One of the most important hopes we have as Christians is that when we die we will be received in heaven. One value to having faith in Jesus Christ is the promise and assurance of our receiving the gift of eternal life in heaven with God. And one of our hopes related to that is that we will be able to see and be rejoined with our loved ones who have gone on to heaven before us.
We stand here on this shore unable to see the other side, but we’ve been given the road map to get there, so that when the day comes that we have finished our work here on earth, we will have no trouble making to the far shore.
It is faith in Jesus that assures us of going to heaven. We have faith that he is the Savior sent to earth by God, and faith that his sacrifice and death was effective in freeing our souls from the weight and stain of sin. His blood has cleansed us, and though we continue to make mistakes and we still sin from time to time, we are no longer lost, nor do we remain in that sinful state very long.
Salvation, literally, is the separating of our spirits from the weight of guilt and sin that once held us back, that once created a barrier between ourselves and God who loves us so much. The final prize in this gift of salvation, the crowing gift is the promise of resurrection. Our funeral ritual says, if we are buried in a death like his (meaning baptism) then we shall rise in a resurrection like his.
As we read the names of these saints of our church, and you all remembered the saints in your own lives, we cling to the thought and the promise that we will be rejoined with these saints someday.
The letter to the Hebrews in that famous 11th chapter, lists the saints down through history of the Old Testament. These lives stood as witnesses and examples. They lived their lives believing in the promises of God. As the names were read, as the patriarchs and prophets were listed; we were recalling in our minds their stories. Abel and Noah, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, Moses and Joshua, Samuel & David – we know all their stories. We have them as examples for our faith, and their witness carries on through scripture and continues to inspire us today. That famous line from the beginning of chapter 12, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
I will bet that you have your own ‘great cloud of witnesses.’ I will bet that you have a long list of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, teachers, pastors, counselors and friends who have served to mentor you in the faith, and who have added to your spiritual journey which has brought you to the place where you currently stand.
The saints in my life include my grandmother, for whom I was named, Bessie Appelgate Jones. Her son, my father is still an ongoing witness to me as he lives out his faith daily even at 90 years old. My mother is the greatest saint in my cloud of witnesses, her influence over me, her shaping me in my faith is immeasurable. My older brother, also still alive continues to bless me and enrich my life as I give hi credit for helping me make a decision to give my life to Christ. I count my college professor, Dr. Ira G. Zepp, Jr. - a great a loving man who in so many ways was for me the personification of Jesus. He just died this year and I am sure his name is being read out in his church today at Westminster UMC.
There have been many others. I know your mind is off remembering and thanking all those who touched and shaped your life, your spiritual journey. The reason we Christians make such a big deal of funerals, memorial services, and of this celebration each year, is that they serve as teaching moments to remind us – the living – of the promise we have in our faith. When we place our lives and our souls in the hands of God, and when we declare that Jesus is our Savior, we are then assured that our names are written in the great Book of Life, and that when we die, St. Peter won’t have to say, “Now, tell me again, who are you? How do you spell your name? Let me see if you are listed here?
When we choose to have faith, we are promised that our names will be in The Book, and that they will recognize who we are, and that we will spend eternity in the joys and bliss of heaven. The story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most important and final pieces in John’s Gospel as he makes clear who Jesus is, and that Jesus has the power of God to even raise the dead.
For if Jesus establishes the possibility of resurrection during his ministry, then the disciples should not be shocked or alarmed when Jesus shows himself to them after his own resurrection. Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life, those who believe in me, even though they die, shall live.” And we believe this important statement of Jesus. Those who have died and are no longer with us here, do continue to live on in heaven. That gives us both comfort and hope.
I was speaking with someone recently about how their parent was quite old, nearly a hundred, and that when she dies there will be very few people to attend her funeral. We agreed that one of the advantages of dying young was that there are lots of people to attend your funeral. But then God inspired me to say, yes, but those who live long and faithful lives have a huge crowd to receive them when they arrive on the other side.
Over the years, I have done a number of funerals for persons who served in the military. There is something profound and moving about the respect, the order and the ceremony of a military funeral. In many ways, I strive to provide funeral services that are nearly as respectful and elegant as the ones provided to those who served in the armed forces.
We respect those who have finished their course in faith. We are grateful for their witness, for their influence, and for their gifts which they bestowed upon us. Our place now is to do two things: 1) we are to be grateful for the lives of those who have gone before us, to remember them with respect and gratitude; and 2) we are to be good models and examples for those who are coming behind us. We are all part of the circle of life. As we have been shown the way by those who have gone before us, we now are to show the way to those who come behind us. Our greatest goal and hope in life should be that when we are gone, some people will genuinely miss us, and many will be grateful for the example we set and the good works we did. Amen.
