Celebration of Life Service for Gloria Smith

Gloria truly was an amazing woman...

and even though she will be missed, her legacy for Christ for will live on through her family and friends.

and part of that legacy is in today’s funeral service.

because...

Whenever we lose a loved one and are at a funeral, it forces us to ask some big questions about life— why are we here—what is my purpose, what happens to me when I die—am I ready to for that day

I bring these questions up..b/c if she were here today, she probably would not want us to keep talking about her...

she would say let’s make it all about Jesus and his kingdom…so that’s what we are going to do because Jesus and His kingdom reign—He helps us with these big questions of life.

The reason that Gloria left such an impact for others in her family and friends and community is because she was all about Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus Christ shone so brightly through her. The name “Gloria” reminds us of the word “Glory” in the Bible—and she shone with the glory of God in her life.

I had the privilege of being able to look through her Bible (which also belonged to her mom as well), and also through her devotional book.

I am going to try emphasize 3 lesson I found in her Bible and in her devotional that she would want you to know today...

Lesson #1 — Walk with God day by day. Walk with God day by day. In her Bible, the first verses she has marked are from Genesis 5.

Genesis 5:21–24 NIV

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

This story is famous because Enoch never died. He walked, and God took Him up to heaven—that sounds pretty cool. All of us would love to go that way.

this passage is teaching that you, too, if you walk with God—you will be with Him forever. it doesn’t mean you will avoid death—but your eternal destiny is with God if you walk with him.

The Bible says having a relationship with God is kind of like walking. That was the primary mode of transportation back then, and there over 200 references to walking in the Bible. it’s an expression of intimacy.

We read in Genesis 3 that God was walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. perfect intimacy with God before sin.

and walking also implies progression in time and direction—that you are going somewhere.

and you have 2 paths in life you can walk--you either walk a path with God which is wisdom—or your own path—which is foolishness.

the way of wisdom with God vs. the way of foolishness of walking our own path.

and if Gloria were here she would urge you that it is worth it to walk with God day by day, faithfully steadily—b/c He will walk with you.

Gloria had this...and it’s evident that she loved Jesus and spending time with Him. Her family noted that she would always dog-ear each devotional she liked, so I started looking at which ones she liked, and it’s like she dog-eared each one!! and then there’s certain ones that if she really liked it, she would fold the page halfway over.

I asked Radar if she had a favorite verse, and he said, she would say “whichever one she was reading!” did she have a favorite devotional? whichever she was reading.

She loved the Lord and She loved His Word which empowered her to walk daily with her God--

so the question is—are you walking with God or....are you walking your own path—and how is that going for you?

it is amazing what God can do in you and through you when you faithfully walk with God—His kingdom comes through you. it may not be flashy to walk, but you walk with God for a long time like Gloria—you shine with the glory of Jesus and you extend God’s kingdom.

Lesson #2 (not only to walk with God) but to really depend on God daily—or another way to put it—humble yourself.

in Deuteronomy chapter 2:7 she had marked this verse—when Moses is giving a sermon to the Israelites about to enter the Promised Land—he tells them--

Deuteronomy 2:7 (NIV)

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

If you are hurting and grieving today, I think Gloria would say to you from this verse—remember how God has been with you…and you have not lacked anything.

He will provide everything you now. He will never leave you nor forsake you. You will lack nothing. but really lean on him—fall into his arms, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will lift you up.

in one of her devotionals she had marked—folded over—April 14th—it tells of a Christian poet named Christina Rossetti, a poet and devotional writer who struggled. She struggled with depression and various ailments in her life and endured broken engagements. Eventually she died of cancer. The devotional writer also talked about King David—who went through lots of ups and down in his life and hard things. Both Christina Rosetti and King David trusted God, despite those trials.

and the writer says this: “the road may indeed wind uphill all the way, but it leads to our heavenly Father, who awaits us with open arms.” IN what ways has life seemed uphill and winding to you? How will you trust God to lead you on the road you’re traveling?”

and I think this is the posture of all our lives as we walk with Jesus. walking implies intimacy and progression;

dependence and humility implies weakness, neediness, desperate-ness. it implies I need Jesus for everything.

and that doesn’t always feel good or natural to us. we don’t like it, we don’t like feeling weak or needy or dependent. we like being independent here in Adams County and self-sufficient.

but Gloria would challenge that; in her Bible, she especially had so much of the NT highlighted—like all of it. (like her devotional book), and in Matthew 5:3—when Jesus preached the sermon on the Mount—

Matthew 5:3 NIV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

and she had written right beside it “purely by grace...”

that idea of poverty of spirit means before God we come bankrupt. We can’t earn a relationship with God; we can’t work for it—it is purely by his grace. it’s a gift. the only way we enter God’s kingdom and have a relationship is by realizing how much we need Jesus. we are absolutely dependent on Him alone!

In some ways this is what makes the Christian life so amazing yet so hard to us—it is God we rely on. It is God, we humble ourselves before, it is God we depend on to become a Christian and continue as a Christian. and as we are weak—his power shines through.

as we are desperate—his glory shines through in everything we do.

it is what makes us thrive as Christians--

John 15:4–5 NIV

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Gloria was a woman who showed the fruit of the Spirit—the fruit of the Spirit is:

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

as Gloria depended on Jesus, purely by his grace, as she was connected to Jesus the vine—the Spirit produced this incredible fruit in her life.

and this is what makes being a Christian amazing--

so what or whom are you depending on? what are you trusting? Is it yourself or Jesus?

She had Jeremiah 17 highlighted a lot.

