Thursday, January 20, 2011
PASTOR SCOTT'S NOTES ~ UNCLE LARRY'S FUNERAL
Funeral: Uncle Larry Satterwhite
What do we say in a time like this? How do we respond in a time like this? I stand here today as a Pastor, a minister and I realize that you expect me to give some answers today. What now Scottie? How do you explain this?
It would be nice if we could just fit God in this tidy little box, wrapped up with a nice bow and say here is God, he makes perfect sense. We are all witnesses today that you can’t put God in a nice tidy box, stick a bow on it and put him under your tree. God’s ways are indescribable.
Often we look at the world and it just doesn’t make sense, we wonder what’s going on. Today, we obviously find ourselves in one of those moments. We could say, well he is not suffering anymore and that is true but the reality is my Uncle is still gone.
And so we ask the question “Where is God in all of this?” I believe with God, there are no questions that are out of bounds.
There are no easy answers but I do believe a few things. I do believe that God has not abandoned us. I do believe that in the midst of all the pain, God is still here. And I do believe that there is hope.
In John 11 we see sisters grieving over the sickness of their brother. There is nothing they can do. And so they do the only thing that makes sense, they call for Jesus.
When Jesus saw Mary weeping, He was troubled. Where have you laid him Jesus asked? Come and see Lord they replied. Then comes two of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible “Jesus Wept”. Jesus wept. and the words before it? Jesus was deeply troubled.
We have a God who weeps with us. We have a God who is deeply troubled that the world is the way it is. He is not a God who sits on a throne unattached and unmoved by our struggles. But, like he did with Mary and Martha, he sits with us in our darkest hour and weeps along side of us.
Every person in this room carries burdens. We all have days and even weeks that just don’t make sense. Some of us overcome them and some of us are overcome by them.
We also know that life is full of questions. Some of us find answers and some of us have questions that forever go unanswered. We all feel the sting of death today. This day reminds us of how fragile life really is.
Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.” Wait for God – He will come through at the appointed Time
Psalm 40:2 says, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” God will bring you through.
Psalm 40:3 says, “He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD.” We will again sing because of the victory that God has given us.
Psalm 40:4 says, “Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD, who have no confidence in the proud, or in those who worship idols.” We will again have joy.
Psalm 40:5 says, “O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” Psalm 40:8 says, “I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart." We will see the hand of the Lord in our life.
Psalm 40:6 says, “… Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand...”
God puts us in situations that we have to sit up and take notice. He has lessons for all of us to learn today.
"What is sadder than death?" It is what dies within a man while he is still alive. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
There are three things that can die in a person...
1. TOMORROW…
a) Keep your tomorrow alive.
b) Uncle Larry was fighting a battle, yet he kept tomorrow alive; he was able to spend time with Aunt Dianne and two of his sisters for Thanksgiving. He was able to have invaluable time with his family.
c) You have to have hope for tomorrow. Jesus gives us hope for tomorrow. Don’t let your tomorrow die.
2. TODAY…
a) Enjoy today, do all that you can today, don't let today die.
b) We are here now and if we allow ourselves grief can steal this day.
c) If I could make days last forever If words could make wishes come true I'd save every day like a treasure. But there never seems to be enough time To do the things you want to do Once you find them.
d) Look around; the family, the friends. Some you have not seen each other for some time, some of you will not be together for some time. These moments bring us together. Take that in…
i. James 4:14 says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Proverbs 27:1 reminds us: “Do not boast about tomorrow because we don’t know what a day will bring forth.”
One of these days I’m going to do this. I’ll tackle that later. But later never comes.
ii. This gives us reasons why we should never presume upon the future:
1) Life is unpredictable. We don’t even know what will happen today, much less next week or next year. The truth is that no one can predict the future.
2) Life is brief. Our lives are like a vapor. Life is too unpredictable and too brief to live it not knowing our final destiny. Today we are confronted with the stark reality of death and we have no choice but to think about serious questions: What do I believe? What are the important things in life? What do I believe about death – life after death? What place has God in my life? Do I believe that Jesus died on the cross FOR ME so that I may not fear death?
There is one sure thing that we have, today. The past is behind, the future ahead but we have the present. It is called the present because it is a gift.
3. Yesterday can die…
a) "Pastor, we are not supposed to live in yesterday." That's right, there is no future in the past, but we're not to forget yesterday.
b) Remember Uncle Larry, the conversations, the time we had with him. Even though he is no longer with us physically, he is a part of every single one of us, he is in our DNA.
c) Yesterday is the best teacher you will ever have. Learn from yesterday's mistakes, learn from yesterday's successes.