One of the most important hopes we have as Christians is that when we die we will be received in
heaven. One value to having faith in Jesus Christ is the promise and assurance of our receiving the gift of
eternal life in heaven with God. And one of our hopes related to that is that we will be able to see and be
rejoined with our loved ones who have gone on to heaven before us.
We stand here on this shore unable to see the other side, but we’ve been given the road map to get
there, so that when the day comes that we have finished our work here on earth, we will have no trouble
making to the far shore.
It is faith in Jesus that assures us of going to heaven. We have faith that he is the Savior sent to earth
by God, and faith that his sacrifice and death was effective in freeing our souls from the weight and stain
of sin. His blood has cleansed us, and though we continue to make mistakes and we still sin from time to
time, we are no longer lost, nor do we remain in that sinful state very long.
Salvation, literally, is the separating of our spirits from the weight of guilt and sin that once held us
back, that once created a barrier between ourselves and God who loves us so much.
The final prize in this gift of salvation, the crowing gift is the promise of resurrection. Our funeral
ritual says, if we are buried in a death like his (meaning baptism) then we shall rise in a resurrection like
his.
As we read the names of these saints of our church, and you all remembered the saints in your own
lives, we cling to the thought and the promise that we will be rejoined with these saints someday.
The letter to the Hebrews in that famous 11th chapter, lists the saints down through history of the Old
Testament. These lives stood as witnesses and examples. They lived their lives believing in the promises
of God. As the names were read, as the patriarchs and prophets were listed; we were recalling in our
minds their stories. Abel and Noah, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, Moses and Joshua, Samuel &
David – we know all their stories. We have them as examples for our faith, and their witness carries on
through scripture and continues to inspire us today. That famous line from the beginning of chapter 12,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set
before us.
I will bet that you have your own ‘great cloud of witnesses.’ I will bet that you have a long list of
parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, teachers, pastors, counselors and friends who have served to
mentor you in the faith, and who have added to your spiritual journey which has brought you to the
place where you currently stand.
The saints in my life include my grandmother, for whom I was named, Bessie Appelgate Jones. Her
son, my father is still an ongoing witness to me as he lives out his faith daily even at 90 years old. My
mother is the greatest saint in my cloud of witnesses, her influence over me, her shaping me in my faith
is immeasurable. My older brother, also still alive continues to bless me and enrich my life as I give him
credit for helping me make a decision to give my life to Christ. I count my college professor, Dr. Ira G.
Zepp, Jr. - a great a loving man who in so many ways was for me the personification of Jesus. He just
died this year and I am sure his name is being read out in his church today at Westminster UMC. There
have been many others. I know your mind is off remembering and thanking all those who touched and
shaped your life, your spiritual journey.
The reason we Christians make such a big deal of funerals, memorial services, and of this celebration
each year, is that they serve as teaching moments to remind us – the living – of the promise we have in
our faith. When we place our lives and our souls in the hands of God, and when we declare that Jesus is
our Savior, we are then assured that our names are written in the great Book of Life, and that when we
die, St. Peter won’t have to say, “Now, tell me again, who are you? How do you spell your name? Let me
see if you are listed here?
When we choose to have faith, we are promised that our names will be in The Book, and that they will
recognize who we are, and that we will spend eternity in the joys and bliss of heaven.
The story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most important and final pieces in
John’s Gospel as he makes clear who Jesus is, and that Jesus has the power of God to even raise the dead.
For if Jesus establishes the possibility of resurrection during his ministry, then the disciples should not be
shocked or alarmed when Jesus shows himself to them after his own resurrection.
Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life, those who believe in me, even though they
die, shall live.” And we believe this important statement of Jesus. Those who have died and are no longer
with us here, do continue to live on in heaven. That gives us both comfort and hope.
I was speaking with someone recently about how their parent was quite old, nearly a hundred, and
that when she dies there will be very few people to attend her funeral. We agreed that one of the
advantages of dying young was that there are lots of people to attend your funeral. But then God
inspired me to say, yes, but those who live long and faithful lives have a huge crowd to receive them
when they arrive on the other side.
Over the years, I have done a number of funerals for persons who served in the military. There is
something profound and moving about the respect, the order and the ceremony of a military funeral. In
many ways, I strive to provide funeral services that are nearly as respectful and elegant as the ones
provided to those who served in the armed forces.
We respect those who have finished their course in faith. We are grateful for their witness, for their
influence, and for their gifts which they bestowed upon us.
Our place now is to do two things: 1) we are to be grateful for the lives of those who have gone before
us, to remember them with respect and gratitude; and 2) we are to be good models and examples for
those who are coming behind us. We are all part of the circle of life. As we have been shown the way by
those who have gone before us, we now are to show the way to those who come behind us. Our greatest
goal and hope in life should be that when we are gone, some people will genuinely miss us, and many
will be grateful for the example we set and the good works we did. One of the most important hopes we have as Christians is that when we die we will be received in
heaven. One value to having faith in Jesus Christ is the promise and assurance of our receiving the gift of
eternal life in heaven with God. And one of our hopes related to that is that we will be able to see and be
rejoined with our loved ones who have gone on to heaven before us.
