Robert Dibbern's Funeral

Welcome and Invocation:

Dear friends and family, we gather here today in the presence of God to celebrate the life of Robert Dibbern.

We come with hearts full of gratitude for the time we were blessed to share with him.

Let us open our hearts in prayer.

Heavenly Father, we seek Your comfort and strength in this time of loss. Surround us with Your peace and help us to remember the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 23:1–6 (NIV)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Eulogy:

Family did not have anyone who wanted to give one

Reflection and Homily:

I did not have the opportunity to know Robert, but in speaking with the family and many of you that knew him, he was a man whose life truly embodied this passage.

As a helicopter pilot in the Army during Vietnam, Robert saw some dark valleys. I was told that while flying, Robert was shot down or had his helicopter damaged by enemy fire 17 times during his 1 tour. I was never in the armed services and can’t image what going to war would be like. I can’t imagine what is going through someone’s head as they are asked to fly a helicopter after being shot down so many times. But there must have been some apprehension, some fear, and yet Robert bravely kept getting in the helicopter despite what he was thinking / feeling and did his job.

AND…through it all God was with Robert, keeping him safe, and brought him home.

BUT…when Robert got back, God continued to guided him along the right paths.

Robert had an opportunity to have a career flying commercial airplanes. But instead of choosing a high paying / flashy job, he choose to climb telephone poles for a telecommunication company SO THAT he could be at home with his wife and kids.

But Robert didn’t climb telephone poles his entire life. God opened the door, through his employer, to finish his degree. Robert took that opportunity and went back to school to finish his business degree setting a great example for his kids of hard work and the value of education. With a new degree in hand, he worked his way up the ranks to become a forecast manager for Sprint, leading a group of people within the company.

AND…from what I am told, Robert didn’t waste any of the blessings God gave him. He lived a life that truly overflowed to those around him.

Robert love his wife (Linda) and loved spending time with her. They would regularly go on drives, enjoying each other’s time. When Linda had a stroke and became limited in what she could do Robert faithfully took care of her for 20 years. Lovingly attending to her.

Roberts love for people overflowed beyond his family. I’ve been told he was known as the “Mayor of the neighborhood” and frequently called “king of the hill”, spending time in his garage always available to talk to and share a beer with anyone who walked by.

What a picture of a life well spent? Robert lived a life loving others; his wife, his kids, and anyone who he crossed paths with. Talking with many of you over the last week, I was inspired by the life Robert lived, and encouraged to engage those within my sphere to a deeper degree.

And that’s my prayer for all of us. That we can all live a life like Roberts, marked by the love that we show for others.

I’m sad that I never had the opportunity to know Robert.

And even though it is sad for us that Robert is no longer with us, because of his belief in Jesus Christ as his LORD and Savior we can have confidence that Robert is in heaven with God right now.

Because the truth is, just as we’re gathered here to comfort one another in our grief and pay out last respects to Robert, it’s a reminder to each and every one of us that there will be a service like this for each and every one of us and we need to be ready. Romans 5:12 says

Romans 5:12 (NIV)

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

And that’s the reality of the world. We have all sin, we all fall short of the glory of God, we can’t be good enough to earn our way to eternal life in Heaven. We need a savior.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And God loves us so much that He send His son, Jesus, to live a perfect life to serve as an example of the life we were created to live, to teach us how to live that type of life now right here on earth.

John 10:10b (NIV)

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

But Jesus came for more than teaching us how to live on earth. Jesus came to die on the cross, the worst type of death, to take the consequences of our sins upon Himself, paying our debt, and allowing us to share in His glory forever.

John 3:16–18 (NIV)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

As we remember and celebrate the amazing life that Robert lived, let’s also look to Robert as an example of man who put his hope in Christ, his savior, and found comfort in Jesus’ promise of eternal life.

If you have not put your faith in Jesus as the only one who can help you live the life that you were created to live now and save you from your sins so you can spend eternity in heaven, please don’t let this opportunity pass you by. There would be no better way to honor the amazing man that Robert was than to put your faith in the God that Robert loved. If today is your day, please come see me after the service; I’d love to talk with you.

Prayer of Comfort:

Will you join me in prayer.

God, as we have learned to do in all our experiences, we come to You in the hour of death. We know that You love us, and that You can turn even the shadow of death into the light of morning. Help us now to wait before You with reverent and submissive hearts. Make this a time of opening our eyes and our understanding, and a time of admonishing our hearts and souls. Bless those who feel this sorrow most keenly, and make this a time when we all grow closer to you and feel the love of your son Jesus Christ in new and tangible ways. For it is in your Son Jesus name that we pray.

Amen.

Benediction:

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Go in peace, and may the love of God be with you always.

Amen.