Memorial For Gram

Order of Service

Welcome - Rev. Hilton Burkholder

Speaking - Terry Geddings

Song - The Anchor Holds (Tim McKenzie)

Message - Rev. Hilton Burkholder

Closing song - Amazing Grace (Tim McKenzie)

Welcome

We want to welcome you today to the Celebration of Life for Marty Watkins.

On behalf of her family, we want to say thank you to everyone who has brought food, visited, called, and offered support during this difficult time.

We want to thank Tim and McKenzie Funeral home for their kind and sympathetic understanding.

We want to thank Georgetown First Assembly for Allowing us to use their facilities.

As we begin this morning, would you join me in a time of prayer?

Oh God of all comfort, would you come and comfort us during this time? Would you remind us that this is not the way life is supposed to be. We are not supposed to lose the ones we love.

Message

Memories -

Before we get into things this afternoon, I’d like to say, on behalf of Gram, thank you to the family for the ways in which you took care of her over the last few months. For Daline, who always had a meal ready for her. To Ricky and Marty and Penny for taking shifts while she was in the Hospital. To James, you know you were her baby boy. You all should be proud of the way you took care of her. Even at times having to make tough decisions that made her mad, but were for her good.

And all the Grand kids and great grand kids - She was so proud of each of you. Her eyes lit up when her great grand kids walked through the door. Landin was her buddy and she loved spending time with him and all of you.

The Family has asked me to share some memories with you this afternoon. Several of them have written down some things they would like me to share.

Where do I even begin? There are so many, some really funny, and some that are not so funny. Today they are all treasured gems to remind me of how strongly she loved her family.

Like watching her cook so much food for a house full of loved one - and the house was always full!

She always made sure there was plenty for all, even for unexpected guests that would sometimes show up. In her words, that I still hear, “If you leave hungry, it was your own fault!” And she meant that.

Seeing he laugh so hard over the “Great shrimp dip caper” on Christmas eve showed that for just one night all was good in her world because her family was surrounding her with pure love.

I’ve seen her cry through heartbreak and yet she stood strong for those around her and pulled them all close for support and togetherness. The love of her family helped her heal. She always said “family is all we have.” She was right.

Now we all sit surround her once again, supporting one another in love for her, and because of her, until we meet again.

So of all the memories I have, its the love for her family that I will remember the most because I got the blessing of being a part of her family. Love you mom, Until we meet again, Sharan Watkins

Momma was one of the strongest women you knew. She loved her kids, grand kids, and great grandkids and her extended kids. She was the only woman I know to go in there and cook a meal with no idea what to Cook. Her favorite time of the year was Christmas. She always asked that everyone was there for Christmas eve at her house.

When we were little, if she wanted something, she would go down the list calling each one of our names until she got the right one.

I remember growing up, Carol was her best friend. We had 6 kids in our house and Carol had 5. So there were 11 of us kids.

One of my memories was the day I went into labor with Brooke. I went to go get all of us hotdogs. I never knew mom didn’t like Ketchup on her dog. She got mad at me for getting ketchup on her hot dog and it made me so mad I went home and went into labor! I called to tell her my water broke and she told me to drive back to her house. Once I got there, she was so nervous, I had to drive both of us to the hospital! She was so happy that she had her first and only grandaughter.

My momma taught us that all we had was each other. She loved each of her kids, grandkids and great grand kids. If we don’t take anything else out of this, we need to remember that we all have each other and all we need is family. We need to teach our grandkids and great grand kids this.

She was the glue that held us together. She never had much, but she made sure we had what we needed. We have a lifetime filled with Amazing memories. I love you momma, and the other hats you wore - Amazing mother, grandma, grams, and little granny. - Penny

I think one of my most favorite memories is being able to take Mom fishing, (which she had been wanting to do for along time). Seeing Mom being the only one catching fish and her smile will stay with be forever. - Ricky Watkins

Intro

Opening Story: For me, I knew gram at Christmas and Thanksgiving and the few times I year my family would visit Georgetown. But, about a year ago, my family and I moved back. And, for about 9 months, we parked a camper in grams yard and we lived there. So all four of us were crammed into a camper - Grams house became the place we ate, did our laundry, and sent our kids to play. Living next to her was great for the laundry and the food. I’d take my laundry basket over and start the first load. I’d normally say something like “Gram I’ll be back to do my other loads you don’t have to mess with it.” I’d come back a couple of hours later and she’d have all my laundry done, folded, and ready for me to take back.

