Memorial Service: Michael Clement

Welcome

Good afternoon. My name is Becca and I am one of the pastors at the Vineyard church. 

On behalf of Michael ’s family, I would like to thank you for coming today to remember and celebrate the life Michael lived. She was an amazing woman, a wonderful mother and grandmother, and to many of you, a dear friend.

We are here to thank our heavenly Father for sharing Michael with us for AGE and to remember his life and the legacy that she will leave behind.

We are here to share our grief, and to comfort and encourage one another as family and as friends.

And we are here to receive strength, support, and hope from God, who loved and cared for NAME each and every day of PRONOUN life. 

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our time of need…”

Would you join me in prayer as we ask God to bless our time together and provide that comfort that the apostle wrote about

Prayer (Becca)

Would you bring to us right now that peace that goes beyond all human comprehension

Thank you so very much for sharing Michael with us. We thank you for his fiery, independent spirit. We thank you for the way she loved people and PRONOUN dedication to serving you and others. We thank you for each memory we have of PRONOUN.

Father, would you comfort us in our loss today. Would you help us to remember the good times and hold on to hope that this life isn’t all there is.

Would you be with us now as we celebrate the amazing life Michael lived. Amen.

Obituary

Mike Clement, 69 died peacefully surrounded by family on July 30, 2023. He was born in Duluth on June 6, 1954. While growing up in Duluth, Mike met and married his childhood and lifelong sweetheart Denise Sipper.

Together they had 3 children. Mike was a Duluth Transit bus driver for 30 years. He greatly enjoyed his job and working with people every day. After his retirement he went on to work for the Duluth and Proctor school districts part-time.

He briefly owned a small thrift store in the downtown area which satisfied his love of antiquing and collecting. Throughout his life he found various ways to be active in the community including his labor unions, Moose lodge membership, volunteer work with the Duluth YMCA, and teaching firearm safety. Mike loved the outdoors and spent his free time hunting, fishing, and camping. He will be deeply missed by all.

Mike is preceded in death by his parents Lloyd Clement and Ruth Clement (Stenberg). His brothers Robert and Chuck Clement and his daughter Michelle Clement.

He is survived by his wife Denise Clement, his daughters Jennifer and Teresa Clement, his brother Donald Clement, 6 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.

Scripture Reading

At this time, I’d like to welcome up Michael’s sister, Teresa Davis. She is going to read a passage of scripture with us.

Teresa Davis: Psalm 43

Sharing of Memories

At this time I’d like to invite Teresa to come on up. Teresa is Michael’s daughter and will be sharing some Memories.

Now, I’d like to welcome up another of Michael’s daughters, Jennifer, to share some memories of her father.

Special Music and Slideshow

The family has put together a slideshow of pictures of Michael that we would like to share with you all right now.

Message

Once again, my name is Becca, and on behalf of Michael’s family, thank you for being here today as we remember a life well lived. A life that had a important impact on many people.

Since Michael passed away, life’s been hard, it’s been different. When we lose someone who is close to us, part of us changes forever. It’s a new and different world you are living in. And while today is difficult, it’s good for us to be together, to honor Michael’s memory, to remember him and his legacy, to share stories, to learn from Michael and the life he lived. 

I have met Michael but didn’t know him well. A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with Teresa, Teresa, Jennifer and the love of Michael’s life (name) and they shared with me all about Michael. 

They described someone who was Strong and stubborn, who was fiercely independent and didn’t want to be a burden on anyone. They talked about how smart NAME was. How she loved to read and write. They talked about how creative she was, especially with painting her mini buildings and creating a whole village.

We talked about her love for the Packers and how she would talk smack to bears fans. 

There are people in our lives that leave a mark on us. By being with them, they change us and have an impact on who we are, they make us better. NAME was that kind of person. Now, I believe God has created every single person, and that he has put really good things in each and every one of us. As I met with NAME’s family and they told me about NAME, there were a few things that stood out to me, where I felt like those things, the nature and character of God shone through in NAME’s life. So, today, as we celebrate NAMEs life, and mourn his loss, I thought we could look at a couple of those things and learn from the way Tim lived his life.

