Funeral # 2: John Cordell
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 14 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Welcome
Welcome
We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of a one Mr John Cordell
On behalf of Ridgecrest Family Church, will like to extend our most sincere condolences to
Heather
Quinton
Warren
Jo-Ann
Loren
All extended family
Friends
Open in prayer
We will begin proceedings with a slideshow, in honour of John
Slideshow
Slideshow
Sit down and allow slide show to run
Devotion
Devotion
It is always very difficult to have to say goodbye to a loved one
It is particularly difficult to say goodbye to someone who was as loved and appreciated as John was
I never knew John, but from my dealings with Jo-Ann, it has pleased me to hear that in numerous tributes and sympathy messages that have been passed on to the family over this time, repeated personality traits that best describe John include the following:
In tributes and sympathy messages passed on to the family over this time , repeated personality traits best describing John include:
, in tributes and sympathy messages passed on to the family over this time, repeated personality traits best describing John include:
‘Gentle, humble, kind, patient, sincere, selfless and a person with a heart of gold’
‘Gentle, humble, kind, patient, sincere, selfless and a person with a heart of gold’
The loss of such as person leaves a horrible void
It leaves us desperate for help
The question this morning is where can we turn for support and comfort?
While the family has been blessed with the support of so many at this time, there is a sense in which the support of our fellow human beings can only go so far
We need more
I would like to show from Scripture this morning that the love and support and comfort of our Lord is far greater than anything we could ever experience apart from Him
It is all-encompassing, all-embracing, fully sufficient
I would like to show that to experience the fullness thereof, we need to look in 4 directions
The fullness of the comfort of our Lord begins as we look up
1. Look up - His overshadowing wings
1. Look up - His overshadowing wings
I love the words of a modern worship song, which say, “I will look up, for there is none above you.”
Jesus said:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
We do not always look for help in the right places
Isn’t it comforting to know that God has given us an open invitation to come to Him and that we know that there is no greater authority than He?
We do not always look for help in the right places
But when we look to God, we will find Him sufficient, even as the Psalmist says in
As the Psalmist says in
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
As you look up, may you find refuge in His overshadowing wings
But the fullness of the comfort of our Lord comes also as we look down
2. Look down - His everlasting arms
2. Look down - His everlasting arms
tells us, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
This concept of everlasting arms conjures in my mind the image of a father
Cradling and supporting a child
The eternal God is your dwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
And he thrust out the enemy before you
and said, ‘Destroy.’
It was moving to hear of John and how he had
Welcomed Heather’s two sons Warren and Quinton unconditionally into the family
Later, he had two daughters of his own - Jo-Ann and Loren
To raise 4 children requires immense dedication and speaks volumes about his character
As Jo-Ann says, “He was a committed family man who loved his wife, children, grandchildren and various family dogs over the years deeply and selflessly.”
I enjoyed hearing about
The recent celebration of 46 years of marriage, a story of unfailing love and commitment
It was a pleasure to hear of John being able to marry together his love for gardening and his love for his wife by practically working together with and supporting her in this joint venture called Heatherbells
How does one replace the support of a man like that?
I like to remind myself of the Lord Jesus Christ, who swept up the little children in His arms, blessing them and laying His hands upon them
As you look down, I pray that you may find the support of His everlasting arms
Even as you do so, know that the fullness of the comfort of our God comes also as we look about us
3. Look around - His encamping angels
3. Look around - His encamping angels
We read in that
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
This is a very sobering thought
We so often think of God as this transcendent being, who resides in the heavens
Yet, the Psalmist says that the angel of the Lord - a term that is understood to be synonymous with God Himself - encamps around those who fear Him
Not only this!
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
We see evidence of this promise throughout Sripture
Pslam 91:11
For me, perhaps the most striking is the example of Elisha and his servant
Elish’s servant rose in the morning, only to find that they were surrounded by the enemy
The servant is distraught and cries out, “Alas, my master, what shall we do?”
Elisha replies, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Elisha prays that God would open the eyes of his servant
When God does, he sees the mountains full of horses and chariots of fire
As you look about you, may you be reminded of the presence of His holy angels, who have been tasked to watch over those who God calls His own
Even as you do this, I pray that you will know the fullness of the comfort of God as you look within
4. Look inside - His peace
4. Look inside - His peace
John was described as a true gentleman who would go out of his way to assist whoever crossed his path in whatever way he could without ever expecting anything in return
A Song of Ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
I would like to show from the Word of God this morning that there is a love, a support, a comfort, that extends beyond mere platitudes
John was a true gentleman and would go out of his way to assist whoever crossed his path in whatever way he could without ever expecting anything in return.
John was described as a true gentleman who would go out of his way to assist whoever crossed his path in whatever way he could without ever expecting anything in return
There is no
The passing of a loved one leaves a void that seems as though it can never be filled
Yet, Paul, in his letter to the church in Philippi says,
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As we begin to seek after God, through prayer and supplication
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As we begin to open our hearts to Him and communicate with Him, Paul says,
He will grant us peace, which surpasses all understanding
This peace
Does not make sense
It is unreasonable
It shows up when you least expect it
You cannot explain it
You can only experience it
My encouragement to each any every one of you this morning is to take Paul’s advice
Even as he tells the church in Colossea
Colossians
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
This concept of “letting” suggests that God will not simply give you His peace
He requires something of you
Won’t you come to Him today
Look up, finding shelter beneath His wings,
Look down, and find the support of His everlasting arms
Look around, being conscious of his angels and His all-encompassing embrace
Look within, and enjoy the inexplicable peace that can only come from the God of peace Himself
Pray
Hymn
Hymn
I now invite you to stand and to join us in the singing of “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
Eulogies
Eulogies
I would now like to call upon those giving eulogies to come forward
Reading
Reading
I would now like to share a reading, which has been prepared by Jo-Ann
Acknowledgments –
Acknowledgments –
I would now like to call upon Anthony Du Plessis to share the acknowledgments
Lady in Red – Chris De Burgh
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
1 Thessalonians 3:16
Dismissal
Dismissal
I would like to conclude the service with the words of Paul to the Thessalonians
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
We will be playing a special dedication as we make our way outside for refreshments
Lady in Red - Chris De Burgh