Everyday at 3PM, almost on the dot - As soon as I get my kids home from school, between her and Daline, they would have a meal fixed and ready for everyone to eat. We would gather around her table and eat together.

If you’ve been to her house, you know that table - it sits to your left as you walk in the door. Christmas, Easter, birthdays, thanksgiving - That table was full of people.

And Gram didn’t just included family at the table - If you needed somewhere to go, you got invited by gram. No one was supposed to spend a holiday or special occasion alone. I figured this out after my second or third time being up here for a holiday - And every year I’d have to ask my wife who the new people were and how we were related.

For gram, everyone was invited and welcome at her table. As I was thinking over her life and her legacy, this was theme that just kept coming up in my head - Everyone was invited and welcome at her table.

Transition to Text:

Text: Isaiah 55:1

Isaiah 55:1 NLT

1 “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!

Points

There is a lot that we could unpack here, but I just want to point out that Isaiah is prophesying to the nation of Israel.

He’s prophesying to them at pivotal time in their history.

They have a choice to make - Will they follow God and what he has asked of them?

Or will they turn their own way and reject God?

Isaiah Reminds them that if they repent of their sin and follow God, God will forgive them and send a blessing, but If they don’t, judgment was going to come upon them.

The book of Isaiah begins with sermons and prophecies of Judgment against the nation - But as the book progresses, we get glimmers of hope. In fact, the shift is so dramatic that scholars argue over whether Isaiah wrote the second half of the book!

In the second half, Isaiah brings a more Hope filled message - One that says God is able to restore and make whole all that has been broken. We get prophesies about a coming suffering servant who is going to be pierced for our transgressions and heal us through his wounds.

I want to remind you today - We are all grieving the loss of our grandmother, our mother, our great grandmother, our friend. There will be a hole in our lives in the days and years to come. BUT there is also a God who comforts us in our sorrow. And he can comfort us in our sorrow because, As Isaiah says:

Isaiah 53:1–5 ESV

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

This is the God who understands our pain he knows what it is to feel death and loss. He enters into this moment with us and weeps with us.

In the midst of Isaiah’s prophecy of judgment, there is hope and there is an invitation - An invitation to a table, to a feast.

God says, “If you’re thirsty, come and drink!”

These words echo through the scriptures. In John 7:37, Jesus states:

John 7:37 ESV

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

In the book of Revelation, some of the Last words of Scripture, pick up this same theme: Revelation 22:17

Revelation 22:17 ESV

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

The Bible is a story of an invitation - An invitation to a feast and invitation to a table with God.

Gram may not have realized it, but every time she opened her table, every time she opened her home, every time she fed someone, she was giving us a picture of a God who is inviting us to his table.

Every Meal she fixed

Every person who didn’t have a place to go on a holiday

Every widow she made sure Got food

Every Child that she took in - She raised or helped to raise 25 kids - besides her own 6!

When I was thinking of this, it reminded me of this scripture in James 1:27

James 1:27 ESV

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Gram would not have considered herself very religious. She did not attend church. She had some things, that I know from conversations I had with her and with other family members that she did not fully understand regarding God. She lived a tough life.

BUT I can tell you this, God loves gram far more than you or I ever Good. And I know God is just and he is loving and you and I have no idea what went on between Gram and Jesus those last few days she was in the hospital. And I cannot help but believe that She heard Jesus’ invitation - and she responded to it.

Closing:

As we get ready to close this service, I want to remind you of three things.

First, God is with you and he understands our grief and he enters into it.

Grams life is a reminder that there is a God who is inviting you and me to his table.

Grams life is a reminder of what is important - Relationships around the table.

Let us pray