Full Funeral

Wendy Rice 12/24/25 9:00 am

On behalf of the family of ____________, I like to thank each of you for being here today.

             Opening Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, we gather here today to remember the life of ______.  We also gather to say goodbye and celebrate the life that she enjoyed here on earth and thank you for each precious moment and memory that we had with her. We pray that your peace and presence will be upon us during this time and we pray this in the name your Son, Jesus Amen

The word of God gives us such comfort during times like these.

Ps 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Rom 8:35-39 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 1  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. 

Jn 11:25–26 NKJV Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 14:27 (NKJV) 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Eulogy for _________

Message:

As we gather here today to remember the precious life of ________, I know that many of you are dealing with mixed emotions. On the one hand, there are emotions of sadness. Sadness not for Wendy, because she is in a far better place, but sadness because we have lost a very dear loved one. 

But there is great joy knowing that because of the relationship that _______ had with her Lord Jesus Christ, that she has already been in His presence. For the scriptures say in: 2 Cor 5:6-8 “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

And for us Christian there is no greater joy than to be in the presence of the One that loves us like no one else can. So today is not a day of mourning but a day of remembering. It’s not a day of regret but a day of reflecting. 

Today we come to remember 

________’s life and reminisce over all the special moments that we had with her. You see ________ had a relationship that carried some wonderful promises. Let’s look at some that are found in  John chapter 14:1-6.

John 14:1-6 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

  I. The first promise to Christians is that we don’t have to fear death. Jesus said "Don’t let your hearts be troubled" 

We are troubled when we don’t know what is going to happen when we die, but Jesus has taken the fear out of dying.

*He has conquered the grave and death, so there needs to be no fear in our eternal future. Rev 1:17-18 "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. *Do you know what the good news is today? Death had no hold on Him nor does it have a hold on us.

Just think of it...

 ... Of stepping on shore and finding it heaven,

... Of taking hold of a hand and finding it God’s hand,

... Of breathing in new air and finding it heavenly air,

... Of feeling invigorated and finding it immortality,

... Of waking up and finding that you’re home!

That is exactly what ________ has experienced. She has been received by the Lord!  

*Because Jesus conquered death there should be no fear for the Christian because through Christ we also conquer death. 

We are troubled when we view death as an end instead of a beginning.

2 Cor 5:1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

________ life is not over, as a matter of fact, it has just begun.

D.L. Moody the great Evangelist said this:

Soon you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Don't believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before. Earth recedes, Heaven opens before me!

________ has shed the temporary for the eternal, the tarnished for the spotless and the passing for the everlasting.

Yes our earthly bodies die, however our heavenly bodies endure for all eternity.

I love how the Bible puts all this in perspective. 2 Peter 3:8-9 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Not only can we face death without fear, II. The Second Promise is Jesus Prepares a Place for Believer’s in Heaven. What has He Prepared?

Rev 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Think of it: 1) A place with no more sorrow or crying.

a) Heaven is a place where the hurts and disappointment of this world have no more sting.

b) Where the frustrations of life are replaced with unspeakable joys.

c) Where the pains of life are not permitted and the failures of life control us no longer. 2) A place with no more pain.

a)Heaven has no handicap parking places. b) There are not pharmacies and prescriptions to fill. c) Heaven doesn’t have hospitals, nursing homes, or rehabilitation centers.

In The poem: Can This Be Death:

Can this be death—

To be released from fear and sorrow, From sickness, weariness and pain?

To be removed from sin’s enslavement, From Satan’s influence and domain?

Can this be death—

To be presented in His presence,

The One who loves me evermore?

To be accepted in the fullness 

Of Christ, whom I adore?

Can this be death—

To know complete fulfillment

As I look upon His face? To feast upon the glories, And the riches of his grace? No, this is life, With all that it can offer, It is joy that overflows! It is peace that knows no measure, It is victory, for evermore!

3) Heaven is a place of Great beauty.

a) Let me give you a small glimpse of what _______ is looking at right now.

