Mavis Keys

Gathering

Dying, Christ destroyed our death.

Rising, Christ restored our life.

Christ will come again in glory.

As in baptism Mavis put on Christ,

so in Christ may Linda be clothed with glory.

Here and now, dear friends, we are God's children.

What we shall be has not yet been revealed;

but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him,

for we shall see him as he is.

Those who have this hope purify themselves

as Christ is pure.

Word of Grace

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and I am life.

Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live,

and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

I died, and behold I am alive for evermore,

and I hold the keys of hell and death.

Because I live, you shall live also.

Greeting

Friends, we have gathered here to praise God

and to witness to our faith as we celebrate the life of Mavis Keys.

We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss.

May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort,

in sorrow hope, in death resurrection.

Prayer

Eternal God,

we praise you for the great company of all those

who have finished their course in faith

and now rest from their labor.

We praise you for those dear to us

whom we name in our hearts before you.

Especially we praise you for Mavis,

whom you have graciously received into your presence.

To all of these, grant your peace.

Let perpetual light shine upon them;

and help us so to believe where we have not seen,

that your presence may lead us through our years,

and bring us at last with them

into the joy of your home

not made with hands but eternal in the heavens;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

OT Reading

Isaiah 40:1–8 NRSV

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.

Psalm 23 KJV

Psalm 23:title–6 KJV 1900

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

NT Reading

Revelation 21:1–7 NRSV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Gospel Reading

John 14:1–4 NRSV

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”

John 14:18–19 NRSV

“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.

John 14:25–27 NRSV

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Homily

Perhaps one of the greatest mysteries in life is its ending. Regardless of how someone lives, there is always a feeling of loss when a loved one passes on. This great sadness, even in times such as these, when our loved one has lived a long and fruitful life, this sadness reminds us that although death is a natural part of our world and the human experience, there is still something quite unnatural about it. It’s as if something deep inside of us is telling us that this just isn’t the way that it was all supposed to be.

We recognize and make space for these feelings as we gather here today to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Mavis Keys Although she lived a good and fruitful life, the reality of her passing on to eternal glory causes us to face the empty space that is left in our lives and in our world now that she is gone. And when we face that reality here today, it is important for us to remember that we are not alone. Take a look around this room and take notice of the community that we have to lean on, and of course know that the message of God in these times is that God is always with us.

The reality is that Mavis lived an incredible life, which reflected the way that Christ has called us to live and to love while we are here on this earth.

As a beloved and active member of her church, Mavis made sure that the world knew the love of Christ our Lord.

Mavis professed faith in a God who deeply understands our human condition, the pain of loss, and who gives us hope for a day when we will no longer feel the sting of death.

The beauty of faith in Christ and the story of God is that they teach us that death is in fact not natural, no matter how much of our human experience is marked by it. Death is not God’s ultimate plan for humanity. Death is only a temporary reality, because we believe in the other great mystery, the mystery of the Christian faith: Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. It is in the victory over death on the cross that Mavis placed her hope. And it is in the resurrection, the return of Christ, and the restoration of all things that we place ours.

In the Gospel of John Jesus said:

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.

4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

The reality is that this is not a final, not an eternal goodbye. Yes it’s a goodbye for now. But it’s more of a see you later.

God’s plan for this world is life, life abundant, and life eternal. And it is in this mystery that confuses our sensibilities that we place our hope today. We cling to the sure truth of Christ’s gospel, that there is eternal life, that God does still have a plan for this world, and that that plan includes Mavis, us, and all who have passed before us.

The final vision of the Bible is a world in which Christ reigns forever of a restored and recreated earth, where all who have passed are reunited with eternal bodies and those that they have loved. Death is no more. Sorrow is no more. Suffering is no more. The human condition is cured and perfected so that we can one day live in perfect union with one another and with Christ. That old hope that Linda lived by made real.

We will once again meet with Mavis, and when we do we will embrace, like long lost friends, and together worship the King, Christ Jesus.

But while we wait for that day I will leave you with this invitation. Take with you one core memory of how Mavis changed your life or changed this world. One way that Mavis embodied the love of Christ, and make it your life’s mission to further that work. Take that with you and give that gift to the world as a reminder that Mavis may be physically removed from us now, but that we patiently wait for our reunification just as we wait for the return of Christ.

Witnesses

Commendation

O God, all that you have given us is yours.

As first you gave Mavis to us,

now we give Mavis back to you.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior,

we commend your servant Linda,

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen

Dismissal

The peace of God which passes all understanding

keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,

and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

And the blessing of God Almighty,

the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.