Curtis Batchelder Memorial Service - 1/22/24

Dob & deceased date

Pre-Service Music:

CCBF iTunes

1. Greeting / Invocation:

Good morning everyone, my name is Anthony one of the pastors here & I want to thank you all for being here Today.

I know it means so much to the family for you to be here as you bring your encouragement, your love, your hugs, & prayers.

And we come together today really to celebrate, to celebrate life, not just this temporary life we are in now but the life here after, eternal life.

Ultimately, us who are left behind are the ones that are in need, Curtis is in good hands, he’s is in God’s care, in His presence. How do I know this?

I John 5:13 - All of this has been written so that you may know you have eternal life.

Romans 6:23 “…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 John 2:25 “25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.”

John 3:15 “15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

And so, as we begin lets bow our heads & our hearts to the Lord for prayer.

PRAY - God’s Presence - Comfort - & Mercy

2. Opening Song:

Well, at this time I’d like to invite you all to listen a song by the name of “Let’s Worship” by Terry Clark

This song is beautiful song that encourages listeners to lay down their lives at Jesus' feet and declare Him as all they need. Let’s listen…

3. Slide Show:

Well, the family has provided a slideshow for us - Which I always love to watch - Sometimes they are flat out hilarious, they are inspiring, heart felt - They really give us an insight on who’s life we are celebrating. EXPLAIN WHY.

and also, a quick side note: We are having some difficulties with our lighting software so the lights may abruptly turn off for us to view the slide show.

let’s take a look...

4. Words From The Family / Friends:

Well, I’d like to also invite friends and family members to come up and share some words - Becky, would you please come up.

Becky (Curt’s Daughter) - Thank you for sharing your memories

Jeff -

Emily -

5. Sermon Through to Benediction:

5.1 Sermon

Well, as I’ve mentioned already, we come together here today not just to celebrate Curtis’ temporary life here on earth but to celebrate his eternal life in heaven.

And I gotta tell you that it blesses my heart to know that Curtis is in the throne room of God rejoicing & magnifying the Lord as Curtis is face to face w/ the Jesus.

What an amazing thing that is - But for us it’s an interesting dynamic because our hearts are broken, we’ve lost a loved one, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker. (Pause)

And you know it’s ok to grieve, it is ok to mourn. In fact, Paul said in...

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - we mourn, we sorrow, but not as those who have no hope.

You see we who have placed our faith in Jesus have a living HOPE - the Hope of Eternal Life.

John 5:24 - ...he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life ...and will pass from death into life.

APPLICATION: And that is the key, it’s ok that we mourn, shed tears, & grieve, for our lost loved ones.

APPLICATION: But it’s not because we have no Hope, it’s because we are left behind.

APPLICATION: Curtis is in the presence of God, happy is he can ever be!

APPLICATION: And that is the Hope we have - Our hope is not in this life, our Hope is in the next life. Why?

APPLICATION: Because the moment we pass from this life we enter into the next life.

2 Corinthians 5:8 - ...to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

And you know there are a couple of things I believe Curtis would like us to know:

#1 Is That: He Is In Heaven - You know I like the way the Bible describes heaven...

In fact, the apostle John in a vision saw heaven and he said...

Revelation 21:3–4 “3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.””

I did not have the privilege to meet Curtis and experience life with him. But……

but there is one thing I know about him today:

Whatever heart break he experienced - weight & burdens he carried - Pain - These things are all gone.

He is in complete joy w/ the Lord.

#2 The Reason Why he Is In Heaven - It’s not because he was a great person, though he was - It’s because he put his faith in Jesus Christ.

It’s not about religion it’s about a relationship, its about entering into that personal 1 on1 relationship w/ Jesus Christ as Lord, God, & Savior.

That is the only reason Curtis is in heaven.

2 Timothy 4:7 “7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

And so too, Curtis, finishing that race because he kept the faith in Jesus.

This is a simple point but a very important point - thats leads us to a very important question: Are you going to heaven? Are you going to heaven & see Curtis once again?

You know many times people ask if we are going to know each other in heaven? And that is great question...

The answer is an absolute yes!

1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see in a mirror, dimly… now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

Of course we will know each other in heaven - but that’s not the question, the question is: are we going to make it there?

You might say Anthony, i’m a pretty good guy, I pay my taxes, I walk the little old lady across the street, I am philanthropic - PTL! Those are all good things!

But that’s not what gets into heaven - It’s our faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8–9“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

John 14:6 “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

As we conclude our time together, let us carry in our hearts the timeless truth of…

Psalm 118, verse 24: 'This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.'

As you step out into the world, remember that each day is a divine gift from, a unique opportunity for joy, love, and gratitude.

Allow the Hope of Eternal Life to be your reason to rejoice in the everyday moments, cherishing each day as a precious gift from God.

Let’s PRAY

5.2 Benediction

Shall we all stand together...

On behalf of the family, once again, I want to thank everyone that came here today & those watching online for all your support, encouragement, your love, & your hugs.

And I would ask everyone here in the days, & weeks, & the months to come, maybe give them a call or send them a quick text message let them know you are thinking of them & praying for them, giving them encouraging words as the weeks & months roll by.

May God bless you, May He watch over you, May He keep you, May He lift up His countenance towards you so that He may give you peace that surpasses all understanding that guards your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus Our Lord.

Well to concludes our service today, we would like to close with another song:

Called “I am Yours” (by Terry Clark)

Additional Information:

Finger food on patio