Celebration of Life Service Mary Ann Lindsey
Funeral • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewThis is a celebration of Life Service for Mary Ann Lindsey
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Transcript
Welcome and Scripture and Prayer
On behalf of the family of Mary Ann Lindsey, we would like to welcome you to this celebration of life service for her.
My name is Pastor Rick Schwartz from First Missionary Church in Berne, and it is my honor to help lead this service.
As we begin, I want to draw our attention to God first help those of us who are grieving.
and just a reminder that the Bible is filled with images of grief—we see many characters who follow God, and grieved.
King David said, Psalm 31:9
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.
Some of you feel that today. The character Job in the OT---expressed his grief like this…and yet didn’t sin.
Job 1:20 (NIV)
20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.
The Bible even says Jesus Christ the Son of God wept in John 11 at his friend Lazarus’ death…and it wasn’t sinful.
many of us can relate to these characters today… and the Bible encourages us to pour out our grief and emotion to God—to process it before Him.
So I want to draw your attention to God’s comfort...
because God encourages us to pour out our souls and grief to Him and as we do — He pours out his comfort.
Isaiah 49:13 (NIV)
For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
So let’s turn to God asking Him to comfort us.
(Pray)
Anyone sharing?
I want to spend a little time this afternoon, focusing on Mary Ann’s Life, honoring her, remembering her...
and also thinking about what the Bible says about life and death and the hope we can have in Jesus Christ.
Eulogy
On Tuesday April 25 at approximately 1:20pm, Mary Ann took her last breath on this earth, and took her next breath in the presence of Almighty God. She closed her eyes on this earth, and opened them in God’s Presence.
It is a journey that all of us will take someday.
We try not to think of it…b/c it makes us all uncomfortable, but it is a day we all will face, and we don’t know what day or hour we will breathe our last on this earth.
and so we all have to be prepared and ready b/c this life goes so quickly. You blink and it’s gone.
and so the words I share today is not my wisdom—ultimately these words will come from God’s Word, and I want to share them by also thinking about Mary Ann’s life, too and some of the things she loved.
3 Images she was known for—that also remind us of what God’s eternal Word says and the hope we can have in Christ.
Message
Image 1: The Garden.
Mary Ann was raised on a dairy farm and was no stranger to farm life, hard work, outdoor life. This continued as her son Aaron and her husband David—dragged her around to various tractor shows all over the United States (and I think she enjoyed them too), and she was also known for gardening. Helping the family garden even these last few years as her health was declining. Being a part of family sweet corn day, where they would form a production line and prepare it.
She had a green thumb.
That image of a Garden is actually very helpful as we think about Scripture.
In fact, Scripture says that the first people that God created—Adam and Eve—were placed in the Garden of Eden, and were put there to work—to garden—work is a form of worshipping God—and also to know God and image Him. and be under Him. It was really paradise on earth. I imagine there were no weeds to pull. perfect production. perfectly straight rows—incredible yields…probably didn’t even need tractors....
and most of all they had a perfect relationship with God, each other, the world. It was paradise—in a garden!
but that image of the perfect Garden changed quickly. God had told Adam and Eve that they may eat from every tree except one or they will die—and Satan, he tempted Adam and Eve and said, “Did God really say you must not eat of it...” “God’s holding out on you.”
and so Adam and Eve in that moment—crossed out God’s authority—and put themselves in God’s place. and ate from the tree.
and from that moment on it—the Bible calls that sin—whenever you and I live as if we think we know best rather than God—there are consequences in this world, thorns and thistles in the garden...
broken relationships…with God, each other
wars, famine, tornados...
everything is broken.
and one of the worst consequences, the reason we are here today is death. Death is an enemy here b/c of sin.
because of sin, God said they will die.
and so because of that moment in the Garden—we actually have the potential to face 2 different deaths:
physical death (which we all face)
but also worse than that is a spiritual death—that if we die without knowing God and surrendering to Jesus Christ, we will face eternal separate from Him for eternity.
The Bible says very clearly the wages of sin is death.
death exists today b/c sin exists.
and this makes sense really—b/c if God is the author of life—if we reject God—what do we get? death
if God is light—leading us—if we turn our backs on death—we get darkness
if God is beauty—if we turn our backs on him—we get ugliness of life.
if God is peace—if we turn our backs on him—we get chaos and anxiety.
even in this life—I think we experience this. whenever you and I try to live as if we are god rather than He is god—we experience a kind of darkness, a kind ugliness, a kind of chaos and anxiety.
if you are here living your life as if you are in charge and calling the shots—I would guess if you are honest—life is still not perfect. it can lead to a lot of chaos. and you may be chasing after all sorts of things—money, or a romance, or power—the American dream—all those things may look nice—but we were made to know God—to live in relationship with God—when we do—everything else falls into place.
so we deserve this death—the 1st (physical) and 2nd (spiritual). and we deserve God’s justice b/c He made us.
but there’s good news.