Rev 21:18-21 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 

In the book "Flight To Heaven" Capt. Dale Black shares of his experience of being taken to heaven. He said: I knew that I was made for this place and this place was made for me..

4) Heaven is a place that we will be rewarded for our labor’s of love.

_______ has been rewarded by the Lord.

Because of her love and her faithfulness to the Lord in this life, you can rest assured that she has been rewarded in the next life.

Revelation 14:13 "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. "

How is She being rewarded?

B.The commendation of our Savior and Lord.

She has heard Jesus say to her, "Well done, good and faithful servant "

B. The congratulations of the saints above.

In the song "Thank You" one part says.

One by one they came, far as the eye could see, Each life somehow touched by your generosity.

Little things that you had done, sacrifices made,

Unnoticed on the earth, but in heaven now proclaimed.

I know that up in heaven you’re not supposed to cry,

But I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes

As Jesus took your hand. You stood before the Lord;

He said, "My child, look around you, for great is your reward. “

Thank you for giving to the Lord; I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord; l am so glad you gave.

III. The Third Promise found in John 14 is that:

He Personally Receives Us. 1) Now I want you to imagine this, the moment that _______ took her first breath in Heaven the Lord was right there to welcome her.

a) The first image she saw was the Lord Jesus Christ.

b) He was there with His arms wide open to receive her in to that great mansion that He has prepared for all His children.

c) And for _______, she experienced a love that we can’t even understand.

i) A love that forgives every failure that she had in her life.

ii) A love that mends the hurts only she knew.

iii) A love that understood every feeling that she had.

iv) It is an unconditional love that completely satisfies the longing of her soul.

IV. The Last Promise is that there is only One-way to Enter Heaven. 

_______ also understood that she couldn’t get to heaven on her own merits.  That she needed a Savior to redeem her. 1) Jesus said to Thomas "Thomas you say you don’t know the way to heaven but you do, I am the way, the truth, and the life."

a) More than anything _______ understood this. She understood that without a relationship with the Savior there was no hope of heaven. 

b) She understood that Christ came to take away the sins of the world and that included hers. c) She believed in the greatest promise given to all found in three simple verses: John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

_______’s life revolved around this promise and because of her relationship with the Savior, she is in a place that we can’t imagine and experiencing a love that's beyond words. Conclusion: I know it’s _______’s desire that each one of you have the same relationship she had with the Savior and many of you do. 

However, there might be some of you today that have never given thought to your eternal future, but today you are asking yourself where would I go if I were to leave this world? 

We have seen that Jesus said in:

John 14:6  "Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me." ______ understood that:

a)There is no other way to enter heaven it’s only through a personal relationship with Jesus.

b)  It doesn’t have to do with religion.

c) It doesn’t have to do with being a good person. d) No one can pray you in. a) Wouldn’t it be great to know that you will spend eternity in heaven?  Well the scriptures say that we can know and that’s through a relationship with Jesus

i) Jesus paid the price for us to be saved Rom 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 3) What must I do to have the same relationship with Jesus that _______ had?

a) We must realize that sin has separated us from God. 

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

b) Whether it be a little white lie or a lifestyle you know that is not pleasing to God.

c) We must ask God to forgive us for living that way. 

d) We must ask Him to come and be our personal Lord and Savior.

Rom 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." 

                  Let’s Pray

Dear heavenly Father we once again thank you for the life of _______. We thank you for all the lives that she has touched and the memories that she has left. And now Father, we ask that you comfort the many family members and friends that have gathered here and help us to always remember the shortness of life. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Committal Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:51–58 (NKJV) 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Revelation 21:1-7 (NKJV) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 

Psalm 23, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, 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.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 

COMMITTAL

For as much as it has pleased  Almighty God to receive the soul of __________, we therefore commit her body to the Lord, Jesus Christ, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, looking for that blessed hope when the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the  dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the  Lord, wherefore  comfort ye one  another with these words.

Prayer:

Benediction:

The LORD bless you, and keep you: The LORD make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. AMEN