There are 4 types of people in the world…
1. People living in yesterday's memories.
2. People that are going to do it tomorrow.
3. People that are just existing today.
4. But fourth, there are people who are learning from yesterday, hoping for tomorrow, and giving all they've got today.
John 14:1-6 / 1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go, you know and the way you know…”
He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled”. That might seem a bit odd. It’s quite natural to be troubled by the death of a family member. Jesus was promising that there is something to fill the empty place left behind.
Then Jesus says to them: “believe in God, believe also in me”. He challenges us to turn to the living God with our sorrow and with our doubts and questions and fears about death. Jesus also says to trust in Him.
He says that He is… Jehovah-Shamma (He is Present, right now)
He is… Jehovah-Jireh (Our Provider)
He is… Jehova-Shalom (Our Peace)
He is… Jehovah-Rapha (Healer)
He’s not just a way, a truth, a life. He is THE way, THE truth, THE life. What will we do with Him? What will we take from this day?
Illustration: A Dad was busy watching an important football game. His little girl kept bothering him to go get a treat at the corner store. Finally, frustrated at her, he reached over and picked up a magazine and quickly thumbing through it found a picture of the world.
Taking his scissors, he cut the picture out, then cut it into a number of much smaller pieces. Handing the pieces to the little girl, along with a roll of scotch tape he said “put this together, and when you have it looking like the world again, I promise you we’ll go get that candy bar.” Thinking he had pulled a fast one and could watch the rest of the game in peace, he sat back down and got absorbed. After about seven or eight minutes the little girl came back in holding up a picture of the world all taped back together nice and neat.
He couldn’t believe it! (HOW?) “Well daddy, I noticed on the back of the picture when you were cutting it up there was a picture of Jesus being put onto the cross. And when I put Him in the right place, the world all came back together. As he turned off the TV and he and his little girl headed out the door, he recalled those words – “when you put Jesus in the right place, the world all comes back together.”
(PRAYER – Tammy’s Letter – “Butterfly Kisses”)
*Graveside
Final Words
In 2nd Corinthians – we see that Paul writing about a “thorn in the flesh” that he was having that wouldn’t go away. Paul says that he prayed three times – imploring God to take it away.
God’s only answer was “my grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
God’s promise to Paul is the same promise that we have today – “God’s grace is sufficient for you, His strength is made perfect in weakness.”
He knows your heart, even in grief and sorrow, He hears.
It’s been said that death ends the physical but never the spiritual. Death may be the end of a body, but it can never end the relationship. FAMILY BEING TOGETHER – THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT – MAKING THINGS RIGHT!
What do we say in a time like this? How do we respond in a time like this? I stand here today as a Pastor, a minister and I realize that you expect me to give some answers today. What now Scottie? How do you explain this?
It would be nice if we could just fit God in this tidy little box, wrapped up with a nice bow and say here is God, he makes perfect sense. We are all witnesses today that you can’t put God in a nice tidy box, stick a bow on it and put him under your tree. God’s ways are indescribable.
Often we look at the world and it just doesn’t make sense, we wonder what’s going on. Today, we obviously find ourselves in one of those moments. We could say, well he is not suffering anymore and that is true but the reality is my Uncle is still gone.
And so we ask the question “Where is God in all of this?” I believe with God, there are no questions that are out of bounds.
There are no easy answers but I do believe a few things. I do believe that God has not abandoned us. I do believe that in the midst of all the pain, God is still here. And I do believe that there is hope.
In John 11 we see sisters grieving over the sickness of their brother. There is nothing they can do. And so they do the only thing that makes sense, they call for Jesus.
When Jesus saw Mary weeping, He was troubled. Where have you laid him Jesus asked? Come and see Lord they replied. Then comes two of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible “Jesus Wept”. Jesus wept. and the words before it? Jesus was deeply troubled.
We have a God who weeps with us. We have a God who is deeply troubled that the world is the way it is. He is not a God who sits on a throne unattached and unmoved by our struggles. But, like he did with Mary and Martha, he sits with us in our darkest hour and weeps along side of us.
Every person in this room carries burdens. We all have days and even weeks that just don’t make sense. Some of us overcome them and some of us are overcome by them.
We also know that life is full of questions. Some of us find answers and some of us have questions that forever go unanswered. We all feel the sting of death today. This day reminds us of how fragile life really is.
Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.” Wait for God – He will come through at the appointed Time
Psalm 40:2 says, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” God will bring you through.
Psalm 40:3 says, “He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD.” We will again sing because of the victory that God has given us.
Psalm 40:4 says, “Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD, who have no confidence in the proud, or in those who worship idols.” We will again have joy.
Psalm 40:5 says, “O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” Psalm 40:8 says, “I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart." We will see the hand of the Lord in our life.
Psalm 40:6 says, “… Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand...”
God puts us in situations that we have to sit up and take notice. He has lessons for all of us to learn today.
