OPENING:
In behalf of the family, we want to thank everyone who is here whether at this location or on the Internet. Your presence is honoring to Mary and is a comfort and strength to the family.
In Psalm 116:15 we find this comforting statement: “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.” Something Precious Happened xx/xx/xx. God’s servant, Mary M________ went to be with the Lord. “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.”
As I thought about Mary’s life, a scripture in Revelation 14:13 came to me. It directly speaks to a different time and place, but in principle it is very applicable to what we are doing this afternoon. The Apostle John is writing this, and he says, “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” Mary is one who died “in the Lord,” and her death is precious to God because she now is with Him in a way that surpasses anything we experience in this life.
The verse continues, “‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’” No more suffering for Mary. No more tears. No more restrictions in a worn-out mortal body. She now lays her works at the Master’s feet and enjoys His welcome home. I direct your thought to the glory she is experiencing right now in heaven.
This poem by Myrtle Erickson puts it well. It’s entitled “The Homeland.”
“THINK –
Of stepping on the shore and finding it Heaven;
Of taking hold of a hand and finding it God’s hand;
Of breathing a new air and finding it celestial air;
Of feeling invigorated and finding it immortality;
Of passing from storm and tempest to an unbroken calm;
Of looking up—and finding it HOME.”
Let’s pray:
Lord we are here to celebrate the life of one of Your servants, Mary M________. We thank you for a life well lived. We thank you for the lessons about life we have learned through her example. We ask You to direct this meeting as it would please you. Anoint those who share today. Open our hearts to your word and your will in our own lives. Bless all that is done. Amen.
MESSAGE:
I was privileged to be Mary’s pastor for many years. And I want to begin by saying she was the kind of parishioner every pastor wants. She consistently and faithfully supported the ministry with her prayers, her financial giving, and her service to others. I never heard a complaint from Mary. I never heard her speak evil of others. James wrote, “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (3:2). Nobody does that perfectly. The tongue is not an easy member to tame. But kind, edifying, encouraging words of faith were characteristic of Mary.
When I think about Mary I am drawn to the simple, profound statement in Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” Mary lived that out. She didn’t just talk about it; she lived it! The light of that command was demonstrated in her daily life. Mary was the quiet one in her marriage. She was the rock that anchored those around her. Still waters run deep, and there was a depth in her faith that few Christians reach.
Mary did not have a lot of money, but she always gave. She didn’t give God the leftovers; she gave Him the first fruits. Often when Mary gave to the church, I would think of the widow’s mite. God does not measure our giving by the amount we give. He measures it by the amount we keep for ourselves. Mary did not consume her resources on herself. She lived simply and gave generously to the Lord.
In Luke 21 Jesus watched as people put their offerings into the treasury at the temple. The Bible tells us that as He watched he saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites. This is what He said about her gift: “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had” (1-4).
As her pastor, I never stood before the congregation saying, “Mary gave more than you all, because out of her poverty she gave all she could.” But today I have the opportunity to honor her giving, just as Jesus honored the giving of this widow in Luke 21. Mary gave in secret. But the Lord today honors her in public. Much more could be said about the way Mary lived out her faith in Christ.
Mary did not leave a big financial inheritance for her family. She left something far, far more valuable. She left a legacy to be followed. Paul reminded Timothy to stir up the gift of God in him for service to the Lord. In that exhortation he reminded Timothy of “the genuine faith” that was in him. Paul celebrated seeing that in this young man of God. But he also talked about how Timothy came into that through the influence of his mother and grandmother. Paul said that genuine faith “dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you . . .” (2 Tim.1:5-7).
One task I am given from the Lord today, is to remind those who have received faith in Christ through the prayers and influence of this godly mother and grandmother—to stir up the gift of God which is in you.” Do not take lightly the mighty inheritance you have received from the godly woman. Honor her give with a life lived for Christ.
Today we are appropriately honoring a life well lived. It is right and valuable to do so. When we honor a godly follower of Jesus, we are honoring the Lord. I know Mary well enough to know she would pass that honor on to Christ. She would quickly acknowledge everything good in her was and is by the grace of God. The only way anyone becomes truly righteous is by the grace of God.
Jesus made the pathway to that grace simple and clear. He laid down His life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. He bore the just punishment for our sin so that the Father could justly and freely forgive us for those sin. “. . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). None of us can live up to God’s standard on our own. We need a Savior, and Jesus is the perfect Savior provided by a perfect, loving Creator.
To receive God’s mercy and forgiveness of sin, we have to acknowledge the truth about our sin. We have to admit we have sinned. We cannot justify our disobedience and selfishness. We have to confess our sin. We have to confess our need for a Savior. Mary did that at a very young age. You can do that right now at whatever age you are. But it is something that has to happen. You must be born again. You must humbly ask God to forgive you for your sins. You must surrender the control of your life to Him. You must open your heart to Christ and ask Him to come into your life as Lord.
