Did you heal that man with leprosy? Just to show us all,
that there is a larger plan.
We should follow or we’ll fall.
Did you tire Lord of Miracles? Just to prove to man.
That you were the Son of God, who gives life upon this land.
Did you walk across the water, Lord? Just to prove to me.
That you can always be there, in my hour of need.
We Weep with Hope
We weep today, but we weep not as those who have no hope. We acknowledge that it is all right to cry. It is OK to acknowledge that we have sorrow at Phyllis and Brandon’s death, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Death and the grave are not the end for the Christian. Jesus himself wept beside the grave of his friend Lazarus, and so we know it is good to express our grief and not to keep it deep down inside of us. We acknowledge that we grieve because life will be different without them. But we shall be able to face life and go on, because we have the presence of God with us. We acknowledge that although they are no longer with us, they are present with God where there is no suffering or pain. Our God’s love is unconditional and knows the whys of such acts far better than we and forgives all. God knew Phyllis’ detached state and forgives her.
Peace of Christ
We come also to thank God today for the assurance of peace which we have from Christ. Today we rest on the promise of life eternal through Christ. Our great sorrow is to be separated from Phyllis and Brandon, but we have the assurance today that through the grace of God they dwell in that marvelous eternal realm with him. As we lean upon God in faith, we know that one day we shall join them in the eternal realm where there is no hurt or sorrow but only peace.
Death as a New Beginning
Last, we thank God that death is not the end but a new beginning. The flowers present today are a sign of the love and devotion of friends and family. But they also symbolize for us the resurrection garden on Easter Day when Jesus Christ himself rose from the grave. They give to us an assurance that death is not the end but a doorway that opens from this life to a new life, where the spiritual person is with God. Jesus said, “I have gone to prepare a place for you.” He has gone to prepare that place for Phyllis and Brandon. They are there with God where they will dwell eternally in the home which he has made. We, of course, shall miss them, but today we rest with the assurance that they are with Christ and dwell eternally with him without pain and suffering. Each of us one day shall join them. Jesus said, “Because I live, you shall live also.”
Look to the butterfly for a lesson on the transformation of life. For awhile the life of the humble caterpillar is restricted to crawling on a green leaf on a tree in the woods. All it knows of life is limited to that world. But one day, some stirrings within cause the caterpillar to enter a cocoon, and shortly it emerges, transformed into a beautiful, elegant butterfly with wings. It is no longer limited to the territory of the green leaf but can soar above the trees and world around it. Like the caterpillar, death takes us through a process of transformation where we are no longer limited by our earthy existence but enter into a new creation into the heavenly home which God has prepared for us. Death is a birthing from our earthly life into our spiritual existence.
It is a birthing from this life to the spiritual life. There we meet God, our loving Father, who awaits us to give us a new and abundant life that is beyond our imagination. Death is a birthing from this life to the eternal life. Today we affirm our hope and assurance in life everlasting. For us as Christians, death is a birth from this world to the next. May God give us the sense to know that his presence and assurance are with us today and in the weeks ahead.
Eternal Father, bind up the broken hearts today with the balm of your presence. Draw Clarence, Rose, John, and Guy and other family members and friends close to yourself and may they sense your shepherding care and presence in the days ahead. May the memories of the good life with Phyllis and Brandon and the assurance of life everlasting give to each of us in this hour comfort and assurance. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
4: A Homily
for
Lola Harvey
(A Heart Condition)
Easter Season
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Job 1:21 (NRSV)
This morning we have gathered to pay tribute to a departed loved one, Lola Harvey. We have gathered to express our grief and to sense the supportive, loving presence of God. We acknowledge our sadness but celebrate the gift of her life. We acknowledge that our grief and pain are real, but we also affirm our faith and hope in life everlasting and in the goodness of God. Job wrote, centuries ago, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Let’s see if we can draw some comfort from this text.
The Lord Gave/Gift
All life is a gift. We acknowledge that everything that we have comes to us as a gift from God. God is a loving creator. God has given us life as the most wondrous gift. We pause today to thank God for the years that we have shared with Lola, for the joys, hopes and blessings. We know that she loved life and rejoiced in it. But life is always brief, even at its longest and to see Lola’s candle extinguish so quickly has been difficult.
The Gift of Happiness
Family and friends focus today upon the many years of happiness they shared with Lola. Friends and family spoke about her sense of serenity, peace, and contentment. She was a strong person, but a giving person who was always reaching out to others. She expressed her gift of life through love. She was a loving wife. She and Wilson shared sixty-six years of marriage together. She was not only his wife but soul mate and best friend. There was an absolute trust between them. She was a supportive and a loving wife in the finest sense of that word.
She was also a loving mother. She made her home a place where not only her children felt comfortable and loved but so did their friends. It was a place their friends wanted to come after school and games. She was always there for her family. She took care of them with love and devotion. Her grandchildren were a great delight in her life. She loved them and expressed it in so many ways.
Lola was also a caring person. Those who knew her well always saw her as a tender person, concerned for others and their problems. She was also always doing for others. She was completely unselfish and supportive of all of her family. Her sisters said she had been like a second mother to them. She was a great influence on all of her family. Her sisters said she may have been the smallest in size but she was the biggest in influence.
She welcomed everybody into her home. She was always willing to stretch out her hand and her food at mealtimes to include others. She loved her church and was always there for Sunday School, worship and on Wednesday night. You knew how supportive she was of her church by her faithfulness in attendance. She lived her faith by her action and faithfulness.
In one of Lola’s devotional books she had included a leaflet entitled “Life’s Little Instructions.” Let me read some selections from that which are certainly symbolic of her attitude toward life and which I think greatly influenced her:
“Compliment three people everyday.”
“Watch a sunrise once a year.”
“Treat everyone you meet as you want to be treated.”
“Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.”
“Become the most positive, enthusiastic person you know.”
“Be forgiving of yourself and others.”
“Say thank you a lot.”
“Rekindle old friendships.”
“Be the first to say hello.”
“Make new friends but cherish the old ones.”
“Be there when people