Graveside Service

Welcome and Opening Prayer

Eulogy

Philippians 3:7-11 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

This passage described Arami. He lived for Christ that by any means possible He would attain the resurrection from the dead.

Arami’s greatest desire was to honor the Name of Christ. He wanted to finish well.

And he did finish well. He fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith and glorified the name of Christ to the very end.

And now, as sad as we are, he is with the Lord. No more pain. No more tears. No more death.

He has traded all of those things for joy forevermore.

And here’s what God has promised to Arami for His great faith and perseverance in the Lord.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

As we bury Arami, we grieve. But not as those without hope.

We grieve knowing our brother is with the Lord, freed from all sin and death and the brokenness of this world.

And one day all of us who believe in Christ will see him again.

We will see our dear friend, brother, husband, father on the other side of glory, and in that sweet reunion we will celebrate the Lord and all of His grace for forgiving our sin and bringing us out of death and into eternal life.

Scripture Readings

Psalm 23.

1 Peter 1:3-5 or 3-10.

Psalm 91

Singing

Words of Committal

This day we recognized it has pleased Almighty God in His infinite wisdom and mercy to take to Himself the soul of our dear and beloved brother who has departed from this world to join the saints and the angels in Heaven to worship in the presence of God.

We, therefore, commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope that they will rise again to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What is sown perishable, will be raised imperishable. What is sown in weakness, will be raised in power. What is sown in dishonor, will be raised in glory on the Day when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead and make all things new. Where the former things will pass away, and we will dwell with God in heavenly glory forever and ever. Amen.

Doxology

Benediction

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Instructions

Funeral

Eulogy

My power is made perfect and weakness. Arami lived this.