Funeral Service for Leona Gerard

What is your life?

This afternoon, I’d like to bring a little context as to my relationship with Leona. Leona’s Dad, Hubert, started working for my Dad and Mom when I was just a baby or even before I was hatched.

Even though we are not blood related, our friendship goes much deeper than just a working relationship. I was the ring bearer at Hubert and Wyona’s wedding, and I didn’t eve lose the rings. We have treated each other like family for the best part of 50 years.

I remember Leona since she was born, but since I was almost out of school and soon to be starting my post-secondary education, I really didn’t get to know Leona well until I moved back to the farm in 2002.

Over the last several years, we worked cattle together. When I would come down from Lanigan, she was always eager and willing to help.

I saw Leona’s determination, her attention to detail, her kindness, her generosity, her sense of humour, and so much more as we spent those hours together working around the cattle chute and also when we sat down to the table at meal time.

The last time we worked together, on May 17th, was a good day. It didn’t even cross my mind that that would be our last time working together.

When I received the call on Friday morning of the ninth of June, I could hardly believe my ears.

We prayed, we asked, we believed, we hugged, we cried, but it wasn’t in God’s plan to heal her here.

We may never know the answer to the Why on this side, but it has brought each of us to grips with the fact that we are mortal.

Psalm 103:13–18 NIV

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Trying to make sense of how quickly life can change reminds us how frail we really are.

James 4:13–14 NIV

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

This afternoon, I want to give you hope that there is more to this life than what meets the physical eye. We can see when we pass by graveyards that there are many people that once lived around here, but have since died. Some have lived long lives, while others have only lived a short time. There is no rhyme or reason why one has lived so long and somebody else’s life was cut so short, and it can be hard to see the fairness in it all.

Actually life can seem pretty hopeless if this is all that we have to live for. Days can seem long, weeks fly by, and what seems to be the blink of an eye, our life is half over. We blink again, and it is gone.

When tragedy and loss strike us unexpectedly, we need to grieve. It’s okay to cry. Mourning is normal. In fact, it’s not healthy not to grieve and let our emotions out.

Psalm 55:22 NIV

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Today, I want to bring hope that when you call on the LORD, He will answer you. He will carry you. He will strengthen you.

God is a compassionate Father. He doesn’t want to be a distant and unapproachable God but He cares for the broken hearted, and He wants to mend your broken hearts.

Here’s the hope of the gospel. Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins, that if we believe in Him, we shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Eternal life or everlasting life means that when we give our lives to Christ, we have a promise that even if we die, we will live forever.

I’m not sure that I can be more clear than this, but we need to live with eternity in mind.

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

So... many... of us only make plans for this life. We make plans to work and make money. We make plans to go on holidays, maybe to get away on a fishing trip, but we don’t even know what will happen today.

You’ve maybe heard the saying, that we need to plan for a rainy day. In other words, we need to plan for the unexpected repair or emergency.

Just as we need to plan for rainy days, we need to make plans for eternity, life after death.

In John 14:1-6, Jesus told us how to make plans for eternity.

John 14:1–6 NIV

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the only way to plan for eternity, and He has promised that one day, He will come back.

I want to share with you a cute story that gets that I believe gets the point across.

HOW BIG IS JESUS????????

At the end of a worship service, a little girl came up to her Pastor and asked, "How big is Jesus?"

The puzzled pastor pondered and said, "I don’t know, sweetheart. The Bible doesn’t say. He was a carpenter, so I am sure he had big hands and strong shoulders. Maybe he was 6 feet tall. I just don’t know. Why do you ask that question?" The little girl looked down and said, "Welllllllll, Pastor, you said I had to ask Jesus into my heart. I am just a little girl.

If He is a big Savior and he comes into my heart.......won’t he STICK OUT?" Wow. (Larry Petton, SC) So many people have been offended with Jesus because so many of us who claim to be His children, have failed to allow Him to stick out in our lives. He’s a big savior… He wants to stick out.

So many times we experience hurts and disappointments that keep us from receiving all of God’s best for us. As humans, we are far from perfect, and we can easily disappoint each other.

There is only one person who has ever lived that never did any wrong to anyone, and He died on a cross.

If you give your life to Jesus, He will not leave you. He will not abandon you. He will be there when nobody else is around. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. When you are grieving, in despair, He is there. He hears you when you call.

James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” Now isn’t the time to stand at a distance. Today is the day of salvation. If you look for God, you will find Him.

Isaiah 55:6–7 NIV

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

For many of you, you have never had harder days. You have never felt such sorrow and pain. Jesus wants to carry you in your pain.

Just come. Just believe.

One man in the Bible said, “Lord, me merciful to me a sinner.” For you it might just be saying the name, “Jesus, Jesus.”

When we believe that He died for us, and we change our minds about the sins or wrongs we have done, He will come in.”

Let’s pray!

Hymn: It is Well with My Soul

Closing:

The family is going to have a private graveside service at a later date, but for now her ashes will be taken to the farm.

I want to pray for some closure for us and pray a committal for Leona:

LORD, I want to thank you that you gave Leona to us even for this short time. Even though we grieve her loss, we commit her ashes to their resting place, as we wait for your return when each of us will stand before you.

I thank you that you died for us, and I ask that we would be found in you, not having a righteousness of our own but one that comes from faith in You alone.

Let’s

Benediction:

Hebrews 13:20–21 NIV

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.