The good news is this: anyone who will do that will be saved. Jesus promised in John 6:37 anyone who comes to Him, He will receive. He will not push that person away. He will embrace that person in love. Is He calling you to Himself today? Is there something in your heart that affirms the truth of His salvation? Is there something in your heart that says, “I will arise and go to Jesus”? If so, quietly pray even now and ask the Lord to forgive you for your sins. Ask Him to come into your heart as Lord. Ask Him to change you so that your life is pleasing to Him. Jesus said, “Come unto Me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (). The burden of sin is a heavy load for anyone to bear. But nobody has to carry that guilt and bondage through life. Jesus died so you wouldn’t have to do that. Ask Him to come into your life and take over.
Paul was telling Timothy how to honor his mother and grandmother’s legacy. Honor them by following their life of faith. I echo that message particularly to Mary’s children and grandchildren today. Honor Mary’s legacy to the family by following her example of faith. I extend that to Mary’s great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews as well. Embrace the faith that is in your family heritage and follow Christ with all your heart. You will never, never regret it.
I was blessed with the legacy of my great-grandmother. She was much like Mary: a prayer warrior who prayed continually for her family. I remember as a child, long before I was saved visiting her humble home and seeing a little cardboard plaque on the wall. It could not have cost more than a dollar in those days. It had a blue background with gold glittering letters that read:
Only one life
‘twill soon be past
Only what’s done for Christ
will last.
Those words were burned into my mind by the Holy Spirit before I was saved. Perhaps the truth in that message prepared my heart for the day Jesus I would open my heart and receive Christ as my Savior and Lord. I do know this: the prayers and legacy of my great-grandmother was a powerful influence on my life and her family as a whole. Not everyone in the family followed her legacy. Each one of us must make an individual choice about Christ. But to have a godly woman in the family heritage is a gift from God of great price.
I want to close the way I feel Mary and the Lord would want me to close—by inviting you to dedicate your life to Christ. If you have never done that: today is your day. Today you can simply bow your head and ask the Lord to come into your life and take over. If you do that, tell someone about the commitment. That is the beginning of a wonderful journey with God. You will need guidance and instruction in walking that out. God has put godly people in your family who can help you with that. It all begins today with a prayer asking God to forgive you for your sins and take over.
You may have received Christ as your Savior, but you’re not yet walking in the fulness of God’s plan for your life. You can’t go back and redo the past. But you can decide today, to live for Christ now and tomorrow. You can decide today to surrender more fully to the will of God for your life. I believe the saints who have passed from this life into the presence of the Lord are aware of what’s going on in this world. They see it with a greater understanding than is possible while we’re in these mortal bodies. But they see and they rejoice when their prayers are being answered.
Mary prayed for her family. She prayed that each one would serve the Lord.
Honoring her legacy with our words is good and appropriate. But the best way her friends and family could honor her legacy is to follow her example. Paul offered himself as an example to follow because he followed the Lord. Mary is an example that can be safely followed as well because she followed the Lord.
Life is very short. We are reminded of that at every funeral. James said this life is like a vapor compared to eternity. This is only a preparation for that eternity. It is an important time of choice and preparation, but it is brief. “Only one life, It will soon be past.”
I invite you to dedicate your life to Christ as we close this portion of the service. Please pray with me.
Dear God, we thank you for Mary’s life, her example, and the legacy of godliness she leaves behind. We ask you to work in us so that we leave a similar legacy when our time on earth ends. We ask you to forgive us for our sins, draw us to you, change us in the ways we need to change, and fill our hearts with your love. We surrender our lives to you and ask you to lead us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake. We acknowledge our need for your mercy and grace. We open our hearts to you right now. We dedicate ourselves to you afresh. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
GRAVESIDE:'
We have celebrated Mary’s life together this afternoon. We now commit her body to the ground with the full assurance that one day this body will come out of this ground. Mary is with the Lord already, but on resurrection day she will receive a glorified body and her salvation will be complete spirit, soul, and body.
In 1 Thess. 4:13-18 we read.
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Pray:
Lord, we thank You that Mary is with You and that one day we will be together with her—and with You. We thank You that You have provided a full and complete salvation for all those who put their trust in You. We rest in that assurance. We ask you to go with each of us today as we resume our daily lives. Help us all to live lives worthy of Your holy name. Amen
ENDNOTES:
Walter B. Knight, ed., Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956) 279.
Family member had shared their thoughts about Mary, so this is not the full service, only my part.
All quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
Cf. Hebrews 12:1.
