Margerie Canary Funeral

PROCESSIONAL-

I Won’t have to cross the Jordan alone

GREETING

Hello, my name is Scott Rowe. I am the pastor of Mount Carmel Church of God.

This is the Church where Marjorie was a member at. She really loved her church and her church really loved her.

She enjoyed serving and helping out at VBS, playing on the piano and our ice cream socials.

She was also a member of the Hopewell Grange where she served for many years.

The nursing home said she had a Christmas wish list too. Most of the things on it were for other people! Such as...

People to think of others

For people to be kind to others

and....

That We could love one another as Christ loves us.

Now today, the purpose we are gathered here is to celebrate the life of our deceased loved one and friend, Margerie Canary.

To Randy, Susie and the rest of her family and friends who mourn and grieve today, we especially, offer our deep and sincere condolences.

INVOCATION

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

John 14:1–3 (NIV)

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

2My 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?

3And 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.

Let us pray...

“Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we come into this place of sorrow, realizing our utter dependence upon You.

We know You love us and can turn even the shadow of death into the light of morning.

Help us now to wait before You with reverent and obediant hearts.

You are our Refuge and Strength, O God—a very present Help in time of trouble. Grant to us Your mercies.

May those who mourn today find comfort and healing in Your sustaining grace.

We humbly bring these petitions in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

SONG(Powell girls)

Mansion over the Hilltop

SONG(Powell girls)

Amazing Grace(My Chains are gone)

SCRIPTURE READING

Psalm 23 (Lisa reading)

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 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.

REFLECTIONS FROM FAMILY & FRIENDS

Ashlyn singing?

SCRIPTURE READING

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 ESV

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

EULOGY(PASTOR SCOTT)

Psalm 116:13–19 (ESV)

13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,

14I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

16O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.

17I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.

18I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,

19in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

EULOGY

INTRODUCTION:

Growing up there were some things that I cherished, cared for, and was very precious to me. One thing was a blankie that I would carry with me wherever I would go.

Another was my sports cards that I collected as a kid. I would put them in plastic sheets to make sure they were protected and didnt get any scratches or bent corners.

We all hold things close to us. That we cherish, care for, that are very precious to us. As adults those things change.

We tend to hold things such as our finances as precious to us

We tend to hold our gardens and how our yards look as precious to us

We hold what vehicles we drive as very precious to us and so on.....

1. Many things in life are precious to us

a. We try to protect ourselves and our property with insurance, locks, alarms, and banks

b. I remember of something happening in the grocery store. There was a loud crash as if something was shattering.

Being nosy, I walked towards the sound and saw some people whispering and looking back to the end of the next aisle.

When I walked down that aisle, I saw an older lady had hit a shelf and many things had fallen to the ground and broke.

She was kneeling on the floor embarrassed, frantically trying to clean up.

I felt so bad for her, and everyone was just standing there stairing at her.

So I went and knelt beside her and told her not to worry and started helping her pick up the broken pieces.

After about a minute, the store manager came and knelt beside us and said, “Leave it, we will clean this up.”

The lady, totally embarrassed said, “I need to pay for all this first.”

The manager smiled, helped her to her feet and said, “No ma’am, we have insurance for this, you don’t have to pay for anything!”

Just think about it, close your eyes, and imagine God doing the same for you!

Collecting the pieces of your broken heart from all the blows life has thrown at you.

The bill for your faults, sin and mistakes has already been paid through the precious blood of Christ.

God will heal all your wounds. He wants to gently lift you to your feet again, clean up your mess, and pick up all the broken pieces. He wants to heal you!

and because we are precious to God, We can have that same insurance and it’s called the GRACE of God!

Near the end, Marjorie started to wonder if she had done enough and if she was worthy of that Grace, that God gives.

Like me, and rest of us, we need that gentle reminder that it’s not about what we have done but, it’s all about what Jesus has done on the cross.

John 3:16 says...

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

2. The most precious things are relationships

a. Relationships to people are precious

(1) Death becomes a heart-rending intruder and reminder of that

(2) Even Jesus wept when his dear friend Lazarus died

b. Relationships to the church are special

(1) Once we come apart of the family of God by being born again we are adopted by God

(2) We gain new brothers and sisters in Christ

c. A Relationship with God is the most precious one we can have

(1) it’s the difference between heaven and hell

(2) It’s the difference between hope and hopelessness

(3) It’s the difference between peace and worry

(4) it’s the difference between faith and fear

(5) it’s the difference between joy and sorrow

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

3. Many things are also precious to God —

Psalm 116:15 says....

Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of his saints.

I. It Speaks of God’s Feelings for His Children

A. Bible assures us of God’s love

Romans 8:35–39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

B. This assurance gives us strength in life

1. In times of trouble, strife, and sorrow

2. We can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives us strength!

C. This assurance gives us confidence in death

1. Christians who have faith can approach death with peace and trust. There is a longing to be ‘at home’ with the Lord.

We have the hope of eternal life and the knowledge that Christ has already conquered death by dying on the cross.