the good news is that God sent Jesus Christ, the Bible calls him the 2nd Adam—who unlike Adam—never sinned. amazing.
and unlike Adam—he came on a mission to live the life we failed to live
and die the death you and i deserve on the cross.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus didn’t deserve that death—we did.
but he lovingly, willingly took the penalty for our sin.
the Bible says this was not easy for Jesus.
where Adam failed in the original Garden—Jesus succeeded in a different garden.
we read that Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane—right before he would be arrested and go to the cross—knew that He would be bearing the weight of sin in our place—and cried out to God.
but Jesus went, and stayed and died for you and your and me. b/c of his love for us.
and it gets better—he rose 3 days later—and appeared to the first witnesses in a Garden!
and the good news of all of this—is that if we:
admit our sin to God—admit we need a Savior
believe that Jesus Christ paid for it, earned it
confess that He is Lord of our lives—we will be saved. things will be set right in our life.
that’s the heart of this salvation—and it totally changes and re-orients our lives.
I will talk in a moment about this some more…but I want to go to the 2nd image in her life.
if the first is gardening…the 2nd is quiet…a quiet life. a simple life. a steady life. she was steady, faithful, caring...
Image 2: Quiet Life...
11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,
12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
I think these verses summarize her life well. She was quiet, simple—a person who didn’t wear make-up but left a big impact.
how do you have that kind of quiet life…minding your own business…working steadily, faithfully.
winning the respect of outsiders..
b/c we are not good at that as a culture---we want to be loud—and we always posting online “notice me” and “what I am doing..”
how do we have this kind of quiet, faithful life honors God.
and I think that people who honor God don’t want the spotlight—they do make an impact b/c they are not worried about impressing others but faithfully serving...
the answer comes through what I talked about...
if you: ABC’s
admit your need for God— “God I have made a mess of life running it—and I have offended you…I am sorry...” “That’s sin...”
believe in Jesus Christ—that he made a way for you to be right with God through his life, death on the cross, and resurrection
Confess…or surrender— “Lord I want you to be in charge...”
Those can be scary things to pray...
The Bible says you are a new creation.
It’s like you get a new heart—operating at the center of your life.
and that will give you peace so you can live a quiet life…takes you off the throne of your life.
and interestingly often that quiet, faithful, steady, consistent life—those are the lives that make a big difference...
that truly impact people for eternity...
Jesus faithfully served.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
the 3rd
Image 3: Writing everything down...
Mary Ann was known for writing everything down. It’s like she could remember everything.
She was known for sending cards...
and known for sending the right gift...
but this image of writing things down is often found in Scripture.
The Bible says that one day we will all stand before God and face his judgment.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
judged according to what we had done??
That’s scary! terrifying! b/c there are so many bad things I have done and failed to do.
and I deserve his judgment.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
if we are judged according to our works—that day will be terrifying.
but the Bible also describes hope—it talks about a book of life.
if we have placed our trust in Jesus—our names are in that book of life. and we are judged according to Jesus’ works—his life, his death that paid it all, his resurrection. and we will be welcomed into God’s kingdom in heaven forever.
and it’s not just future—you surrender now—it makes all the difference NOW.
you get God’s guidance the Holy Spirit and power
you get a new family
you get a relationship with Jesus
you get purpose and mission.
your addictions and chains can be broken...
This is good news. and you can’t earn it
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
and you will be with Jesus now and forever.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus has taken care of our sin problem, and thus our death problem.
I want to give you a chance to think...
pray...
Music — Amazing Grace
Committal Service
As we gather here at the grave site today, just a few reminders:
We are reminded that Mary Ann is not here—her body is here—but when she died, when you and I die someday, we are immediately in the presence of God. 2 Corinthians 5:8 mentions that to be away from the body is to be home with the Lord. This gravesite reminds us that her body is here—but her soul is now with Jesus.
even though today is hard for us, for Mary Ann it is better. why? The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:21
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
and he goes on to say Philippians 1:23
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
for the Christian, our death is gain because we get to be with Christ, experiencing him and his presence fully.
3. One day, Mary Ann and all believers will get a new resurrection body. a resurrection body like Jesus’ that won’t get sick, or decay, or age, or ever die again. and the reason we know this is because 1 Corinthians 15 talks about this.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Christ is the firstfruits, that is a farming word—the first of the crops, meaning more is to come.
His path of resurrection is what all of us will experience if we know and surrender to Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 describes this resurrection body
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
we believe that we will get our new resurrection body when Jesus Christ returns, sets up his kingdom, and fully defeats all evil, sin, and death.
so today if you know Jesus, today is more of a see ya later to Mary Ann rather than a final goodbye.
4. All of us have a choice on how we will live our life now—is it going to be about us and our kingdom, or about Jesus and his kingdom. If we follow our own way—that leads to death, chaos, and destruction. lost in our sin. but if we surrender to Jesus and His way—it gives brings life, joy, peace, a relationship with God.
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
let’s pray.