Jeremiah 17:5 NIV

5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:7 NIV

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

3. Lesson #3 Surrender your life to King Jesus before it’s too late. So walk with him, depend on Him, and if you are not doing that—surrender to him now and every day.

In a moment, we are going to sing the song “He shall reign...”

and this song is all about Jesus Christ, the Son of God—coming to earth....as a baby, the king of kings and Lord of Lords…the Savior of the World. breaking into our dark world…bringing hope and healing… we sing it at Christmas time—but it is so appropriate to sing it all the time.

and it loudly proclaims— He Jesus... shall reign forevermore…forevermore...

He shall reign forevermore…forevermore...

and I am told that Gloria loved this song—because when you get to that chorus—she would exclaim “He shall reign…forevermore...”

Jesus is king…

she lived her life under Jesus’ kingship joyfully peacefully graciously, and she couldn’t wait until the day when Jesus would establish his kingdom fully—when Jesus would set everything right—no more death, no more suffering, peace on earth everything is right. perfectly dwelling with God forevermore…in a new resurrected body-with fellow believers—it’s going to be awesome.

and not only is that future--

but we begin now as we submit to King Jesus to experience a taste of that now...

if you are a Christian a believer, the idea of Jesus as king—you and I need to be reminded of that every day. to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus—b/c it is worth it. keep going with Jesus every day—Gloria would say.

but if you are not—here’s how you can...

You see the Bible says that there is a God, a loving God who made you and I in his image to know Him and love. and when we live under Him, walking with him depending on Him life works great.

but sadly, you and I—the Bible says we all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our wicked ways. we cross out God’s rule in our lives, and put ourselves in his place, thinking we know best. the Bible calls this sin.

and this causes all sorts of problems.

everything is broken—our relationship with God—with others, ourselves—comes back to this that I want to be king, not Jesus.

the Bible says that the ultimate consequence of wanting to do things my way is death—both physically—but most of all spiritually—where if we reject Jesus as king—we will be separated from him for eternity in a place the Bible calls a lake of fire.

and this makes sense—b/c if we reject God the author of life—the only result is death. if reject God who is light—the result is darkness and chaos.

but this is the good news Gloria would want you to know.

God sent his only Son—Jesus Christ—to become man. unlike us—Jesus always walked with His Father. unlike us, He always depended on his Father. He lived perfectly.

and God sent His Son on a mission to die on a cross.

He didn’t deserve it.

but Jesus who had the power to do all miracles, allowed himself to be killed on a cross. The good news is that Jesus took God’s judgment for us. He took that punishment of death we deserved for sins on Himself in our place.

all this is grace—purely by grace Gloria would say. we didn’t deserve it.

and it gets better—3 days letter-Jesus rose from the dead—physically bodily.

His resurrection proves that sin is paid for; death is defetaed.

and Jesus is now the risen king—the ruler of our world.

and one day He will come back and set up his kingdom fully. and HE shall reign forevermore!

the good news is that because of what Jesus did—He offers us forgiveness of sins—a relationship with God, a fresh start.

In this—God comes to live inside—empowering us just like He did Gloria. we get joy, peace, life…life abundant.

so it comes down to 2 paths--

are you going to walk and follow Jesus’ way

or your own...

Is Jesus going to be your king?

or you and your kingdom?

life is pretty simply...

if we live Jesus’ way—the result is a relationship with God now and forever—a life like Gloria’s...

if not—the result is we are lost in our sin, separation from God forever...

if you are here today—and you say, Pastor Rick, I have messed up, I have sinned; I need God and I am ready to respond today to King Jesus.

I want to give you a chance to respond

Heads bowed, eyes closed:

Dear God,

I know that I am not worthy to be accepted by you. I don’t deserve your gift of eternal life. I am guilty of rebelling against you and ignoring you. I’m sorry, and I need your forgiveness.

Thank you for sending your Son to die for me so that I may be forgiven. Thank you that he rose from the dead to give me new life.

Please forgive me and change me, so that I may live with Jesus as my ruler. Amen.

heads bowed eyes closed—look at me.

(I have a booklet for you)

and then I want to pray for those who have already done:

Dear God, I am struggling with Gloria’s death, but help me to trust you; to walk with you, depend on you, to take up my cross daily and follow you.

Help me to know that You shall reign forever...

Closing:

Isaiah 9:6–7 NIV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Revelation 11:15 NIV

15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Let’s pray.

Dismissal instructions:

Committal:

as gather as the gravesite, a few reminders:

first, a reminder that Gloria is not here. Her body is here, and this places marks the resting site of her body, but her soul is with Jesus Christ right now heaven. 2 Cor. 5:8 reminds us that to be absent from the body is to be at home or present with the Lord! she is present with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, even though we miss her and grieve her death, we know that for Gloria, she is experiencing an even better reality than we can imagine.

Paul the Apostle said Philippians 1:21

Philippians 1:21 NIV

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

and he says, Philippians 1:23

Philippians 1:23 NIV

23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

so though we grieve, we do not grieve without hope—she is present with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, one day, Gloria and all believers will get a new resurrection body, a body like Jesus had when He rose from the grave. a body that won’t get sick or get cancer or have to go the hospital or age, it will be gloriously renewed—living with Jesus in a new heaven and a new earth.

1 Corinthians 15:42–44 NIV

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

if you are a believer of Jesus—you will see her again; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NIV

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

today is more of a see ya later than a goodbye.

Lastly, it is very appropriate missing Gloria; Jesus did as Lazarus’ tomb—but we grieve hope—knowing that one day Jesus will reign forevermore—forevermore.

1 Corinthians 15:50–57 NIV

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

let’s pray