Norman Pratt Graveside Service

Welcome

Norman Pratt; Age 95

Reading of Scripture

Psalm 39:4–13 ESV

4 “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! 5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah 6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! 7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool! 9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it. 10 Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand. 11 When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah 12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. 13 Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!”

And as we are reminded to number our days, we are also reminded to follow Jesus as our shepherd with those days

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.

Prayer

Pray with me:

Oh God, help us now in this time as we honor the memory of Norman, and look to you for answers as we face death. Let us look only to you, for its to you and you alone who can comfort us in such times of distress. Thank you for your word made flesh, Jesus Christ the Lord—in his name we pray, Amen.

Memories

Message

Committal/Prayer

John 14:6 “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I. Death is a sad, terrible, and strange thing

This is a time of strange and diverse emotions

On the one hand, death forces us to consider more deeply the memories we had with the one who has passed away and this can bring to mind happy times of laughter and joy.

But on the other hand, death brings terrible sadness, because as we are remembering these things with the death of Norman, these memories are now all we have.

You will never be able to go on a walk with Norman, as he loved to do.

You will never see him in his shop working marvels with wood again.

You can never call him on the phone and talk to him about his flowers coming up in these summer months

And the end of such things leaves a sadness in our hearts.

Death—with its ending of life—is a sad, and terrible thing.

Do not believe those who say we should not be sad at funerals—we should.

Death is not a friend, but an enemy, an intrusion in our lives that is a respecter of no persons.

Indeed, there is also the uncomfortable feeling that all of us, one day will also face this same fate.

But not only is death a sad and terrible thing, it is a strange thing.

Have you ever stopped and thought, at a time like this, why death even is a thing?

It can be like the question our children ask us: why is the sky blue?

If we aren’t careful we might just say it’s just the way it is without even thinking that there must be a good reason that matters deeply to how we live today

II. Why is there death

So why is there death?

If you visited a friend in the hospital and saw he was bruised from head to toe, with castes on every limb and tubes going all over his body, you would assume that whatever caused it was pretty bad.

And now, as we consider death, and its true ugliness, you must assume that the reason for it must be just as ugly.

And it is true, that the cause of death is as ugly as death itself:

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death

God’s true word is very clear, the reason why we have death as we do, is because sin entered into this world and festers with everyone of us.

Sin.....is any wayward living that’s rooted in falsehood and separates us from God and his truth

And since God is the God of life—it makes sense that when we separate ourselves from him by our sin, death is the result.

James 1:14–15 “14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire (waywardness). 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

We live in a world that scoffs at this notion of sin—they scoff at the notion that there is one way to live and all else is waywardness.

We are told to live according to our own truth, and what feels right to us. To follow our own heart.

But the truth is:

Jeremiah 17:9 “9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

Such a philosophy that you should just follow your own way, is not lead by the God of truth, but the father of falsehood, the devil who's mission is to further death in the human race

And so as we lament the loss of Norman

As we are looking at death right before us, we must understand the reality that we are looking at the result of sin that is found in each and everyone of us

And God is beckoning you to see it, to feel it. Lament and be sad. But to do something about it today in your own lives—because God has provided the help we need.

III. God’s help in Christ

What is that help God has provided in light of sin and death?

As was said, sin is any wayward action that’s rooted in falsehood and separates us from the God of life.

And I am here to tell you that God, in his love, has sent his Son to bring us out of this miserable condition that is revealed in death

John 14:6 “6 Jesus (says to you), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In our sin, we have lost the way, in our sin we follow falsehood, in our sin we are separated from the Father of life and this is our death.

But in his kindness he sent his Son—who always walked in the proper way, in truth and life and had a right relationship with the Father

Yet, he took on death for his people, and rose again to new life.

So that those who look upon him and follow him all their days, would have God again, would have life in his name.

So as you consider the sadness and terribleness of this death of Norman

As you consider the awfulness of death itself and how we all are to face this awful enemy one day

Know that God is beckoning you to put your eyes upon his solution that he has provided:

Jesus is your drink to meet your dehydration

Jesus is your food to meet your starvation

Jesus is the medication upon the diagnosis of your sickness

Jesus is the late summer rain to meet your drought

Jesus is the way in light of your current waywardness

Jesus is the truth in light of your falsehood

Jesus is the life to overcome your death

Don’t you see your need of Jesus in light of your death?

Matthew 11:28 “28 Come to me, (he says) all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Do not labor in your sin no longer which only can lead to death, but....

Matthew 11:29 “29 Take his yoke upon you, and learn from him, for he is gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

So the call is to let the sadness of death, cause you to turn from your sins and obey Jesus as Lord.

IV. In Christ our Death is Bittersweet

Does that mean for those who are following Jesus we will not have to suffer death? No.

Death was promised to be the payment for sin, so we must all face it.

But for those who follow Christ in this life, death becomes a bitter sweet reality that finally takes us away from sin for good—and into the full presence of our Father.

2 Corinthians 5:1–5 “1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

2 Corinthians 5:6–10 “6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

So, while we all must still face death even as we place our faith and obedience in Jesus, death becomes a vehicle that brings us completely away from sin and into the life of the presence of God—truly we go from death to life.

Conclusion

And so I call on you this afternoon, to see that death is truly sad—and terrifying as it is the wages of the sin that we have all fallen into.

But because our God is abundant in love and kindness, he has provided a way for us to be forgiven of our sin and have life. So that death takes on a whole different meaning:

Death becomes the final end of sin in our lives, as we are given new bodies to enjoy God forever with.

For one day, Jesus will return and all the bodies in their graves will rise up to be judged by him.

For those who have followed him, they will be given new bodies to enjoy his presence forever.

But for those who have refused his kindness, will be given new bodies to receive his just judgment forever in eternal hell.

Won’t you, today, turn from your death, and follow the Lord of Life?

Won’t you turn from your sins today and resolve the holy resolution to follow this Jesus and his commandments?

He is God’s answer to death—and takes the sting of death away so that such occasions like these become bitter to be sure, but also with a blessed undercurrent of sweetness in Jesus, as he carries us from death to life.

Pray with me:

Prayer/Committal

And now, oh Lord, we commit our beloved Norman Pratt to you. You are the one who had formed him in his mother’s womb. It is you, oh God, who have numbered all his days when as yet there was none of them. Your book had written every one of his days that were formed for him. You began those days March 5th, 1929 and you saw fit to end them July 12, 2024. And now he returns to you as all of us will one day appear before you. From earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. And all the faithful look for the day when Jesus will return again in the clouds, and all will come out of their tombs, and those who refused to bow their knee to you will receive damnation, but for those who bowed the knee with joy, salvation. Mara-natha: Come Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.