We stand here on this shore unable to see the other side, but we’ve been given the road map to get
there, so that when the day comes that we have finished our work here on earth, we will have no trouble
making to the far shore.
It is faith in Jesus that assures us of going to heaven. We have faith that he is the Savior sent to earth
by God, and faith that his sacrifice and death was effective in freeing our souls from the weight and stain
of sin. His blood has cleansed us, and though we continue to make mistakes and we still sin from time to
time, we are no longer lost, nor do we remain in that sinful state very long.
Salvation, literally, is the separating of our spirits from the weight of guilt and sin that once held us
back, that once created a barrier between ourselves and God who loves us so much.
The final prize in this gift of salvation, the crowing gift is the promise of resurrection. Our funeral
ritual says, if we are buried in a death like his (meaning baptism) then we shall rise in a resurrection like
his.
As we read the names of these saints of our church, and you all remembered the saints in your own
lives, we cling to the thought and the promise that we will be rejoined with these saints someday.
The letter to the Hebrews in that famous 11th chapter, lists the saints down through history of the Old
Testament. These lives stood as witnesses and examples. They lived their lives believing in the promises
of God. As the names were read, as the patriarchs and prophets were listed; we were recalling in our
minds their stories. Abel and Noah, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, Moses and Joshua, Samuel &
David – we know all their stories. We have them as examples for our faith, and their witness carries on
through scripture and continues to inspire us today. That famous line from the beginning of chapter 12,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set
before us.
I will bet that you have your own ‘great cloud of witnesses.’ I will bet that you have a long list of
parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, teachers, pastors, counselors and friends who have served to
mentor you in the faith, and who have added to your spiritual journey which has brought you to the
place where you currently stand.
The saints in my life include my grandmother, for whom I was named, Bessie Appelgate Jones. Her
son, my father is still an ongoing witness to me as he lives out his faith daily even at 90 years old. My
mother is the greatest saint in my cloud of witnesses, her influence over me, her shaping me in my faith
is immeasurable. My older brother, also still alive continues to bless me and enrich my life as I give him
credit for helping me make a decision to give my life to Christ. I count my college professor, Dr. Ira G.
Zepp, Jr. - a great a loving man who in so many ways was for me the personification of Jesus. He just
died this year and I am sure his name is being read out in his church today at Westminster UMC. There
have been many others. I know your mind is off remembering and thanking all those who touched and
shaped your life, your spiritual journey.
The reason we Christians make such a big deal of funerals, memorial services, and of this celebration
each year, is that they serve as teaching moments to remind us – the living – of the promise we have in
our faith. When we place our lives and our souls in the hands of God, and when we declare that Jesus is
our Savior, we are then assured that our names are written in the great Book of Life, and that when we
die, St. Peter won’t have to say, “Now, tell me again, who are you? How do you spell your name? Let me
see if you are listed here?
When we choose to have faith, we are promised that our names will be in The Book, and that they will
recognize who we are, and that we will spend eternity in the joys and bliss of heaven.
The story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most important and final pieces in
John’s Gospel as he makes clear who Jesus is, and that Jesus has the power of God to even raise the dead.
For if Jesus establishes the possibility of resurrection during his ministry, then the disciples should not be
shocked or alarmed when Jesus shows himself to them after his own resurrection.
Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life, those who believe in me, even though they
die, shall live.” And we believe this important statement of Jesus. Those who have died and are no longer
with us here, do continue to live on in heaven. That gives us both comfort and hope.
I was speaking with someone recently about how their parent was quite old, nearly a hundred, and
that when she dies there will be very few people to attend her funeral. We agreed that one of the
advantages of dying young was that there are lots of people to attend your funeral. But then God
inspired me to say, yes, but those who live long and faithful lives have a huge crowd to receive them
when they arrive on the other side.
Over the years, I have done a number of funerals for persons who served in the military. There is
something profound and moving about the respect, the order and the ceremony of a military funeral. In
many ways, I strive to provide funeral services that are nearly as respectful and elegant as the ones
provided to those who served in the armed forces.
We respect those who have finished their course in faith. We are grateful for their witness, for their
influence, and for their gifts which they bestowed upon us.
Our place now is to do two things: 1) we are to be grateful for the lives of those who have gone before
us, to remember them with respect and gratitude; and 2) we are to be good models and examples for
those who are coming behind us. We are all part of the circle of life. As we have been shown the way by
those who have gone before us, we now are to show the way to those who come behind us. Our greatest
goal and hope in life should be that when we are gone, some people will genuinely miss us, and many
will be grateful for the example we set and the good works we did. Amen
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