When we lose a loved one, we often have questions for God. I know you are hurting today. So, God gives us a word about hurt. Losing a loved one hurts. God understands our hurt and He encourages us to express our hurt to him.
Many times, on days like today, we try to deny our hurt or ignore it. We try to push it aside. But hurting is a normal part of losing someone we love.
Let’s admit it. We all miss _____. We’ll miss the fellowship, the daily communication with her, the impact she had on our lives. We miss her unique spirit. We’ll miss the fact that there won’t be any new memories made. But God gave each of you your own unique memories to cherish. I encourage you to share those memories with one another and in doing so, in our own way, we keep her alive in our hearts.
I can tell you as a pastor that _____ loved the Lord. One of the last things she said was that she was ready to be with her Lord and her dad and her son John and others who have gone on before her.
And there will come those days when you’ll pause for a moment and remember the impact she made on your life. Today you might think of her and the things that she taught you while you were growing up. You might remember a meal that you sat down together and ate. It might be a special day that you celebrated together.
Many of you will carry the memory of the tradition that _____ started when it came to presents. She would take any item, it could be a necklace. She would wrap it and duct tape it. Then she would put that into a larger box and duct tape that, which went into another duct taped box, and so on. So, when you got a gift, you might have to unwrap 5-6 boxes to get to the gift.
I’m sure you’ll remember how _____ loved her grandkids more than anyone I knew. _____ was like a daughter to her. And so, you know how loving she could be.
But you might also know how strong willed she was. When she set her mind on something, she carried it out.
She loved sports. Especially baseball. She loved baseball probably more than any of the sports because she and her day would watch baseball together and I’m sure it conjured up a lot of memories.
Crocheting was a passion of hers. She taught her granddaughter to crochet and she still crochets to this day. I didn’t realize it until a few days ago that when our RAs, our young boys group in the church, would hold a silent auction to raise funds, _____ donated several afghans that she had crocheted. So, even though she might not have been in church that much, she was still connected in her own way.
It’s things like these that will cause you stop and think in the coming days and years. You’ll smile. Maybe laugh. Maybe shed a tear because, deep down, there’s still that hurt of losing her.
Well God understands our hurt more than anyone. So, as we gather here today and are hurting as we think about it all, God has a word for us. God tells us, “I understand it so I want you to express it to me.” Because there is healing that occurs when we grieve. Yes, believe it or not, your sadness and grief that you are experiencing at this moment is God’s way of healing us, of making us stronger.
God also gives us a word about our help. He wants to help you with your hurt today. The Psalmist wrote, “My help comes from the Lord.” You see, Jesus promised us that He wouldn’t leave us as orphans, that He would send a helper, a comforter, to us. That comforter is the Holy Spirit. And He is here to comfort you, to strengthen you, to encourage you, and to enable you to come through this loss with faith and trust in Him.
AN OLD SONG SAYS
"HAVE A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS
TELL HIM ALL ABOUT OUR TROUBLES
HE WILL HEAR OUR FAINTEST CRY
AND HE WILL ANSWER BY AND BY."
SO, PLEASE, ALLOW GOD TO HELP YOU THROUGH YOUR HURT. He may do that by sending someone to just sit and talk with you, or listen as you talk to them. Be open to how God is going to help you today and in the days ahead.
God also gives us a word about our hope. The Apostle Paul said, “Don’t grieve like you have no hope.” We were given our hope when Jesus conquered death once for all. He showed us by example what we can expect when death knocks on our door. “Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?”
I am thankful to say today, based on the word of God, that for those who have personally received Jesus Christ as Savior, there is a guaranteed assurance, a hope, based on the words of Jesus himself.
HOPE OF RELIEF FROM PAIN
HOPE OF REWARD FOR LIVING FOR HIM
HOPE OF REST FROM OUR LABORS
HOPE OF REUNION WITH OUR LOVED ONES.
_____ had that hope of being relieved from all the suffering she went through in her last days. She knew in her heart that her time was growing short, so she started thinking about the promises that Jesus gave her.
JESUS SAID: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also.” Did you catch that? Where Jesus is, Goldie is also.
And that’s the hope she had in a reward for living for Christ. Her reward is a mansion, and a crown of righteousness.
She had a hope of not having to labor here on earth any more.
But I think one of her greatest hopes was being able to join her loved ones who have gone on before her. She commented toward the end of her days that she saw John and her dad together in heaven.
