Goin’ home, goin’ home,
I'm a-goin’ home;
Quiet-like, some still day,
I'm just goin’ home.
It's not far, just close by,
Through an open door;
Work all done, care laid by,
Goin’ to fear no more.
Mother's there expecting me,
Father's waiting, too;
Lots of folk gathered there,
All the friends I knew.
All the friends I knew.
Nothing lost or gained,
No more fret nor pain,
No more stumbling on the way,
No more longing for the day,
Goin’ to roam no more.
Morning star lights the way,
Restless dream all done;
Shadows gone, break of day,
Real life just begun.
There's no break, there's no end,
Just a-living on;
Wide awake, with a smile
going on and on.
Goin’ home, goin’ home,
I'm just goin’ home,
It's not far, just close by
Through an open door.
I’m just goin’ home. [1]
“We are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:6-10]. [2]
We joyful followers of Christ have a hope. It is not just a matter that we are hopeful—we have a hope! When I speak of “hope,” this is not a matter of wishful thinking, it is rather confidence, certainty based on the One Who died for us and rose from the dead. Jesus, our Master, sacrificed His life because of our brokenness. He was buried, rose to life, and ascended into Heaven where He is now seated at the right hand of the Father. His death and resurrection have secured our standing with God the Father; and we who receive Him as Master over our lives are assured that we have a place with Him in Heaven.
Jesus our Lord comforts His followers, encouraging us when He promises, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going” [JOHN 14:1-4].
Our Saviour has promised us who believe Him that we have an eternal home. We are now alive in Him, and we who believe are promised, “We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-7].
Of this, we are certain, for has not our Saviour has assured us,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-10].
We who are redeemed, we who follow Christ are taught, “The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-15].
With the Apostle to the Gentiles, we joyful, victorious redeemed followers of the Living Son of God can exult, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” [PHILIPPIANS 1:21-23].
We admit that we miss the comforting presence of our loved ones when we no longer see them face-to-face. We miss the soothing voice that is now silenced. However, God comforts us who know Him, comforting us with a comfort that is simply out of this world. We know that our loved one is forever freed of pain, forever removed from the deficits of this dying world that bind us to this existence. And we are assured that our loved one is forever blessed and comforted in the presence of Christ Who conquered death and Who has brought life and immortality to light.
The one who follows the Risen Lord of Glory, has read and has believed the words that an unknown writer penned so many years past. That writer, writing under the inspiration of the Spirit of Christ, has assured us, “[Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah] all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” [HEBREWS 11:13-16].
And because we who are twice born have the Spirit of Christ living within us, we have confidence given by God Himself that we will see our loved one again. We anticipate that the meeting will be soon, and we shall be reunited. God has promised us that those who die in Christ are indeed present with the Lord, and we who trust the Risen Saviour shall see them again. We who are redeemed live in anticipation of seeing our loved ones again, no longer weakened by this flesh, no longer carrying in their body the sentence of death, but now alive—truly alive!
What rich encouragement we have received when the Apostle Paul writes, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18]! Encourage one another, indeed!
Here is encouragement for each one who is alive in our Risen Saviour. Thus, we say “Good night” to our sister, knowing that we shall see her in the morning. Amen.
Others, undoubtedly including some who are seated before me today, family members and friends, cannot say “Good night” to our sister. You are compelled to say “Good-bye,” because as matters now stand, you will not see her again—you are separated forever by death. For you, she is gone, and you are left bereft of hope and of comfort. I would be remiss if I did not pointedly address your loss. You are disconsolate, you know that she has set aside her flesh, departing this life, and there is scant comfort that can be given you. The sole comfort lies in the knowledge that Christ can save you, even now.
Our beloved sister settled long ago her destiny when she accepted the Risen Saviour as her Master. She received the sacrifice of the Son of God on her behalf as sufficient to set aside her sin and to make her a child of the True and Living God. What did she do? She heard the message of life—God sent His Son, who lived a sinless life before offering His life as an atonement for all who willing receive the sacrifice that He presented. Had Jesus died and been buried, that would undoubtedly be a moving story. However, God certified that this Jesus was truly the Son of God by raising Him from the dead.
Jesus, Who is the Son of God, was certified as dead, having died on the cross. No man took His life; rather, He offered His life as a sacrifice in the place of fallen mankind. Then, having given His life He conquered death, hell, and the grave, being raised from the dead. To give proof of His resurrection, He walked among those individuals who knew Him personally, those with whom He had invested the years of His service in Judea and Gallilee, those with whom He had dined, and to whom He had ministered. These people saw Him—not His ghost, but Him—and they confessed that He was truly alive.
The lives of those first disciples were changed, just as to this day the lives of disciples are changed when they receive this Risen Saviour as Master over their lives. The message that those first disciples carried throughout that ancient world was this: If you openly confess that Jesus is your Master, believing that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be set free. It is, after all, believing that brings one into a right relationship with God, and openly confess Him as Master sets one free [see ROMANS 10:9-10]. This is the message given to the Apostles and delivered to all mankind until this very day.
Perhaps there is one who hears me at this time and that one demurs, saying that though they have heard what I said, they are still uncertain of what must be done to receive God’s gift of life. Should that someone be you, I would have you know that God has simplified the message, distilling it to the bare essence by pointing back to what was said through an ancient prophet named Joel. This is the simplicity of the offer God makes even now, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. You have this divine promise— you too, can be set free from guilt, free from condemnation, free to be all that God intended you should be when you receive Jesus the
Son of God as your Master.
I have been speaking of the Saviour Whom our sister received so many years ago. Jesus saved her; of that she was certain. On numerous occasions I heard her speak of her confidence in Him. She was assured in the love He had showered upon her, a divine love she shared with Frank and with all who knew her. She rejoiced in the knowledge that Christ had forgiven her sin, making room for her in the Father’s mansion. And that same confidence can be yours if you will receive the offer of grace extended by the Saviour even in this hour of sorrow.
Jesus our Lord offers life filled with confidence, real life, life filled with hope, to all who accept that He has given His life as a sacrifice. All who receive Him as King are received as His child, forgiven all their sin and assured of a place in Heaven. To each one sharing this memorial service today, in the Name of Christ Jesus, the Holy Son of God, I invite you to receive Him and the forgiveness He has promised this day. Amen.
[1] William Arms Fisher and Ken Bible, “Going Home,”
[2] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
