Grave side Marge Rystrom

Opening Words

Dear friends…and family..

Today we gather with gratitude to commit Marge Rystrom into the hands of the Lord she loved.

We are not here just to mark the end of her earthly journey, but to celebrate a life that was lived well—faithfully, generously, and for the glory of God.

Marge finished her race with her eyes fixed on Christ, and now she rests in His presence.

She has entered into the joy of His rest—the goal of her faith—where she now hears the words: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Almighty God, You are our refuge and strength.

We thank You for Marge’s life—her faith, her compassion, and her service.

Comfort us as we remember her,

fill our hearts with hope, and remind us of the promises we have in Christ Jesus, who conquered death and gives eternal life. Amen.

SCRIPTURE..

When I was thinking about Marge and this services.. — I thought about here missionary Spirit… Not only did she love God… She loved people

And want then to the Lord as their savior…..…

She was missionary — in every sense of the word…

She never hung her harp.. she never stopped living our her calling..

even after retiring..

She continued to serve where she could,. … I had the privileged being here pastor and serving with her on our churches leadership team and missions committee ..

We were so blessed to Marge…who was seasoned and who enriched our lives and ministry.

This afternoon...

I would Like to turn our thoughts to a passage of scripture that captures — the essence of Marge’s heart for Gods mission.. .. … .. and that is..

Psalm 96:1–13 ESV

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Psalms 96 calls For God’s people to lift their eyes beyond themselves, to see the world as God sees it.

It is a song of proclamation of Gods mission in the world.....

It’s about .. The very heart of God, who desires that all people know His love.,

that none perish but all find eternal life..

This was Marges heart…

This was her JOY —

Most of us in Richvale remember seeing Marge riding into town on her bike … to get mail at the past office.

I often bumped in to Marge.. she always stopped..

And She always asked, “How are you doing, Brenden? How’s Pam? How are the children?”

There was genuine, love and concern… thats the way she was ..not only with us but with everyone ..

She was a true missionary.

Years ago, I mentioned Hudson Taylor in a sermon.

Afterward services , Marge came up to me, her face lighting up, and said, “That’s my guy—CIM!”

China Inland Missions was her sending agency,

Hudson Taylor—was the missionary who was brave enough to the interior of China where no one else dared—

Marge embodied the missionary spirit..to go to the end of the earth…to fulfill her calling.. and proclamation Jesus..

Her later years were filled with the joy of companionship with marriage to Don..

I missed the wedding… but I saw the blessing of their union… two of the most amazing people! Don and Marge were just the perfect match… together the found companionship and built a home that was full of Gods love and laughter and care..

Marge lived well, and she finished well. Her life-reminds us that faithfulness, love, and service are never wasted—they leave a mark that endures

Susan is going to less us a special.

Readings.

It times like this we draw strength from the promises of God words…

We as beleivers have..the assurance of hope.. …that goes beyond this life..

.. Our hope is described in

Hebrews as a ..

“sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” that reaches beyond the spiritual veil, with Jesus as the forerunner..

The apostle Peter..encourage the church to endure during difficult times times … reminded them…suffering always ends in glory..

We have a living Hope.

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

What amazing promise to hold onto this the Hope of Eternal life.. as we commit Marge to the Lord..

We are now going to have the

Committal

In the light of the promises God has given us in His Word, and in as much as it has pleased the Lord to take from us the one whom we have loved, we now commit Marge to His care.

We believe in the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have a sure and certain hope that just as Jesus lived, died, and was the first to rise from the dead, we too shall have new life and will join our heavenly Father.

We now entrust Marge to the care of Almighty God and ask our Father to open the doors to her heavenly home, leading her to the room He has prepared just for her.

As we commit her body to its final resting place—earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust—we commend her spirit to its new home.

May the eternal light of Christ shine upon Marge.

These things we ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen and Amen.