Diane Parker Funeral

A Life of Love, A Shepherd Who Leads Us Home

Memorial

Today, we gather because we have lost someone we love.

And whenever we gather like this, there are really two things that are happening.

We are remembering a life.

And we are confronting death.

Those two things can be difficult to hold together.

Because when we think about Dian, we don't want to think about the last days or the last moments. We want to think about her life.

We want to remember where she came from.

Diane grew up right here in Arab. She went through the Arab school system and graduated from Arab High School. This was home to her.

But more than anything, Dian's life was about people.

She was devoted to caring for her mother, Ora-Faye, especially in her later years. She loved her daughter, Kim. And she loved her grandchildren, Steve Jr. and Amber.

And from what I understand, those were some of the most important people in her entire life.

That's one of the things I think is important for us to remember today.

A meaningful life isn't always measured by how much you accomplish. Sometimes it's measured by how much you love.

And Dian loved her family.

There were simple things she enjoyed, too.

A cup of coffee sitting on the porch.

Listening to Conway Twitty.

And apparently, scrolling Facebook reels of funny puppies with Amber.

Those may seem like small things.

But when you love somebody, those aren't small things anymore.

Those become the things you remember.

That's what happens when someone we love dies. Suddenly, the ordinary moments become extraordinary.

A cup of coffee.

A song.

A laugh.

A conversation.

A porch.

A funny video that probably wasn't nearly as funny as Amber thought it was.

Those are the things we hold onto.

And today, we hold onto those memories because we love Dian.

Gospel Transition

But as Christians, we also have something more than memories.

We have hope.

And I want to read a familiar passage of Scripture today.

In Psalm 23. David writes:

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.

David doesn't say that life will always be easy.

He doesn't say that God's people will never experience pain.

He doesn't say that we won't walk through difficult valleys.

In fact, he says exactly the opposite.

Look at verse 4:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

The valley is real.

Death is real.

Grief is real.

The pain that you feel today is real.

But David reminds us that we don't walk through the valley alone.

“The Lord is my shepherd.”

And I think that's a beautiful picture for a day like today.

Because Dian spent so much of her life caring for other people.

She cared for her mother.

She cared for her daughter.

She cared for her grandchildren.

She spent her life loving and serving the people who mattered most to her.

And now, as we gather here, we're reminded that there is a Shepherd who cares for us.

A Shepherd who doesn't abandon us when we enter the valley.

A Shepherd who walks with us through it.

And ultimately, we know that Shepherd's name.

His name is Jesus.

Jesus said in John 10:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

That's the hope of the Gospel.

Our hope isn't that death isn't real.

Our hope is that Jesus has overcome death.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came into this world, lived the perfect life that we could never live, died the death that our sin deserved, and three days later, He walked out of the grave.

And because Jesus lives, death does not get the final word.

That's why Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 15:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

That's the Christian hope.

Not that we don't grieve.

We absolutely grieve.

Jesus Himself stood at the tomb of His friend Lazarus and wept.

So if you're hurting today, that's okay.

If you feel the weight of Dian's absence, that's okay.

If you find yourself thinking about her and wishing you could hear her voice again, that's okay.

Grief is the price we pay for loving someone deeply.

But for the Christian, grief is not hopeless.

Because we believe that death is not the end.

And that's why Psalm 23 doesn't end in the valley.

It ends at home.

David says:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Forever.

That's the promise.

And today, as we remember Dian, I hope you'll remember the things that made her Dian.

Remember her growing up here in Arab.

Remember the way she cared for her mother.

Remember how much she loved Kim.

Remember Steve Jr. and Amber.

Remember the coffee on the porch.

Remember Conway Twitty playing in the background.

Remember those funny puppy videos.

Remember the ordinary moments.

Because those ordinary moments were really the extraordinary gift of a life shared with someone you love.

But don't just remember Dian today.

Remember the Shepherd.

Because the same God who walked with Dian through her life is the God who walks with you through your grief.

And if you're here today and you don't know Jesus, perhaps that's the most important thing you can hear.

One day, every one of us will walk through that valley.

The question isn't whether we'll face death.

The question is:

Who will be with you when you do?

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.”

And He invites us to trust Him.

To follow Him.

To give our lives to Him.

And to place our hope in Him.

Because for those who belong to Christ, the valley isn't the end of the story.

Home is.

And that's where our hope is today.

Would you pray with me?

Grave Side

1 Corinthians 15:50–58 ESV

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power 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 brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.