And raising from the dead and opening the gates of heaven for those who believe in him.

2. The Apostle Paul Said in... “Acts 20:24

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

3. Phinaes Breesbee, a theologian said, that people in the church need to not only live well, but they need to die well.

4. Marjorie Canary died well. I remember seeing her in the hospital for the last time.

She was struggling to just breathe. Occasionally she would be able to open her eyes.

Barely able to speak.

When she did speak, guess what she said?

She said “Psalm 23, John 14, and ecclesiastes.”

Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of his saints.

II. also Speaks of God’s Provision for His Children

A. We don’t know much about what happens after death

B. We know only what the Bible tells us

C. The Bible says that we are appointed to die once and then the 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 have appointments in which we have to be at work

We schedule appointments in which we have to meet someone for lunch or dinner

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.

This appointment is written in stone. It is a done deal. And I have to tell you that this appointment that is carved in stone even before you were born.

Marjorie had an appointment with God that was decided and written in stone before she was even born.

God knew that on Wednesday November 22th, 2023 Margerie had an appointment with him.

Margie’s appointment was already scheduled. Her appointment was right on time because God scheduled it. God is an on time God.

Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of his saints.

It Also....

III. Speaks of God’s Action at the Death of His Children

A. TO GOD DEATH MEANS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPLY EVERY NEED OF HIS CHILD.

Health means strength. While we are well, we may feel that we are capable to take care of ourselves.

Dying means absolute helplessness.

It is God’s opportunity that when physicians give up the case, God takes it up.

After human help has failed, the Lord delights to be to us, all that we need.

B. TO GOD DEATH MEANS THE MOST INTIMATE COMMUNION.

He rejoices to welcome home his children. He frees us from this fallen world and delivers us from our pain and suffering as he did with Pam.

C. TO GOD DEATH MEANS REST.

Jesus said, “Come unto Me,” It was His delight to quiet the heart and give rest to the weary mind.

The voice from heaven said, “Blessed are the dead,” and “There remains a rest”.

To us death looks like a rest of the body— its an end to suffering, and the event which introduces His children into this restful state that is precious to Him.

E. TO GOD DEATH MEANS LARGER LIFE.

Christ came to give life, and to give it more abundantly. Whatever imparts and increases the life of God’s people is of great value.

While to us death seems to be the end of life, to God it is an increase of life.

The last words of Drummond Burns were, “I have been dying for years, now I shall begin to live.”

It is passing from the land of the dying into the land of the living.

F. TO GOD DEATH MEANS JOY.

All through the Bible we are exhorted to “Rejoice, rejoice evermore!” The joy of His children is precious to God.

Dying, Rutherford exclaimed, “I feed on manna; oh, for arms to embrace Him!”

President Wingate, of Wake Forest College, whispered to his wife with his last breath, “I thought it would be sweet, but I did not think it would be so sweet as this.”

It is passing from shadow into sunshine; from the discords of earth into the music of heaven

IIII. APPLICATION

A. Everyone here considered Marge to be very precious to them and I am sure you all are very precious to Marge.

B. Everyone here is also very precious to God.

C. Especially Marge, who God healed through death so she could truly live and be free from her pain and suffering.

D. Her pain ends but ours continues. That’s why I think it’s so important for us to remember this Date. November 28th, 2023.

E. We are nearing the end of the year. Some of us may of got a calendar for 2024 already, some of us may plan on getting one, some of us just use the one on our phones.

F. However we do it, make sure you Mark November 28th, 2024 to call up Randy, Sue and the rest of the immediate family to check up on them. To simply ask them how they are doing.

G. Because a lot of us will leave here and we will go back to our jobs and other responsibilities.

H. But for Randy, Sue and the rest of the family their life will consist of getting use to a new normal and they need our love and support past today, and past next week.

BENEDICTION(Concluding Prayer)

RECESSIONAL(Viewing)

“Life’s Railway to Heaven”

*Please follow us to the Graveside at Swamp College Cemetery in Celina*

Lunch following Graveside service at The Hopewell Grange at the Mercer County Fairgrounds.

GRAVESIDE SERVICE

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:

The following scripture seems fitting for such a time like this. At the end of Marjorie’s life, she wasn’t able to walk or move too much. We are reminded though that God is a healer.

What he doesn’t heal in this life, he heals in the next.

In John 5 we are reminded of God’s healing power.

John 5:1–9 ESV

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

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 Child Marjorie Canary,

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)

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 Marjorie,

and grant that increasing in knowledge and love of you,

she 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

This concludes our service for Marjorie Canary.

Thank you for your presence.