Under The Sun

[Song as Family Enters

[Song

Introduction

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8.35-39

We have come to one of those times when we need to experience the love of God in our lives.

John 3.16

God loves through people -- a reason to love our neighbor as ourselves and practice the golden rule

We come to honor a loved one, comfort his family, and glorify God

Obituary

[Song

[Song

Eulogy

In visiting with the family I learned a number of significant things about Jim.

* He loved his wife and children and they love him

o James mentioned to him that he should gather the firewood for the house they used for hunting but to let Mom sleep and get her beauty rest. He replied that she was so beautiful she did not need rest.

o Family lake stories

* Hard working -- 45 years as a RR engineer; many long hours

o Crews always welcomed him (or son James) to work with them -- "A McIntire is always welcome to work on our crew." -- This is a GREAT reputation to have on the job!

o Part of the male make up

o A way to show his love for his family in providing necessities and more

* Fun-loving

o Skiing at the lake

o Hunting trips

o Camping trips

One trip to Yellowstone -- the family saw some bear cubs; Julia went to the back of the camper to get her camera; as she did the mama bear came toward the truck and James had been looking out of the window -- Nena began to roll up the window and caught James' head; one of the bear cubs bit into Julia's shoe -- living right on the edge with nature

o Motorcycles for the entire family from a mini-bike for the youngest to bigger bikes for the adults

* Generous -- giving Julia $20 to put in her purse to use on herself even though she had money

* Kind, loving, with a serving spirit to take care of everyone --

* Lack of desire to discipline children -- James spoke of his dad and discipline -- "I don't want to do this. It hurts me more than it will you." "Dad, if it is going to hurt you that bad, don't do it."

* Calm -- a balancing influence in the family -- Julia more emotional, Jim, more calm

Did not complain of pain in his arthritis -- Hurting? "A little bit."

* Quiet -- but when he spoke it was like "EF Hutton commercials" -- everybody listened.

* Not easily angered -- if you made him angry, you deserved the results

* Sense of humor

o Recording on answering machine -- "Hello" (as though he had answered in person)

o How are you? "Hunky Dory."

o Kathy's curly hair -- "Did you comb your hair with an egg-beater?"

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9.5-6

1. The living know that they will die -- Under the Sun -- kind of a "duh" statement. Yet, it is packed with reality and mystery.

* For youth -- immaterial; that happens to the old and I am not old. (A reason the young go to war)

* For some -- unimportant -- that happens to the ill and I am not ill.

* In reality -- imminent for all of us

Life is like a vapor -- James 4.14

Life is uncertain -- Jim went to the house to prepare for hunting by getting firewood ready and died instantly, unexpectedly. How many fatal accidents do we hear about?

"We ought to say, 'If the LORD wills.'" (James 4.15)

We ALL are totally dependent on God from one breath to the next.

2. The dead know nothing, and they have no more reward -- Under the Sun

* The Bible speaks of eternal rewards and knowledge in the world to come