Debra Martin

Amazing Grace

Dying, Christ destroyed our death.

Rising, Christ restored our life.

Christ will come again in glory.

As in baptism Debra put on Christ,

so in Christ may Debra be clothed with glory.

Here and now, dear friends, we are God's children.

What we shall be has not yet been revealed;

but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him,

for we shall see him as he is.

Those who have this hope purify themselves

as Christ is pure.

Let us Pray

O God, from whom all blessings flow, we come in great need of Your blessing. You and You alone know our broken hearts; You know the grief we experience. Out of our emptiness we come to You. Our reservoir of strength has been depleted; our souls are bare; our feelings are numb. Lord, we need You.

The seas of our life have been turbulent with sickness, pain, and separation. There have been times when we have cried out, “Why me?” We are filled with questions. We do not have the answers, so we come to You. Teach us to trust You, steady our faith so that in this darkness we may see Your light.

O God, grant that in all our grief we may turn to You. Grant us the peace of Your consolation and the joy of Your love. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.[1]

THE WORD OF GRACE

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and I am life.

Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I hold the keys of hell and death.

Because I live, you shall live also.

GREETING

Friends, we have gathered here to praise God and to witness to our faith as we celebrate the life of Debra Martin.

We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss.

May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort,

ort, in sorrow hope, in death resurrection.

in sorrow hope, in death resurrection.

Debra Martin, age 64 of Greenville, Ohio passed away at 6:25 PM Tuesday June 19, 2018 at the State of the Heart Hospice Care Center in Greenville. She was born January 1, 1954 in Greenville and daughter of Carolyn (Wentworth) Davenport of Greenville and the late Jerry Martin.

She was a 1972 graduate of Greenville Senior High School, a 1977 graduate of The Ohio State University and for the past 20 years had been employed as a teacher with the Greenville City School System.

In addition to her father she was preceded in death by her brother Greg Martin and brother-in-law Jim Bailie.

Debra’s survivors in addition to her mother are Sisters Cindy (Buz) Schweibold of Centerville, Ohio and Angie Bailie of Union, KY; sister-in-law Jill Martin of Sidney, Ohio; seven nieces and nephews and eight great nieces and nephews.

I have to mention her cats, Debra loved her cats. She had three cats, and being a Cat person, myself, I can relate. She had a grey and white one, one named Anne, and one named Rosebud. She lived for her cats.

She also loved her students. She saw her students as kinda her children. She told how proud she was of their accomplishments. She was as exciting as a mother as she explain one of HER STUDENTS, one of her pupils, one of her beloved scholars was also going to be a history teacher.

I discovered the first time I met Debra, for her history was not an cold dried up prudish subject, it was instead, it was alive with hope and direction for the future. As we discussed the Civil War, or the last forty years of political intrigue, the color would return to her face, and she would become animated in way she had not been before. I really enjoyed our conversations. I know I will miss her, and I know you, her family, friends, and former students will as well. But she has left you with a garden filled with memories.

In the Garden

Psalm 23 NASB95

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I 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 my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Debra’s survivors in addition to her mother are Sisters Cindy (Buz) Schweibold of Centerville, Ohio and Angie Bailie of Union, KY; sister-in-law Jill Martin of Sidney, Ohio; seven nieces and nephews and eight great nieces and nephews.

1 Corinthians 15:

1 Corinthians 15:42–44 NASB95

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

John 14:1–4 NASB95

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “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. “And you know the way where I am going.”

Title: Christ’s Word of Comfort

Introduction

Jesus was about to leave his disciples, and their hearts were heavy with sorrow. Their dearest Friend was no longer to be physically present. This was more than they could bear. Jesus, sensing this, said, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” This was what they needed for their hour of crisis.

We stand much in the same position today. Our friend, Debra, has been removed from our midst, and our hearts are breaking with sorrow.

I believe that the same message that Jesus gave two thousand years ago to those sorrowing disciples, he gives to us in this hour. Basically, Jesus gives us three promises we can trust in.

I. Trust that God is sufficient.

“You believe in God, believe also in me.”

A. Our loved one embodied this faith. Early in life Debra placed her trust in Jesus. Every step of her life was lived in this faith. Like Enoch, she “walked with God and he was not, for God took him.” God simply said, “I’ve left you on earth long enough. Now I want you home with me.” Debra’s faith was different, but it was very real. She told me, “I often spend time just taking to Jesus.” She also assured me, more than once, “things with Jesus are OK.”

B. This same faith sustains us today. It helps us to see that God is working for good in all things for those who love him and are called according to his purpose

Romans 8:28 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

C. Our faith tells us that God’s grace is sufficient for our every need in the hour of crisis.

II. Trust that death is not the end.

It is the beginning of a richer, fuller, more abundant life than we have ever known. “I will come again and receive you unto myself.” We often talked together about how death was not end of long dark hall way, but a door that opened into a new adventure.

A. It means that Debra is today with Christ.

B. She is in heaven with all of its glories.

C. There is no more sorrow or heartache for her. There is no more suffering. She is now released from all this. Instead, there is joy and happiness and peace.

D. For Debra it is a time of reward. Jesus will say to him, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

III. Trust that we can see our loved one again.

“Where I am, there ye may be also.”

A. One day Jesus shall come for us also.

B. We, too, shall be with our Savior and with those whom “we have loved and lost for a while.” That husband or wife, that father or mother, that sister or brother will be seen and known before the throne of God.

Conclusion

This is our Christian faith. This is why we do not come to this hour with unrestrained sorrow and grief. This is why we can even rejoice in the victory Debra has experienced. This is what Christ does for his own! These are the promises we have, promises we can trust in: Trust that God is sufficient, Trust that death is not the end, and Trust that we can see Debra again.

Let us Pray

Dear God of eternity, life is so precious to each of us that all that is within us says no to death. We see death as the dark, mysterious enemy that destroys the good that You have created.

Help us to see death as You see it: not the end but the beginning, not a wall but a doorway, not a dark road but a path that leads to eternal light and life.

We will miss Debra, but we thank You, Lord, for memories. May our minds and hearts be filled with the wonderful recollections of the past.

Help our sadness to wear a smile as the passing of time wipes the tears away. Time can be a great physician, healing the void that we now feel.

Every life is a gift from You, dear Father. Thank You for sharing this special person’s life with us. We will cherish the memory forever. Amen.

How Great Thou Art