THREE THINGS

NAME  loved deeply, and was loved deeply by so many people. When we lose someone that we love so deeply, it hurts. It hurts because we aren't meant for death. we are meant for life and love

Gods Original Plan: Genesis

You see, death was never part of God’s original plan. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we see a Good God, who creates a beautiful world, and then he creates his masterpiece, humans, to enjoy creation with him forever. But humans decided that they didn’t need God, and they turned their back on him. And in that moment, the world broke. Relationship between God and humans, and humans and other humans became broken.

 But we see that god loves us so much that he fixed the problem we caused, these broken relationships. He came into the world as Jesus and lived the life that no one else could, a life fully surrendered to the will of God. And that life, led to him dying on the cross. His death was meant for you and me. We deserved it by turning away from God, he never did. He died for us. And when he did that, he made things right between us and God. And all we have to do is accept the work that he did. 

We are headed towards a future where ever wrong has been made right, and for those who choose to have a relationship with God, we are offered that same opportunity as the first humans, to spend eternity, and that includes the present moment with God.

And that right there, that’s hope. That’s a hope that will carry us through pain and Loss. 

NAME had this hope. This is what PRONOUN was looking forward too.

Revelations 21: 3-5

As we begin to close here I want to share one of my favorite passages in scripture, I find this verse so full of hope and comfort. In the book of Revelation, we get a glimpse of what it will be like when Jesus comes back, we see a hopefully eternal future.

In Chapter 21:3-5 it says

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

This is our future hope. We see God’s first order of business is righting every wrong, drying every tear. No more mourning, no more loss, no more pain. 

It’s this hope that we need to cling to as we wrestle with NAME ’s loss. That someday, everything will be made new. For believers in Jesus Christ, Our Hope is that God will take the broken things in this world and make something new. And when we know that we are loved, when we know that we are forgiven, and when we know what we are striving towards, a future without loss, an eternity spent in God’s presence and those that have gone before us, we know that we have no need to fear death. Death was defeated on the cross. Love wins.

Invitation

Friends, it’s been a long couple of weeks since NAME passed away. Today, is an opportunity, as we come together to remember NAME to remember what’s truly important. We have to be here for each other, but there is a God that wants to be there for you. Now is a time to move towards each other, and move towards that loving God .

I’m going to Close our time together in prayer and if you want more of this hope of your life, if you want more of God’s peace, and love in your life, especially now in this time of hurt and loss, i’d encourage you to pray silently along with me.

Let’s pray

Heavenly Father, I want to know you. I want to know your forgiveness in my life. I want to know you in every area of my life. I ask today Father that you would forgive my sins, based on what Jesus did for me on the cross. Forgive me. Jesus will you be my savior, forgive me, cleanse me. And today Lord, I ask you to come into my life. Please, take control, clean up the mess I’ve made. I offer myself and my life to you , in Jesus name, AMEN. 

If you prayed that prayer along with me for the first time, if you’ve made a decision to follow Jesus for your whole life today, we have a free gift we’d like to give you. There you will find a packet with a new testament bible in it, along with some other resources to help you get to know God better. Please feel free to grab one of those before you leave today.

Closing Prayer

Lets close our time today in prayer

Let’s pray

Heavenly Father, would you meet us right here and right now. Jesus would be our anchor and our rock, right now. Would you fill us with that Hope that surpasses all understanding. Would comfort us as we grieve the loss of NAME . We thank you for the way you love NAME, for the way that your hand was on PRONOUN life. We thank for the way you made PRONOUN. Father, would you help all of us to live a life that would honor NAME ’s legacy. Father would you help us champion those on the margins, would you help us serve others from a place of compassion, would you help us to have faith, and father would you help us to reorient our priorities around what’s really important, just like NAME did. Father, we lift NAME  up to you now, and we pray that you are embracing him right now with the arms that have held him close for his entire life. Amen.

Closing

Once again on behalf of NAME ’s family, thank you so much for coming and honoring NAME ’s life and PRONOUN legacy. Immediately after we exit there will be a reception. Please stay as long as you can, eat some good food, and share stories of NAME  together. Thank you all so much for coming.