Jim Stoner Funeral

WELCOME & GREETINGS

Dearly Beloved: We are gathered here today to pay tribute to our deceased loved one and friend, Jim Stoner.

I like to think of this as more as a homecoming and a celebration of life.

Over the past few months I have come to know Jim, Cheryl and family and learn more about them. I remember when I first met Jim at the nursing home in Lima.

I walked into his room and starting chatting with him. We started talking about Mount Carmel Church of God and he asked me if I knew the new pastor there and I said “Yeah, I heard he’s pretty good. Your looking at him!

I remember talking to him a few weeks ago and visiting with him at his house.

You could tell he was exhausted and not just physically. He was exhausted emotionally and spiritually too. He then told me “Pastor Scott, I am ready to go”.

I also remember visiting him in the hospital before he passed away. We had a conversation about his relationship with God.

We prayed together, and he made a confession of faith and admitted that he was a sinner in need of a savior and he asked Jesus to come live inside his heart.

Not too long after that, he shown evidence of that faith as he reconciled and repaired his relationship with some family members.

It was a beautiful day filled with God’s grace, mercy and love.

Jim loved hunting, fishing and campfires. He spent his lifetime farming and retired from Crown equipment in Celina after many years of service.

He has a wonderful family including his wife, Cheryl. Daughter Sarah, and his siblings: Donna, John. Deanna, Jerry and Thomas.

and also his granddaughters, Charlotte, Georgia and Savannah.

Now to the members of the family, we especially offer our deep and sincere condolences.

May our opening hymn, “Amazing Grace” provide you peace and comfort at this time .

OPENING HYMN- AMAZING GRACE

OPENING SCRIPTURE

May we share with you the comfort afforded by God’s Word for such a time as this:

2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Let us pray...

INVOCATION(Opening Prayer)

Dear God, we come into this place of sorrow, realizing our dependence on You.

Thank you for your love for us. We know you can turn even the shadow of death into the light of morning.

Help us now to wait before You in our time of grief.

You are our Refuge and Strength, O God—a very present Help in time of trouble.

Grant us Your abundant mercy. May those who mourn today find comfort and healing in Your sustaining grace.

We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC BY SARAH TUCKER- HOW GREAT THOU ART

WORDS FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY

SONG - ONE TIN SOLDIER

THE LIFE OF JIM STONER - SARAH TUCKER & JOSH FILSON

SCRIPTURE READING- Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

MESSAGE ON JOHN 11:1-44 (PARAPHRASED) BY PASTOR SCOTT

Of all the places that we could turn to in times of grief, it is especially precious to read about Jesus. One of the followers of Jesus—a man named John—wrote about the life of Jesus.

It is in The Gospel According to John that we read the most famous verse in the Bible,

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

One of the many stories that John records in his gospel tells us about a man named Lazarus, who was a dear friend of Jesus.

In John chapter 11, we read:

Jesus and his disciples heard that Lazarus, who lived in a town called Bethany, was very sick.

Now Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. And after two days, Jesus told his disciples:

‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.

But let us go to him.By the time that Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead in his tomb for four days.

Lazarus’s sister Martha ran out to meet Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

Do you believe this?’

She said to him,

‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’

Then Lazarus’s other sister, Mary, came out to meet Jesus.

Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet,

saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’

They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’

Jesus wept. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’

But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?’

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone laid against it.

Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Then, Jesus prayed to His Father and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’

The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ (John 11, paraphrase)

The story of Lazarus teaches us several important lessons for facing times of grief....

First, we need to take time to grieve.

Second, Jesus understands our grief.

Third, God has a purpose in mind.

Finally, Jesus is the Lord of life and death.

Take Time to Grieve

First, the story of Lazarus reminds us that we need to take time to grieve.

Sometimes, we convince ourselves that what we need to do is “be strong” and “press on” for the sake of those around us.

As a 16 year old, I made that mistake when my dad died.

His last words to me were....”Scott, be strong. You are about to become the man of the house”.

Real strength isn’t found in standing tall and holding back tears.

Real strength is when we are able to be Honest with God and others and say im not okay. That’s when healing can begin.

When Jesus came to Bethany to comfort the family of Lazarus, he did not brace himself and hold back his tears. He wept.

When we love someone very dearly, such as Jim and as much as Jesus loved Lazarus, it is natural to cry.

It is part of God’s plan that we go through a grieving process when we experience loss.

The Bible says, “There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecc. 3:4).

Holding back tears does not mean that we are strong, it means that we are scared to accept how we feel.

Some people never allow themselves to grieve properly, and it only hurts them in the long run.

It’s okay to cry. It’s important to grieve. It’s good to remember the precious times we have spent with a loved one, even though it hurts.

When Jesus saw the tomb of Lazarus, he faced what had happened.

He likely reflected on the memories he shared with Lazarus when they reclined at the dinner table and laughed while enjoying Martha’s famous home-cooked meals.

Even though Jesus had the power to resurrect Lazarus immediately, He paused and took time to grieve.

We live in a demanding world that tries to push us along to the next activity.

But when tragedy strikes in our family, we need to pause. I’m sure you have many memories with Jim, and they are very precious.

Where it’s the memory of fishing trips

the memory of the farm

the memory of hunting

or the memory of Jim being a good husband, father, brother, grandfather, or friend.

