George E. Jackson Funeral

Processional

Psalm 91:9-15 New International Version 9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

John 11:25-26

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?”

Words of Comfort

Shall we pray?

Lord of Heaven and Creator of all things, we thank you for the gift of life. Not only for the gift of life here on earth, but also the promise of eternal life that comes only through Jesus, Your Son. You are the Lord and we thank You for Your watched care over each and every one of us.

We pray for our time together this morning during this service. We pray that it would be honoring to you and honoring to George Jackson. We ask for Your comfort, for Your peace, and for Your presence with us.

Thank you, Lord, for Your promise never to leave us or forsake us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Message: “Come Home in the Faith”

Family and friends, I want to welcome you here today to this special service in memory and in celebration of the life of George Jackson. We gather here, no doubt with many mixed feelings…feelings of sadness and sorrow over the loss of a family member and a friend. But also, we gather here today with feelings of joy, knowing that George is, today, with his God in paradise.

I hope to share with you this morning, as some of you have already shared, some very special snapshots of who George Jackson was, and is to me—as well as share with you a little bit about his Jesus, whom he loved so much.

I liked George Jackson.

I liked being in his company.

I liked listening to his stories about his coin he received from the AA program.

I liked his humor.

I liked talking with him.

I liked the man.

He was a faithful Deacon of Monroe Street Christian Church.

He was a doorkeeper and responsible for cleaning the Monroe Street Christian Church with his buddy Mr. Crawford.

He was a mentor for my son and encourager for so many.

George did love Jesus. George also loved the Word of God. I mentioned earlier that we gather here with a great mix of emotions. George knew that would be the case.

One passage of Scripture that

I wanted to mention specifically is found in John 16. In this passage, Jesus knows that his time to die is coming soon. He is preparing his followers for his death. He says these words:

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. (John 16:22)

Jesus mentions that for a little while, there will be grief. And that is OK. But grief cannot, and should not, last forever. He reminds you that joy will come.

In I Thessalonians 4:13, we hear these words:

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep (who pass away), or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

We grieve today, but we grieve remembering that George Jackson loved Jesus. That he had a relationship with him. And because of that, he had hope. Therefore, we do not grieve like those who have no hope…we grieve knowing that in Jesus, there is great hope!

Psalm 23…. This most famous passage of Scripture has given hope and comfort to countless numbers of people who are facing grief, trials, pain, and hardship. No doubt, Rickey, in his final days here on this earth looked to this Psalm for comfort…and we do the same today.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

King David, the writer of this Psalm, we often think of as a mighty warrior…a mighty king. And he was those things. He killed the giant Goliath. He had a band of mighty warriors that followed him around and protected him. David killed lions and bears with his own hands. And considering all these things, the words of the 23rd Psalm sound like the words of a man who was lost.

And David had lost many things that led to the writing of this Psalm. He had lost his kingdom; his family; his home; and his peace. And so he is looking for comfort. As are we today…at the loss of our friend.

Who does King David, the mighty warrior turn to? God. His shepherd.

First, it’s a shadow. We walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Why is it only a shadow?

Because Jesus, our shepherd, has conquered death once for all. Thus, all that remains of death, is a shadow.

And just like the shadow of a snake cannot bite you, or the shadow of a sword cannot cut you…the shadow of death does not bring fear to those who follow the shepherd.

And who better to lead us through the shadow than Jesus—who himself conquered it?

Notice too that we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. We are just passing through it. We won’t be lost in it forever.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Do you remember how just a few verses ago, David was walking through the valley of the shadow of death? Now he is the guest of honor at a great banquet.

Paul Harvey once said these words, “All this, and heaven too!” That is what David is thinking. He is the guest of honor at the Lord’s table, his cup overflows, and the food is abundant.

And not only that, goodness and love will follow him forever and he will get to dwell in the house of the LORD forever. All this, and heaven too!

No wonder David penned these famous words…and there is no wonder that George Jackson found comfort in them in the final day of his life…and there is no wonder that we find comfort in them today.

George Jackson, like David, has a great shepherd who protects, and provides, and cares for him. That shepherd made him lie down in green pastures and drink deeply of the quiet waters. That shepherd led him through the valley of the shadow (and it was just a shadow!) of death. He found great comfort in his rod and his staff…and now, he has a place in the very presence of God, where his cup will never run out, where goodness and mercy will follow him, and where he will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!

What a great shepherd!

George Jackson found great comfort in the Good Shepherd Jesus…and I pray that we do as well today. The words that were true for King David were true for George…and they can be true for us today as well.

Closing Prayer/Benediction:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank You and praise You for being our Good Shepherd. We thank You that You protect us, lead us, provide for us, and comfort us. As Your sheep, may we cling close to You in these days.

We thank You and celebrate today the life of George…he loved You so much. His faith has challenged and inspired us. May Your rod and Your staff comfort us today and in the coming days. May we be reminded of Your presence and Your love. “May the Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.... Now unto our God Father be glory for ever and ever. AMEN.”