"What is sadder than death?" It is what dies within a man while he is still alive. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
There are three things that can die in a person...
1. TOMORROW…
a) Keep your tomorrow alive.
b) Uncle Larry was fighting a battle, yet he kept tomorrow alive; he was able to spend time with Aunt Dianne and two of his sisters for Thanksgiving. He was able to have invaluable time with his family.
c) You have to have hope for tomorrow. Jesus gives us hope for tomorrow. Don’t let your tomorrow die.
2. TODAY…
a) Enjoy today, do all that you can today, don't let today die.
b) We are here now and if we allow ourselves grief can steal this day.
c) If I could make days last forever If words could make wishes come true I'd save every day like a treasure. But there never seems to be enough time To do the things you want to do Once you find them.
d) Look around; the family, the friends. Some you have not seen each other for some time, some of you will not be together for some time. These moments bring us together. Take that in…
i. James 4:14 says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Proverbs 27:1 reminds us: “Do not boast about tomorrow because we don’t know what a day will bring forth.”
One of these days I’m going to do this. I’ll tackle that later. But later never comes.
ii. This gives us reasons why we should never presume upon the future:
1) Life is unpredictable. We don’t even know what will happen today, much less next week or next year. The truth is that no one can predict the future.
2) Life is brief. Our lives are like a vapor. Life is too unpredictable and too brief to live it not knowing our final destiny. Today we are confronted with the stark reality of death and we have no choice but to think about serious questions: What do I believe? What are the important things in life? What do I believe about death – life after death? What place has God in my life? Do I believe that Jesus died on the cross FOR ME so that I may not fear death?
There is one sure thing that we have, today. The past is behind, the future ahead but we have the present. It is called the present because it is a gift.
3. Yesterday can die…
a) "Pastor, we are not supposed to live in yesterday." That's right, there is no future in the past, but we're not to forget yesterday.
b) Remember Uncle Larry, the conversations, the time we had with him. Even though he is no longer with us physically, he is a part of every single one of us, he is in our DNA.
c) Yesterday is the best teacher you will ever have. Learn from yesterday's mistakes, learn from yesterday's successes.
There are 4 types of people in the world…
1. People living in yesterday's memories.
2. People that are going to do it tomorrow.
3. People that are just existing today.
4. But fourth, there are people who are learning from yesterday, hoping for tomorrow, and giving all they've got today.
John 14:1-6 / 1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go, you know and the way you know…”
He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled”. That might seem a bit odd. It’s quite natural to be troubled by the death of a family member. Jesus was promising that there is something to fill the empty place left behind.
Then Jesus says to them: “believe in God, believe also in me”. He challenges us to turn to the living God with our sorrow and with our doubts and questions and fears about death. Jesus also says to trust in Him.
He says that He is… Jehovah-Shamma (He is Present, right now)
He is… Jehovah-Jireh (Our Provider)
He is… Jehova-Shalom (Our Peace)
He is… Jehovah-Rapha (Healer)
He’s not just a way, a truth, a life. He is THE way, THE truth, THE life. What will we do with Him? What will we take from this day?
Illustration: A Dad was busy watching an important football game. His little girl kept bothering him to go get a treat at the corner store. Finally, frustrated at her, he reached over and picked up a magazine and quickly thumbing through it found a picture of the world.
Taking his scissors, he cut the picture out, then cut it into a number of much smaller pieces. Handing the pieces to the little girl, along with a roll of scotch tape he said “put this together, and when you have it looking like the world again, I promise you we’ll go get that candy bar.” Thinking he had pulled a fast one and could watch the rest of the game in peace, he sat back down and got absorbed. After about seven or eight minutes the little girl came back in holding up a picture of the world all taped back together nice and neat.
He couldn’t believe it! (HOW?) “Well daddy, I noticed on the back of the picture when you were cutting it up there was a picture of Jesus being put onto the cross. And when I put Him in the right place, the world all came back together. As he turned off the TV and he and his little girl headed out the door, he recalled those words – “when you put Jesus in the right place, the world all comes back together.”
(PRAYER – Tammy’s Letter – “Butterfly Kisses”)
*Graveside
Final Words
In 2nd Corinthians – we see that Paul writing about a “thorn in the flesh” that he was having that wouldn’t go away. Paul says that he prayed three times – imploring God to take it away.
God’s only answer was “my grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
God’s promise to Paul is the same promise that we have today – “God’s grace is sufficient for you, His strength is made perfect in weakness.”
He knows your heart, even in grief and sorrow, He hears.
It’s been said that death ends the physical but never the spiritual. Death may be the end of a body, but it can never end the relationship. FAMILY BEING TOGETHER – THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT – MAKING THINGS RIGHT!
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