Darlene Slaughter Funeral

Introduction:

Welcome: On behalf of the family, I would like to thank you all for the kindness that you have shown the family during this very difficult time. Thank you for the support, flowers, for the cards, for the phone calls, and especially for your presence and prayers.

Let’s Pray

Prayer: Lord, you are the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort; I pray that you will look down with compassion on all gathered here today.

I prayer for this family and these friends, that their minds and hearts shall be at peace. Grant that this service, which we now hold in your name, may bring to all a sense of closeness and great trust in you. May your presence be real to us now. And may the peace of Christ, even the peace that passes all understanding, abide with us and rest upon all these dear loved ones. We pray in the name that is above every name. In Jesus Name. Amen.

I would first like to say that it is an honor to be able to stand before you today.

I did not know Mrs. Darlene, but I’m privileged for the opportunity.

It’s been wonderful getting to meet some of you, but also coming to learn about Mrs. Darlene and her life, and what kind of woman she was. Her character, and the life she lived.

It’s so good to have Marc Clair here. it’s so good to here him share and tell the stories.

But, I’ll also share what I’ve learned from the family.

A Word About Darlene

1. Mrs. Darlene, she loved gardening, and her favorite flowers were lillies.

She loved dogs, cats, animals, and had a heart for rescuing animals.

She was feisty.

But when I was speaking with Jason, in telling me about his mother, one of the first things he told me is that she loved her family.

She loved her family.

Her children, her grandchildren.

For those of you here who knew her, can tell of her love for her family.

The Bible says Proverbs 31:31 which is about a godly mother. "Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Friends, in a day and age when the importance of the family is diminishing, when the value of marriage, and the value of being a good parent and grandparent is diminishing.

We need to honor good mother’s.

I think that this is something greatly to be admired and something that each of us should do the best we can at.

Love our spouse. Men, love your wife like Christ loved the Church. Wives love your husbands. Love your family. Love your children and your grandchildren.

She loved her family.

2. But something that she was especially proud of. She was a cancer survivor.

Having beat lung cancer.

I’m told of her excitement and pride to ring the bell, the bell rung by those in remission.

The Cancer bell.

it’s said most all cancer facilities have bells that patients can ring to mark the end of treatment.

But it’s thought that the tradition began at MD Anderson in 1996.

When, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, Irve Le Moyne, was undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer and told his doctor, that he planned to follow a Navy tradition of ringing a bell to signify “when the job was done.” He brought a brass bell to his last treatment, rang it several times and left it as a donation. It was mounted on a wall plaque in the Main Building’s Radiation Treatment Center with the inscription:

Ringing Out

Ring this bell Three times well Its toll to clearly say, My treatment’s done This course is run And I am on my way!

Mrs. Darlene, Rang the bell, her treatments were done, the course was run, and she was on her way.

3. As a pastor, the question I had was this. was She as Christian?

- And I’m told she was.

That as a child and in her early life, she went to church.

And became a Christian as a child.

I don’t know her heart.

I can only speak to what the Bible says, and her testimony.

But the Bible says, All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That’s the good news of the gospel.

The truth is that we all need a Savior. Mrs. Darlene needed a Savior.

And eternal life, and heaven is available to those who have faith.

So she love her family. She beat cancer, and she was a Christian.

A Word to The Family

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

A word of Comfort for the Family.

Family, I want you to know that you are loved. Me and my congregation love you and have been praying for you. But you are loved.

But also, know that God love his children.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

- Regardless of your faith in God, the death of a loved one makes all of us feel personal loss.

But the reality is that God has created us with to grieve. It is a natural process that takes time.

1. Family: For comfort, First, I want you to look to look at each other and look around you. The presence of friends and loved ones are so meaningful. There is strength that comes from friends and family.

There is comfort from being children of God. Because all who belong to the body of Jesus Christ we are able to encourage and strengthen one another.

I hope that today you can sense the kindness and thoughtfulness and sympathy being displayed around you.

