This past weekend, I went to Kingwood, West Virginia for a funeral service for my wife's grandmother Sally Phipps. This would be John Ervin's mother or better known to me as "Grandma Sally". I had the privilege of taking part in the service by giving a eulogy and reading Scripture. The Pastor who officiated the service was very gracious to share the service with me which he didn't have to do. He certainly was capable of handling the service and did a tremendous job of preaching the gospel. He spoke of the comforts that come from God's Word during our time of grieving. A couple of thoughts that he emphasized were:
- the comfort of knowing that we have a Sovereign God who is over and in all things. Reminding us that Grandma Sally's passing was not outside of our Heavenly Father's particular love and care for our family.
- the comfort of the gospel. The good news of Jesus' saving work on the cross brings hope to us in our time of grieving. We do grieve the loss, but not as if there is no hope. Our hope is in Christ whose death and resurrection guarantees life everlasting for those who trust and rest in Him.
And he ended the service by quoting the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism which says, "What is thy only comfort in life and death?"
And the answer: "That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him".
As you can tell, it was a beautiful service and I was blessed to be along side of Pastor Mike Argabrite of Grace Chapel Baptist Church. All of the people of this church were such a blessing as they served our family a funeral dinner and encouraged us with their love and grace. Once again, it was a beautiful display of the body of Christ caring for its own! So, whether in Warren, Ohio with my home church or 4 hours away in Kingwood, West Virginia, God displays His love and kindness through His people. Praise the Lord!