But most of all, I think her hope was that of seeing Jesus face-to-face.
So, God tells us that we can take our hurt to Him and He will help us. And in Him we have the hope of eternal life. We’ll never be alone in any of this. God doesn’t promise us that He’ll get us out of trouble, today is proof of that, but He does promise that He’ll get us through it.
Just like when David felt so alone as he wrote the 23rd Psalm. He was being hunted by his enemies. But he knew God was getting him through it when he wrote:
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake.
Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou annointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
You see, just when David saw nothing but the shadow of death before him, he realized that God was carrying him through that valley.
As each of you look at the valley of the shadow of death today, you can be sure that God will carry you through this valley. God doesn’t get us out, but He will get us through it.
I think when it was all said and done, _____ was someone who could say, “I am ready to go when the Lord calls me home.” And I wonder how many of us can truthfully say that. I wonder how many of us are absolutely sure than when we leave this earth that we will see Jesus face-to-face. So, in that, I ask, “When is a person ready to die?”
Paul says, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Throughout life we’re always preparing for something or someone. We prepare for school, for marriage, for our careers, for a family, and for retirement. We spend a lot of time preparing to live. It’s as though we think we are going to live forever.
Don’t get me wrong, we should prepare to live. God wants us to enjoy life and to be prepared for it. But death is a fact of life. The Bible assures us that it is appointed unto men once to die.” In saying that, shouldn’t we not only prepare to live but also prepare to die. But how do we prepare for death? When is a person ready to die?
Paul uses the word “departure” when speaking of death. That’s actually a naval term that means to weigh anchor and set sail. Many of us have stood on the seashore and watched a ship pull out of harbor and leave. We watch it until it is just a speck on the horizon and then, and some say, “It’s gone.” But gone where? Not out of existence. Only out of sight.
And that’s a pretty good picture of the death of a Christian. Death is a passing—not out of existence, only out of sight. Beyond what we can see today, Goldie is experiencing a world that is simply not visible to us.
That’s what the Apostle Paul was talking about. He stood on the edge of life and shook hands with death without the slightest fear or dread and said, “I am ready.”
Even though _____ wasn’t in any hurry to leave us, she was prepared, she was ready when that time came. She had a firm commitment in Jesus Christ. That alone prepares us for death.
She lived a faithful life. When we have done our duty, fulfilled our mission, and been true to our commitment, we can say, “I am ready.” She committed herself to the tasks that God equipped her to do and she was faithful to completing those tasks. God laid it on her heart to crochet those afghans and donate them to raise money for our young boys in the church and she completed that task.
She was committed but she was also faithful to her promise to God. Any person who has committed her life to Jesus Christ and then lived faithfully can come to her hour of death with no fear and few regrets. They can have this same calm assurance as the Apostle Paul had. Again, _____ had that assurance.
A future hope makes us ready to die. Without hope in eternal life, without hope in heaven, what do we have? Nothing! To the non-Christian, death is a hopeless end. To us who belong to Christ, death is an endless hope. Jesus gave us that hope when he arose from the dead. He gave us that hope when he showed his apostles where he was going as he ascended into heaven. He spoke of what was in store for those who believe in Him.
Paul was saying, “I have followed Jesus, I have lived a faithful life. Now, what remains for me is a crown of righteousness which the Lord has prepared for me.”
I wonder what _____ looks like with her crown on. You know she has one. Her life of commitment and faithfulness to God certainly earned her a crown. That was a hope that she had because God promises it. But I think that there was something even more important to her than her crown of righteousness.
I feel certain that when Jesus came within speaking distance to her, He reviewed her life and what she had accomplished for her Lord and I feel sure that Jesus said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
So here then are the things that enable a person to look death in the face and calmly say, “I am ready.” A commitment to Christ, a faithful walk, and a certain hope.
I can only pray that we are all that certain when our time comes.
I know this is only the beginning of her eternal life with Jesus Christ, living now in her beautiful mansion. And I know that I will see her again. You see, two Christians never have to say good bye for the last time. I hope you can say the same.
_____ is in God’s hands now. Now she sees the Lord face to face. And she’ll be waiting for us when we get there.
So, in its own way, I guess we can say that today really is a day of celebration.
We celebrate the life of a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. We celebrate a person of character and kindness.
We celebrate her salvation when she accepted Christ.
And because of that, we celebrate her eternal life with God.
PRAYER.
