers couldn’t understand a simple teaching.
And more to what we are here for this evening, Jesus experienced grief at the passing of a dear friend.
Lazarus was one of Jesus’ oldest and closest friends-possibly his best friend . Most bible scholars believe they grew up together in Nazareth. In bible times everything was done as a community. That means they attended the same school, celebrated the same holidays together, and shared life during their formative years.
Jesus is now a famous itinerant preacher traveling around what is now Israel preaching about the Kingdom of God.
During his travels, a messenger brings him a message that his closest friend is sick to the point of death and needs Jesus to come and heal him right away.
Jesus takes a bit to get there, and Lazarus dies. Jesus goes to the graveside to find Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha grieving.
Martha, in her grief, cries out to Jesus saying (paraphrasing) “If you had not taken your time, Lazarus would still be alive”
Jesus tells her- your brother will rise again.
Martha replies, (again paraphrasing) “I know what the scripture say- he will rise again on the last day”
Jesus’ reply here is what I want to focus on for a moment
John 11:25-26 directly quoting
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Brief prayer that the words of scripture will bring us hope and peace
There are a few things in these two verse that bring us comfort at this time.
First, is Jesus uses the Hebrew phrase that Moses would have heard at the burning bush- I AM.
Jesus is claiming that He is the very God who parted the oceans, lead the Hebrew people through the desert, and then gave them the promised land is the same being that is standing before her right now.
He is telling Martha that because of who HE is, she can trust what HE is telling her.
That is important to us today because Jesus is telling us that HE is the creator God and has the authority to make this statement.
The second thing is that Jesus ties resurrection and life to belief in Himself. At memorial services, we often talk about heaven, angels and the afterlife. But for the Christian, our eternal life begins at conversion.
Why does that matter to us here this evening?
Because when Marvin took his last breath here on earth, he took his first breath in heaven. He did not die. He simply changed his manner of existence. In plain language, he changed zip codes to one we can’t access yet, but we all will someday.
Because Marv had made that decision to believe in Jesus earlier in life, and now is experiencing the joys of no pain, no sorrow, and an eternity of experiencing God in all of HIS fulness.
That is the hope of the Christian. It’s why John 3:16-17 have so much meaning to us not only at memorial services, or at Sunday morning church, but is meant to sustain us throughout everything life throws at us.
It’s the promise of salvation for all who believe- Jesus tells us that
John 3:16-17
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
The Gospel is so simple- believe and surrender to Jesus. Make HIM the LORD and Savior of your life, and let Him change you from the inside out.
Marvin experienced this in his life here on earth, and now dances on the streets of gold, experiencing the ultimate joy of knowing God in all of his fullness.
That same promise that Marv experienced is available to everyone here this evening. Whoever would believe.
Pause.
I want to bring up one other verse later in this chapter. John 11:35- the shortest verse in the bible, but the most profound for us this evening
It simple says Jesus wept.
I started off this evening explaining how Jesus was fully human and experienced the same emotions and feelings that you and I experience, and here he shares with others the grief of his best friends passing.
I read a quote that has always stuck with me “Not all tears are an evil.”
It’s not a lack of faith to feel pain and grief, or even cry at a memorial service. It’s not that we don’t believe that Marvin is in heaven with Jesus.
It’s a human expression of missing him dearly.
Jesus shares in our grief this evening, but HE also reminds us that within that grief, HE is there as well, experiencing our pain with us, and willing to help us walk through it.
So it’s to HIM I place my trust, and I hope that it is with HIM that you place your trust. I will be praying and asking Jesus to give Marvin a hug from all of us, let HIM know we love Him, we miss him, and we look forward to the day he can give us a tour of heaven.
Ending prayer
Thank everyone for coming
