Sermon Tone Analysis

Walk-in Song - How Great Thou Art (Alan Jackson)

Welcome and Prayer

I want to welcome you here this morning as we both remember and celebrate the life of Steve Nellis as he has gone home to be with his Heavenly Father.

As we begin our service, let us go to the father in prayer.

Heavenly Father we thank you for this day that you have given us, to gather and remember and celebrate the life of Steve Nellis.

We thank you for the family and friends who have gathered here today to honor him.

Father, as we spend this time together today, I pray that you would be with us.

I pray that you would provide your comfort and peace.

I pray that this service will honor Steve appropriately, and that you will be glorified in all that is done here today.

It is in Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Obituary Reading

Stephen "Steve" Earl Nellis, 81, of Mt.

Vernon, Indiana, passed away on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at Select Specialty Hospital.

Steve was born in Evansville, Indiana on April 13, 1941 to the late Frederick Eugene and Marilyn (Wiggers) Nellis Dismore.

He retired from CSX Railroad after 36 years of service as a railroad engineer.

Steve was a faithful member of New Bethel Baptist Church where he served as trustee and a greeter.

In his free time he enjoyed woodworking, gardening, camping and volunteering at New Harmony State Park.

Steve was also a corvette enthusiast.

He was outgoing and loved talking to people.

Steve will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend.

Steve is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Gayle (Page) Nellis of Mt.

Vernon, IN; sons, Steve Nellis (Denise) of Evansville, IN, Brent Nellis of Evansville, IN, Randy West (Teresa) of Evansville, IN and Nick West (Mischi) of Mt.

Vernon, IN; sister-in-law, Diane Nellis; grandchildren, Brittney Doss (Ian), Jeremy Nellis (Gwen), Noah Nellis, Ciara Schmidt (John), Skylar West, Justin Buchanan (Anne), Lacey Brauser (Brylan) and Chase West (Tate); 16 great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Gene Nellis.

Song - Long Black Train (Josh Turner)

Funeral Sermon

Remembering Steve

There are many things that can be said about Steve Nellis.

He was a loving husband.

He and Gayle were married for 47 years a testament to their commitment to and love for one another.

He was a wonderful example of a father.

He loved his children.

He instilled in them values and lessons that will not soon be forgotten.

He was a doting grandfather and great-grandfather.

Loving his grandchildren and cheering them on in all of their endeavors.

He was a beloved friend.

Always bringing joy and laughter with him wherever he went.

Though I have only been at New Bethel for a little over a year, I will never forget the way that Steve embraced me as a friend from the day that I got there, and the way that he loved my family.

He was a hard worker.

He worked for CSX Railroad for 36 years.

He was a person that was willing to lend a hand when needed, and through their marriage, Gayle could rely on him to fix any issues around the house that they faced.

He was a devoted church member.

Serving as both a trustee and greeter for many years at New Bethel.

When you came to New Bethel, you could always count on Steve being their to welcome you.

He was all of these things and much more.

More important than any other title that can be attributed to Steve is that Steve was a Christian.

In fact, it is because Steve was a Christian that he was the man that he was.

The husband, father, grandfather, friend, worker, and church member that he was can be attributed to his relationship with Christ.

A relationship with Christ transforms us and calls us to be loving, to be selfless, and to be joyful.

All things that I believe can be seen in his relationships, what he did, and throughout his life.

It was in Christ alone that Steve’s hope was found.

Let us take a few minutes to talk about the Hope that Steve had throughout his life, and that he has now realized in full.

It is in moments like these that we remember the fragile and temporary nature of this life that we live.

Death is a reality that we all face.

And while in this life, we face many troubles and difficulties.

This passage clearly addresses both of those things, referring to our earthly bodies as a tent that can be destroyed, and that while we are in this tent we groan and are burdened.

This life we live is temporary, and it is fragile.

This reality can be sobering.

For some it is even frightening, causing them to despair and anguish over the fragility of their life.

But for the Christian, death is not something that needs to be feared.

This is something that Steve knew well.

While Steve was in the hospital, I was able to visit with him.

He shared that he knew that things weren’t going well.

He knew that his earthly body was failing.

But he had no fear of death.

He was confident of the hope that he had in Christ.

He knew what awaited him.

His only concern was for Gayle and those that he was leaving behind.

He had this confidence because he knew the truth of what this passage says next.

He was of good courage, he had peace because he knew that while this life persists, he his away from the Lord.

And he also knew that when his time came and he was away from the body, he would be at home with the Lord.

I can say with confidence that right now, Steve is at home with the Lord.

For those who loved him, it was hard to see Steve’s health decline.

He did everything he could to keep living his life and serving the Lord, until he wasn’t able to any longer.

Even when he had to carry around that oxygen machine that he couldn’t stand.

Even while he was in the hospital his same joyful personality was evident to everyone that interacted with him as he joked with the nurses that cared for him.

Right now all of those things that afflicted him, afflict him no longer.

He can breath freely.

With full lungs he can sing the praises of His savior and enjoy Him forever.

To put that in perspective I want you to remember the words of the hymn Amazing Grace, “When we’ve been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun.

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.

This is the hope that Steve had while he lived.

This is the hope is now his reality.

This is the hope that all those who have believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ hold today.

I am confident that Steve would want me to share with you about this hope that he had.

because of the last verse of this passage is this. 2 Corinthians 5:10

We will all stand before God and by our own merit we will all be guilty because of the sin in our life.

Romans 6:23

This gift of eternal life, of forgiveness and grace is available through Christ.

it is the promise of eternal life with him.

this is available to all who believe John 3:16

If you do not have a relationship with Christ this morning, I implore you to turn to him today.

Find a family member, a friend, or a pastor who can talk with you about what it means to have this same hope that was so evident in Steve’s life.

So today we celebrate Steve’s life.

We remember all of the wonderful times that we had with him.

We remember all that he meant to us.

And we also mourn that he is no longer with us.

We have lost a great light in our lives.

We are saddened today for ourselves, because Steve is no longer with is.

But we should not be sad for Steve, because Steve is no longer with us, but is at home with the Lord.