Call to Worship:
We have gathered here today to praise God, to celebrate the life of William B. Wilcox Jr. and to bear witness to our faith in the risen Lord.
We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss. May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort…In sorrow hope…in death resurrection.
Bill is survived by his loving wife
His 3 Sons, A daughter, 8 Grandchildren: 6 Great-grandchildren:
The Word of God tells us that:
In Dying, Christ destroyed our death.
In Rising, Christ restored our life.
Here and now, we are God’s children. What we shall be has not yet been revealed;
But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him, for we shall see Christ as he is.
This is our Christian hope.
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die; yet they shall live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end the first and the last.
I died and behold I am alive for evermore, and I hold the keys of hell and death. Because I live, you shall live also.
Invocation: Let us pray
Most Gracious God, you are ever more ready to hear than we are to pray. You know our needs before we ask. Give us now your grace, that as we shrink before the mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity. Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that nothing in life or in death will separate us from your great love in Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Special Music: “How Great Thou Art”
Eulogy:
A Time of Remembrance:
There are so many hear who have known and loved Bill that I’d like to take just a few minuets for anyone who would like to stand and share some remembrance that they have of their relationship with Bill.
One of Bill’s favorite hymns was “In The Garden”
I’d like to sing it for you this morning in honor of Bill.
Message: “Crème de la crème”
On several occasions, my wife Sharon and I have been invited to Bill and Ruth’s house for dinner and an evening of cards.
Bill and I were partners and we almost inevitably won…
Well…most of the time we won…
Ok…so occasionally we won
At any rate…when we won, Bill had this little saying…He’d kind of wave his hand like this (demonstrate lifting hand, palm down and fluttering) and say…”You know, The Cream Always Comes to The Top”.
Well, as I was preparing this morning’s message…that little saying of his kept popping into my mind…as if God were trying to show me something.
And so I began to think about cream and about the qualities of cream.
Cream is smooth …it’s taste is rich but subtle.
Cream is the base ingredient for lots of other foods…everything from plain vanilla Ice-cream to rich and exotic sauces and casseroles.
A good cook can do miracles with cream.
But first it has to be separated from the milk. And that’s where Bill’s little saying comes in…because given a pail of fresh milk…the cream will always rise to the top. It will always separate itself from the thinner, less flavorful milk.
The cream is set apart from the milk. The cream is different…it’s richer, it’s smoother, it’s sweater, it’s more useful to the chef.
The virtues of cream are so applauded that we use cream to describe the best of almost anything.
In French, Crème de la crème, literally means, cream of the cream…We say that so and so is the Cream of the Crop…or in describing the complexion of a beautiful woman; she may have skin like peaches and cream.
When Bill and I were so fortunate as to win a game of cards…we were the Crème de la crème. Like cream…we had risen to the top.
And then I though…well this is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with the eternal order of things…what kind of Kingdome lesion is God trying to teach me by filling my head with this little saying?
Well in a way all Christians are the Crème de la crème in that we are separated from the rest of the world. It doesn’t necessarily make us any better…but it does make us more useful to the chef …more useful to God.
You see, when we accept Christ as Lord and Savior…we’re set apart from the rest of the world…the bible uses the word sanctified. John Wesley referred to it as Sanctifying Grace…or… the Holy Spirit working in the life of the believer between the time of our conversion…that point in time when we accept Christ as Lord and Savior…and our death.
Now God is the ultimate Iron Chef…and it’s amazing what he can do with a little bit of cream.
In the Old Testament we can read about people like Samuel who was set apart to be a prophet and judge over Israel.
And there was little David whom God used to defeat the Philistine Horde. In the New Testament we hear about people like John the Baptist and the Disciples…and about a little Jewish girl of 12 or 13 years who was destined to be the mother of God’s only Son.
All of these people were set apart for the service of the Lord…All of them were Sanctified.
And I can stand here this morning and tell you that I believe that Bill was the Crème de la crème…that he was set apart…that he was sanctified.
I believe that because sanctification is the process by which God purifies us. It’s based on the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and starts when we accept Christ as Lord of our lives.
Only just a few weeks ago Bill and I sat and talked about his relationship with God…He told me that he had invited Jesus into his life a long time ago and that he was ready to meet God when ever God called him.
In the apostle Paul’s letters to the churches, he wrote that God has "chosen" and "reconciled" us to Himself in Christ…for the purpose of sanctification (Eph 1:4)
In 1 Cor 6:9-11 Paul said:
Don’t you know that the wicked won’t inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunks nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And that’s what some of you were.
But Bill was washed… Bill was sanctified… Bill was justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Of course anyone can claim to be a child of God. Anyone can tell the world that they’ve accepted Christ and that the Spirit of God is living within them.
But you know…once you’ve tasted real cream in your favorite cup of coffee…you’ll recognize Coffee Mate right away.
The bible tells us that Faith without works is dead.
And I’ve seen the evidence of Bill’s faith. I’ve see it as he faithfully served his church…I’ve seen it in the way he deals with others…in the concern and compassion for his friends and family.
I see evidence of Bill’s faith reflected in your love for him…and in the feeling of loss that all of us are experiencing this very moment.
And that’s a good thing…because it tells us that Bill really is the Crème de la crème…That Bill really has been set apart…
Now some of you may be thinking to yourself…Well that’s all fine and good for Bill. Bill never did some of the things that I’ve done. Bill never said the things that I’ve said or felt the way that I’ve felt.
To you I would say…maybe not…but maybe he has. You see only God knows the depths of our heart.
But even if that were true…God’s sanctifying grace defeats sin and roots it out at its source…and God forgives us of our sins…no matter how despicable you may think they are.
Romans 8:1 says that “there is no condemnation for those in Christ.”
God destroys the power of sin in us is by freeing us from that condemnation. If you’ll just allow it…the Holy Spirit will cut the chains that hold you to our old sins…and will set you free forever.
I heard a song the other day called Amazing Love…The first verse goes like this…
I’m forgiven, because you were forsaken
I’m accepted, you were condemned
And I’m alive and well, you’re spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again.
“there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Bill Wilcox is the Crème de la crème and he’s risen to the top.
He’s forgiven…he’s accepted…and he’s basking in the glory of God’s presence.
My prayer this morning is that we would all be the Crème de la crème…so that one day we can be reunited with Bill…and with all those who have been…set apart.
Let us pray: Let us Pray.
God of us all, Your love never ends…When all else fails, you still are God.
We lift up to you one another in our need and for all, anywhere, who mourn with us this day. To those who doubt, give light; To those who are weak, strength.
And we ask now that you would hear the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallow be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen
Please stand now as we come to a close and join together in singing Amazing Grace…
And now Receive the Benediction:
16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
Go now in God’s Peace…Amen.
