Funeral Service for Shirley Weigner

Call to Worship

Invocation

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Meditation

Reflection: Michael Weigner

Benediction

We gather today for two purposes.  One is to glorify God, as He is the author of life.  The other is to celebrate the life of Shirley Weigner.

On behalf of the Central Schwenkfelder Church, deepest sympathy is extended to her sister Betty Jane, John and Chet Weigner, Peggy and Gene McDermott and Michael Weigner.

This morning, we turn to the Scriptures to shed light on our situation. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 states,

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- A time to give birth, and a time to die… .”

This passage might give us the impression that death is something natural, just because it is expected.  After all, the Scripture attributes a time for everything under heaven.  There is a certain inevitability associated with death.  But it is never to be thought of natural in the purest sense. 

Death entered our world for a reason.  That reason is due to the presence of sin.   Romans 5:12 states,

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned… .” 

As a result of the Fall and our disobedience to God, humankind suffered the sentence of death.  All people die because all sin. We are told in Hebrews 9:27 that

“...it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment… .”

Every human being has an appointment to appear before the sovereign God of the universe and give an account for his/her  life. 

But as frightening as this situation may sound, it was for this reason that Jesus Christ came to this earth as God incarnate so many years ago.  Christ died and rose again to abolish death for those who trust in Him.  Note Christ’s words in John 11:25,

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.”  

The believer possesses the sweet knowledge and anticipation of life after death, because Jesus arose from the dead.  The Christian lives in this world knowing that his real home is not of this world.  Rather God has prepared a place for him. 

So how can we access this gift of life after death?  It is not through being a good person or adhering to a moral code.  Rather, it is through the gifts of repentance and faith.  Jesus preached at the outset of His ministry throughout the villages of Galilee:

“The time is fulfilled; the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repentance is a change of heart and mind.  It means we go from your way of living to God’s way of living.  It is implied in the act of confession, when a person comes before the Lord and seeks His forgiveness for the offensive things he has done.

And there’s faith.  Faith is not just believing that there is a God.  Most people believe that there is a God.  Faith, rather, is embracing God and following Him.  Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny Himself; take up His cross and follow Me.” 

Death is a transition from one state of life to another.  The apostle Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 5:1:

“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 

And, that when we are “…absent from the body, we are …at home with the Lord.” 

This is good news for the Christian, especially when he finds himself in a world where there is so much death. 

So there is urgency for all to repent of their sins and place their trust in Jesus Christ, in order to possess heaven as their home.

We are also here to reflect upon the life of Shirley Weigner. Shirley grew up in Lansdale off of Columbia Avenue. She was an outgoing person who was loving, friendly and always smiling and happy. Shirley was well-liked.

Shirley was eager to help others. She was employed as the dental assistant for Dr. Sands, longtime dentist in Lansdale. One one occasion, a lady came in who obviously struggled with her eyesight. She complained of her feet hurting. Shirley noticed that her shoes were on backwards. Instead of laughing at her, she calmly came around from the desk and switched her shoes for her. She was grateful for Shirley’s kindness.

But she was not just kind. She was also knowledgeable about her trade and would perform tasks reserved for the doctors. Dr. Blum of Philadelphia would tell her: “You should have been a dentist, Shirley.”

Shirley spent much of her time working, but she did have some special interests. She enjoyed knitting and made Christmas stockings for many of her family members.

During the month of July, she would travel, as the dental office would close. During that time she would travel to Florida, or Alaska, or different points in Europe. She also enjoyed Cape Cod and the Jersey shore. She especially liked the Canadian Rockies in Banf and Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.

People from home would see her on vacation and ask for appointments. She was so liked that people would give her gifts. One person would regularly give her a lottery ticket.

After her retirement from the dental practice, Shirley worked for Rome and Haas for nearly ten years. All totaled she worked some 47 years in our community.

Shirley was a dog lover. She especially loved Boston Terriers and had three that were dear to her heart.

Shirley was family oriented, dedicated to her work. She also had strong relationships. for instance, there was a small group of six women who knew each other from high school days. They would frequently get together. Shirley treasured her friendships with Hoff, Murph, Dottie, and Mary Ann. She was affectionately known as “Wiggy.”

Shirley was a long time member of Central Schwenkfelder Church where she sang in the choir.

She would like to be remembered as a caring person that everyone liked. Her niece by marriage, Chet, said: “I loved her right away. I enjoyed her company and was blessed to help her on occasion.” She was the life of the party; a lady with great wit, who enjoyed making others laugh.

As you say goodbye to her today, may the Lord grant your His grace to trust Him for comfort and strength. Amen.