FUNERAL FOR ALAN MCCANNON
John 11:17-44
.Song
.Pray
The Bible tells us that it is actually good for us to be here today.
. In Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 the writer tells us this:
2Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart.
3Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.
4A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
. Why would the Bible and I say that it is good to be here.
. I say that because this is a time for us to remember the life that God gave Alan.
. It is a time to share our memories and encourage and lean on each other.
It is a time to grieve, not for Alan but for the loss in our lives that only he could fill.
. It is also a time of celebration. A time to celebrate Alan's life here on this rock we call Earth and to celebrate the Eternal life that he has through his faith in Jesus Christ.
The writer of Ecc. also tells us in the 3rd chapter verses 1-4 this:
1For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
2A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
.There was a time appointed for Alan.
. In doing that, He leaves behind his wife Betty, Ms Betty as I call her. His wife of 35 years.
. Alan also has two children, James Michael and Sandra Denise.
. Two Grandchildren, Kelley and Jamie and three Great Grandchildren.
. Cole Jaden and Gavin.
. What a full life he led.
We are going to hear another song that Mr. Alan picked but first I would like to share a passage of scripture with you that Ms Betty said he talked a lot about.
. It is a passage from the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John chapter 22, verses 1-5.
1Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
3No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.
4And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.
5And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
. I am no great theologian but I do know that the Bible tells us that to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.
. Alan understands this scripture now, so much more than we do.
. Song
. In the Gospel of John, chapter 11 verse 17-44 we read about a funeral story. It is the story of Jesus' friend Lazarus
read
. Jesus had heard that Lazarus was sick and then he got word that Lazarus had died. He and his disciples left and went to the town of Bethany where Lazarus had lived and found out that not only was he dead but that he had been buried for four days.
Lazarus had two sisters Mary and Martha and when Jesus arrived 4 days after Lazarus’s death, each of these sisters ran out to Him at different times and said exactly the same thing:
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
They were blaming Jesus for Lazarus being dead.
After all, Jesus could heal the sick.
If he’d been there Lazarus could have been healed and he wouldn’t have died.
When someone dies - sometimes - there’s a tendency by some to blame God for death.
“Lord if You could have made it so my loved one wouldn’t have died.”
I’ve learned long ago it is NOT sinful to question God.
It’s OK for you to ask why God would let the one we love die.
Notice, Jesus didn’t scold the sisters for their words.
He showed compassion and understanding for thos who were grieving..
You shouldn’t feel guilty for wondering if there was something that God could have done. But the fact of the matter is – He didn’t. The day will come when all of us will die. And we’ll die because we live in a world that has been damaged by sin.
Another interesting part of this story is how Jesus responded to the death of his friend.
We’re told that Jesus was deeply moved.
When Jesus came to the grave he could have said something extremely profound.
But there’s no sermon, no powerful observations.
Instead, the Bible only tells us what Jesus DID.
“He wept.”
It’s the shortest verse in all of scripture and yet… the most profound.
Here is Jesus of Nazareth, the world’s most complete, most perfect man attending the funeral of a friend… and weeping openly.
He weeps without embarrassment, and without apology.
And those standing nearby said, “See how much He loved him.
If you feel like crying today, it’s ok.
If it was OK for Jesus to cry, it’s OK for you to cry.
. Jesus showed us that grief is a consequence or by-product of love. Jesus loved his friend and He wept.
. The writer, Hilary Stanton Zunin observes that “The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief”. We grieve because we feel the pain of loss, but we also grieve because of the strength of our love for the person that we have come here to remember today.
.The only way we can avoid the pain of grief is by also avoiding the joy of love. The German psychoanalyst Erich Fromm noted that “to spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness”
. That tells us that while we grieve, what ultimately brings us here today is love.
. That is what had brought Jesus to Bethany, his love for his friend.
. Love is what has brought us here today. love for Mr. Alan.
. While Jesus consoled the family and openly wept for his friend, He had another purpose for coming to Bethany.
. Jesus knew that one day, we all will die and He took this opportunity to show the people in Bethany and us that death is not final.
. As He was talking to Martha, He told her that her brother would rise again and then He told her this in verse 25&26
“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
26Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
.He then went to the tomb and told them to unseal the tomb by rolling the stone away and Jesus prayed to God the Father to take this opportunity to prove to the people and to us that God had sent Jesus to save us from death.
. He then called out "Lazarus, come forth" and Lazarus was resurrected and walked out of the tomb.
. Jesus asked Martha a question after He told her that He was the resurrection and the life and that everyone who believed this would live, even after dying.
. He asked, "Do you believe this , Martha".
. Jesus proved this again about a week later when He died on a cross and three days later He rose from the dead.
. Showing us and proving to us that there is life after death.
. This is what Mr. Alan believed. This is what he has put his hope and faith in.
. The Bible tells this as truth and has been proven to us in many ways.
. The only way to insure that we see Alan again is to believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the Life.
. I ask you the same question He asked Martha.
. Do you believe this?
.There’s only one requirement for entrance into resurrection life.
You can’t earn heaven by how good you are, or how many nice things you’ve done for others.
.Jesus SAID: I am the resurrection and the life.
He who BELIEVES in Me will live, even though he dies.
Do you believe this?”.
. This is what Alan believed and I am sure he would encourage you this day to place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
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