2. But most importantly, FOR COMFORT, you should look to the great comforter.

That passage said “I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, i will help thee.”

And in this time of trouble, he is still our God. He is our strength and He is our help.

God is our Supreme comforter.

So, I’ve shared about Mrs. Darlened.

I’ve shared words of comfort for the family.

Lastly, I’d share a word of eternity.

Do Not Fear

English Standard Version Psalm 27

1  The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

The message of Psalm 27:1 is “Do Not Fear!”

I would like you to walk away from this message saying,

Do Not Fear BECAUSE God IS MY LIGHT.

Do Not FEAR BECAUSE God IS MY SALVATION.

Do Not Fear BECAUSE God IS MY STRENGTH.

We have lots of fears.

· We fear the death.

· We fear poor health.

· We fear getting old.

· We fear what people think.

Some people fear being alone.

The loss of a beloved relative or friend can bring fear.

· How can I make it now that he’s gone?

Who is going to take his place?

Jesus says “Turn to me!”

Matthew 11:28 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 27:1 - The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

It is in these times we must say,

Do Not FEAR BECAUSE God IS MY LIGHT.

What does light do?  It illuminates the darkness.

We must know that in the darkness of fear that there is worry and uncertainty.

Jesus says in John 8:12 …I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

It is through coming to the Lord Jesus and asking Him for the light of His guidance.

He will guide you through His Word.

He will guide you through His Spirit.

He will guide you through Christian friends.

Admit your fears to the Lord Jesus and ask Him for help.

But also, we need remember...........

Do NOT FEAR BECAUSE God IS MY SALVATION.

Salvation - Saved From What?

From our Sin.

From Hell.

From the Wrath of God.

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

We are all sinners in need of salvation

But we can not save ourselves.

It is God who saves.

And he sent his only Son. the eternal son of God.

John 3:15. For God so loved the world he sent his only begotten Son.

The Lord Jesus was sinless and didn’t need to pay for His sins. He lived a perfect life.  Therefore He could die for your sins, and that’s exactly what He did.

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

He died for you, was buried and rose again. And he is alive in heaven right now interceding on our behalf.

He died to rescue and to save you.

All one has to do is accept His free gift, turning from sin and trying to earn your way to Heaven and trusting that Christ paid for your sins in full.

This will change your life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

This will remove the fear of standing before God.

What about you? Can you say, “Jesus is my salvation I will not fear”?

Do NOT FEAR BECAUSE God IS MY STRENGTH.

When Jesus is our savior, He will be the strength of our life.

We will be able to say with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Jesus will give you the strength to face the passing of the deceased.

Jesus will give you the strength to face your own passing.

Jesus will give you the strength to face whatever you need to face in this life.

Psalm 27:1 - The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

It is in times like these, we are reminded about the brevity of life.

Life is short. We are here a moment and then we are gone.

We live and die.

What hope do we have concerning these things?

In John 14, Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life.

He said whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live.

The only hope that we have is in Jesus. He is the hope for eternal life in heaven.

I ask each one of you here today.

Do you believe this?

I encourage you to Believe and receive eternal life.

In closing:

Based off of her faith in Jesus, Mrs. Darlene is in a much much better place. There is no better place to be for the child of God than in the presence of God.

If she could send us a message right now, I wonder what it would be.

I’m sure it would be about eternal things.

Turn to God, friends. He is the source of all comfort.

Family, Again. All of us here love you.

We are praying for you, we are here for you.

Let me pray for us as we conclude the service.

Closing Prayer:

Father, Thank You that the work on the cross and the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ who has broken forever the power of death and hell, for all who trust in the name of Jesus. Lord, we ask that you will heal the broken hearted. Be near to the family in their sorrow, and let may their sorrow draw them nearer to you. May the things that we cannot see and the eternal things grow more real each passing day. Lord we love you. It is through Jesus Christ our Savior we Pray. Amen.