Eulogy for a Content Christian Woman

Introduction

It won’t surprise you, I’m sure, to know that most of what we’re doing today was under _______’s clear direction. I regularly encourage people to write down what they’d like to have happen at their funeral and she’s one of the few people who have actually done it. So the hymns, some of the prayers, the psalm and the Bible reading were all her choices. I ask people to do this so I have an idea what they’d like me to preach on when the day finally comes. And what a great passage _______ has chosen for us today... keep reading with free account

Scripture Reading

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" If there’s one thing you’d have to say about _______ , over the years I’ve known her at least, it’s that she’s been content. But where did that contentment come from? Let me suggest that the passage she’s asked me to preach on gives us the answer. Jesus promised that whoever comes to him will never be hungry, never be thirsty. Those who come to Jesus have their heart’s hunger satisfied, their soul’s thirst quenched. I’m certain that part of that contentment came from the fact that she fed on God’s word day after day... keep reading with free account

Faith and Assurance

And I’m equally certain that _______’s contentment came for the sure and certain knowledge that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, that he died and rose again so she could have eternal life and that he’d promised that he would lose none of those God had given him. This is what we just read: "This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day..."

Looking Forward

There’s something special about meeting someone who knows they have only a short time left on earth and who’s actually looking forward to the end, to the day when Christ will raise them up to be with God in eternity. Most people who fear the end are really fearing the unknown. But not _______. She knew what was awaiting her. She was content with life as it was, but she longed for the day when she’d go to be with her Lord. Hers was a deep and grounded faith in Jesus Christ... keep reading with free account

Spiritual Growth

As I said she was one of the most godly people I’ve come across, yet it’s interesting how _______ perceived her spiritual growth. If you were listening carefully to the final part of the eulogy, you may have noticed that it wasn’t until later in life that _______ began to explore and understand God’s word at any depth. I think there’s both a warning and an encouragement for us here. The warning is that unless we seek out God’s word we’ll miss out on the depths of knowing God that we could have had. But the encouragement is that it’s never too late to start. She realized as never before that the Bible is God’s message to us; from it she learned the real significance of Jesus life and death – that altered her whole attitude to life... keep reading with free account

Commitment to Learning

You know, she may only have started studying the Bible in depth later in life but that didn’t stop her making the most of the time left to her. There may be some here who were part of one of _______’s Bible study groups. I’m sure you’d agree that the depth of her learning was amazing. I remember visiting her only a few years ago. She’d just started on Genesis and she had a long list of questions for me to answer before she led the next Bible Study. And they were the sort of deep questions you might expect from a theological student - which is just what she was, of course, even in her later years. And I had a great time that afternoon working through answers with her to all those questions... keep reading with free account

The Bread of Life

When Jesus says "I am the Bread of Life" he is of course speaking as the Word of God made flesh. And it was as _______ was fed on the word of God that she grew in her spiritual maturity, into a Christian woman of great stature. She loved it when I or one of the other preachers dealt with a text that she hadn’t heard preached on before. She’d always come up to me after a service and thank me for opening yet another part of God’s word for her. I know she was very encouraging to the students we’ve had here from time to time. She was also very encouraging of our youth and children’s ministries. In fact when... keep reading with free account

Eulogy for a Content Christian Woman

Introduction

It won’t surprise you, I’m sure, to know that most of what we’re doing today was under _______’s clear direction. I regularly encourage people to write down what they’d like to have happen at their funeral and she’s one of the few people who have actually done it. So the hymns, some of the prayers, the psalm and the Bible reading were all her choices. I ask people to do this so I have an idea what they’d like me to preach on when the day finally comes. And what a great passage _______ has chosen for us today.

Scripture Reading

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" If there’s one thing you’d have to say about _______ , over the years I’ve known her at least, it’s that she’s been content. But where did that contentment come from? Let me suggest that the passage she’s asked me to preach on gives us the answer. Jesus promised that whoever comes to him will never be hungry, never be thirsty. Those who come to Jesus have their heart’s hunger satisfied, their soul’s thirst quenched. I’m certain that part of that contentment came from the fact that she fed on God’s word day after day.

Faith and Assurance

And I’m equally certain that _______’s contentment came for the sure and certain knowledge that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, that he died and rose again so she could have eternal life and that he’d promised that he would lose none of those God had given him. This is what we just read: "This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

Looking Forward

There’s something special about meeting someone who knows they have only a short time left on earth and who’s actually looking forward to the end, to the day when Christ will raise them up to be with God in eternity. Most people who fear the end are really fearing the unknown. But not _______. She knew what was awaiting her. She was content with life as it was, but she longed for the day when she’d go to be with her Lord. Hers was a deep and grounded faith in Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Growth

As I said she was one of the most godly people I’ve come across, yet it’s interesting how _______ perceived her spiritual growth. If you were listening carefully to the final part of the eulogy, you may have noticed that it wasn’t until later in life that _______ began to explore and understand God’s word at any depth. I think there’s both a warning and an encouragement for us here. The warning is that unless we seek out God’s word we’ll miss out on the depths of knowing God that we could have had. But the encouragement is that it’s never too late to start. She realized as never before that the Bible is God’s message to us; from it she learned the real significance of Jesus life and death – that altered her whole attitude to life.

Commitment to Learning

You know, she may only have started studying the Bible in depth later in life but that didn’t stop her making the most of the time left to her. There may be some here who were part of one of _______’s Bible study groups. I’m sure you’d agree that the depth of her learning was amazing. I remember visiting her only a few years ago. She’d just started on Genesis and she had a long list of questions for me to answer before she led the next Bible Study. And they were the sort of deep questions you might expect from a theological student - which is just what she was, of course, even in her later years. And I had a great time that afternoon working through answers with her to all those questions.

The Bread of Life

When Jesus says "I am the Bread of Life" he is of course speaking as the Word of God made flesh. And it was as _______ was fed on the word of God that she grew in her spiritual maturity, into a Christian woman of great stature. She loved it when I or one of the other preachers dealt with a text that she hadn’t heard preached on before. She’d always come up to me after a service and thank me for opening yet another part of God’s word for her. I know she was very encouraging to the students we’ve had here from time to time. She was also very encouraging of our youth and children’s ministries. In fact when we first raised some money to fund a part time youth minister it was _______ and her long term friend who made the first commitment to support him.

A Service of Praise

Well, now _______ has joined her but we were told that this wasn’t to be a sad service. The exact instructions were that this was to be a service of praise and thanksgiving to God for his mercy and his love. And what better way to be encouraged to praise and thanksgiving than to be reading these words of Jesus: "This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day." _______ was a firm believer in Jesus Christ, God’s son. She had no doubt about the saving power of his death and resurrection. She loved reading his word. She was a prayer warrior who always followed up on people she’d been praying for. And now all that remains for her is to be raised up to God in heaven where, in the words of Paul to Timothy, there’s reserved for her the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give her on that day, and not only to her but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Conclusion

I know there are many here today who will miss _______’s quiet faith and her deep love. She was one of those people you feel privileged to have known. But I hope everyone of you here today will go away with the Scripture passage she chose to be read and preached on fixed in your minds. "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ ... ‘This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’" Make sure you’re one of those who can say, like _______, that you believe in Jesus Christ as God’s only son our Lord.