Take time to remember. Take time to grieve. It is okay to cry. Remember, even Jesus took time to weep.

Jesus Understands

Second, the story of Lazarus reminds us that Jesus understands our grief. 

In the dark times, we sometimes feel like God is very far away and doesn’t understand how we feel.

But Hebrews 4:15 confirms that God understands our weaknesses because he came to earth and lived as a man named Jesus.

He endured the worst kinds of sufferings, from grief over his lost friend Lazarus, to a painful death on the cross.

Whatever we are going through, Jesus really does understand.

The Bible reassures us that when we pray to God in hard times, He hears us.

As Psalm 116:1-2 says... “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live”.

You might of heard it said that “God will never give you more than you can handle”.

But God does give us more than we can handle so that we can trust that God himself will handle it.

As 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 says...

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced.

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.

Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

God Has a Purpose

Third, the story of Lazarus reminds us that God has a purpose.

Both Mary and Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, you could have healed Lazarus from his sickness and prevented him from dying!”

Sometimes, that can sound a lot like us during trying times. We put the guilt on us.

What if we would of done this or what if we would of did that....the truth of the matter is, that guilt, is from the accuser, the devil himself.

God doesn’t want us to feel guilty about things we cannot change.

The Bible tells us that we are appointed to die and then judgment. We are appointed.

This means that we have an appointment. Now we all know what an appointment is.

Appointments are what we do on a daily basis.

We schedule a time to go to work and come home from work.

We schedule the time that we will eat and go to sleep.

We schedule appointments with doctors and so on and so forth.

But this appointment that is talked about here is an appointment that is a bit different.

You see with an appointment with your doctor, you can cancel it.

but not the appointment that is spoken of here in the Bible.

This appointment is written in stone. It is a done deal.

And I have to tell you, that this appointment is carved in stone even before you were born.

You see, Jim had an appointment with God that was decided and written in stone before he was even born.

God knew that on September 14th, 2023 that Jim had an appointment.

Jim made sure he was right with God before that time

There is a big family reunion happening in heaven right now. If we want to be a part of that homecoming. That reunion.

Then we better make sure that we are right with God too! Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone. Death is no respector of persons.

It can happen to anyone, at any moment.

But the hope for those who have Jesus is that one day there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering and no more death and what a glorious day that will be!

Jesus is Lord of Life and Death

Finally, the story of Lazarus reminds us that Jesus is the Lord of life and death.

Jesus proved to everyone that He was truly God by the incredible miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.​

Now, you might think, “my loved one will not be raised from the dead.”

But the Bible tells us that someday everyone will be raised from the dead, and we will stand before God.

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life…

Do you believe this?”What would your answer be?

Would you say to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”?

Receive the Lord of Life

To sum it all up, we need to receive the Lord of life, Jesus Christ

The Bible teaches that we have all sinned. We have all disobeyed God’s law.

We have all ignored God and lived our own way on our own terms. Romans 3:23 says that the penalty of sin is death.

But God is very loving. He showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for us.

What should have happened to us, happened to Jesus. Jesus died.

The wonderful news is that Jesus did not stay dead! On the third day, He rose again! Just as Lazarus, God raised him from the dead.

He wants us all to be reunited with Him some day. He is not willing that anyone should perish.

He expects that we confess our sins, turn away from our sins, and look to Him as our only hope for salvation.

Romans 10:9 promises that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

Although death is a solemn reminder, it also points us to the most wonderful, hope-filled message of all!

Jesus is the Lord of life and death. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but has eternal life!

HYMN- IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL(during hymn people leave sanctuary and go to the committal service at the grave site

Dismissal to Grave Site at Old Oak Cemetary

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

COMMITTAL SERVICE AT OLD OAK CEMETARY

When the people have gathered, one or more of the following are said:

God who raised Christ from the dead

will give life to your mortal bodies also

through the Spirit that dwells in you. (ROMANS 8:11, ALT.)

The following prayer is offered:

Let us pray.

O God, you have ordered this wonderful world

and know all things in earth and in heaven.

Give us such faith that by day and by night,

at all times and in all places,

we may without fear commit ourselves

and those dear to us

to your never-failing love,

in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

One of the following or other scriptures may be read:

Jesus said: "Very truly, I tell you,

unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,

it remains just a single grain;

but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Those who love their life lose it,

and those who hate their life in this world

will keep it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me,

and where I am, there will my servant be also.

Whoever serves me, the Father will honor." (JOHN 12:24-26)

Standing at the head of the coffin and facing it (preferably casting earth upon it as it is lowered into the grave) the pastor says:

Almighty God,

into your hands we commend your son Jim,

in sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This body we commit to the ground

(to the elements, to its resting place),

earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. (TRADITIONAL)

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.

Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors

for their deeds follow them. (REVELATION 14:13, ALT.)

One or more of the following or other prayers is offered:

Gracious God,

we thank you for those we love but see no more.

Receive into your arms your servant Jim,

and grant that increasing in knowledge and love of you,

he may go from strength to strength

in service to your heavenly kingdom;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The pastor dismisses the people with the following or another blessing:

Now to the One who is able to keep you from falling,

and to make you stand without blemish

in the presence of God's glory with rejoicing,

to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,

be glory, majesty, power, and authority,

before all time and now and forever. Amen. (JUDE 24-25, ALT.)

This concludes our service for Jim Stoner.

Thank you for your presence.