Memorial Service for Lisa Elizabeth Shor

Welcome to the memorial service of Lisa Shor.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Lisa myself.

But they say you can learn a lot about the character of someone by examining the characteristics of those they’ve influenced.

So we look at one of the individuals Lisa had the most influence over. Her son Billy.

He’s got a strength about him that’s unusual for a 17 year old.

He’s got a sensitive heart and cares about the people around him.

He understands the significance of life and the importance of honor. More than anything, Billy wants to honor the memory of his mom.

He’s got courage.

If we can gain insight into what kind of person Lisa was, we can look at the kind of person she raised.

Billy, if your mom were able to speak to you today, I know she’d tell you how proud she is of you.

And you carry the memory of her and you honor her by simply continuing to be the kind of man she raised you to be.

I’d like to begin by reading a portion of the Bible and I need to warn you; what I’m about to read may sound strange at first.

Ecclesiastes 7:2–4 CSB

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. 3 Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. 4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

Ecclesiastes 13

At first thought, these words seem to defy common sense. They seem the exact opposite of what we try to experience.

It’s better to mourn than to celebrate.

Grief is better than laughter.

Sorrow can lead to Joy.

As strange as it all may sound. It’s true. But what the writer of this strange portion of Scripture wants us to understand is ...

There’s more to learn at a funeral than at a party.

More insight and wisdom for life is gained through grief than through laughter.

And while there are seasons of sadness the opportunity for joy is with us every morning.

So why are we all here this morning and what are our objectives?

We’re to honor and celebrate the 53 years of life that Lisa was given.

We’re here to support the family and friends that Lisa has left behind.

And we’re here to learn something about life and gain some insight that hopefully will motivate each of us to take risks, to do things that matter, and to love others well.

Let’s start by honoring & celebrating Lisa’s life. If you’d like to share a special memory, or a lesson you learned from her life, or simply to share what she meant to you, please come up to microphone and share with us.

(after a few people have spoken, ask Billy to come up and tell us about his mom).

In 1717, Anne Steele was born. Just after her 3rd birthday her mother died. Various injuries took their tole and by the age of 19 she was completely disabled. She was engaged to be married at 21, but on the day of her wedding her fiance drowned.

Despite her many sufferings, she maintained a cheerful attitude and strength of heart and began writing poetry that encourages and comforts hearts even today.

Her life is a reminder that beauty can come from brokenness and there is always a rainbow after the storm.

One poem she wrote that is relevant to our situation today is titled:

So fades the lovely, blooming flower

So fades the lovely blooming flow’r, Frail, smiling solace of an hour; So soon our transient comforts fly, And pleasure only blooms to die.

Is there no kind, no healing art, To soothe the anguish of the heart? Spirit of grace, be ever nigh; Thy comforts are not made to die.

Let gentle patience smile on pain, Till dying hope revives again, Hope wipes the tear from sorrow’s eye, And faith points upward to the sky.

What Anne is telling us is not so different than what the writer in that strange portion of scripture I read earlier is telling us:

What they’re telling us is that one of life’s greatest teachers is death.

Teachers play an important part in the human experience. All of us, in way or another, for better or worse, are affected by the teachers in our lives. Indeed, Billy was positively affected by lessons learned from his mom.

Some of life’s teachers are our parents. Some are in our school systems. Some are brothers and sisters. Some are classmates. Some are found in the church. There are other teachers encountered in the work place. Some give lectures and motivational speeches.

There are teachers all around us and they impact our lives from the cradle to the grave.

As the writer in Ecclesiastes reminds us and as Anne poetically shared with us, there is a classroom that often try to avoid and there is a teacher that is incredibly difficult to listen to. The classroom is the grave and the teacher is death.

But if we have ears to hear and hearts that are open even the tragic and painful death of a loved one becomes a teachable moment that can direct the course of our lives.

Let’s listen while God’s word speaks to us about death.

Hebrews 9:27 CSB

27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—

Some might be offended by the word, “judgment” but it simply means that you and I will give an account for how we’ve lived our lives.

You have no control over when you’re born, where you’re born, or whose family you’re born into.

You have no control over when you die or how death knocks at the door of your life.

But you have an incredible amount of power in the time between. Lisa was born in 1966 and died in 2019. What matters is how she lived her life in the space between.

And what matters is how you and I live our lives in the space between. And so death teaches us some things about how to live and how to understand life.

First, we’re reminded of the reality of death.

It was brief, but clear. Everyone is going to die. More than one person is dying every second—four thousand an hour, 96,000 a day, more than 35 million a year.

Some people refuse to think about death.

Some people have a careless attitude toward death.

Others live in fear of it.

Some deal with it through the eyes of Faith in Jesus.

But death doesn’t play favorites. Saint and sinner, rich and poor, Hollywood Celebrities and your average WaWa employee all experience it.

Psalm 90:12 CSB

12 Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

Teach us to realize how short life is. It’s not guaranteed to any of us.

So we’re reminded of the reality of death but it also causes us to wonder why death exists in the first place?

The death of a loved one causes us to think of the reason for death.

This is a tough reality, for sure, but whether you believe in God or not. Whether you think the stories about Jesus, God’s only son dying on a cross to rescue us and overcoming death and the grave are true or not. Regardless of what you believe about the Bible, you still have to face the reality of death.

The Bible tells us that death entered the planet of earth when the first man & woman disobeyed God. Humankind did what God forbade. Death—an intruder, an alien to God’s desire for our good—came and entered our world. Since Adam represented the human race all of humanity inherited his tragic death genes.

It may not seem fair, but it’s like a football team who gets penalized for the error of one player. God must keep his word. The good news us, God offers freedom from death’s grip through Jesus.

Romans 6:23 CSB

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As we consider the reality of death and the reason for death we also need to consider the realm of death.

I know this is hard to hear, but i don’t think any of us need to be convinced that we’ve done wrong things, that we’ve hurt others.

The

The death of a loved one forces us to consider what kind of life we want to life, what kind of legacy we want to leave behind, and whether or not we’re ready for life after death.

Finally, it challenges us to be ready for death.

Finally,

I’ve been on many journeys and adventures in my life and one thing I’ve learned is that the more significant the journey, the more thorough my preparations should be.

If I’m going on vacation, I’m not going to think too much about what I’m going to wear, but if I’m going to a Pastor’s conference I’m going to think through what I bring a little more carefully.

As we’ve learned in our time together, there’s a significant journey we all must take, the only difference is, none of us knows when we must take it. So we must be ready.

As I read earlier, the Psalmist urges us:

Psalm 90:12 CSB

12 Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

How can we do it?

Think honestly about it. Contemplate the reality that we will not always be here in this world. You can develop your philosophy of life and death. Are you going to live it up, look out for # 1, have as much fun as you can, and make as much money as you can or are you going to treat each day as a gift, and an opportunity to positively impact the lives of those around you. It’s up to you. You’ve only got one life to live. So choose wisely.

Make every moment count! How do we do that?

Wake up smiling! When you put a smile on your face first thing in the morning your brain gets reprogrammed to think more positively throughout the day.

Set daily goals. And they don’t have to be crazy…determine to feel a certain way no matter what happens or choose to compliment a certain number of people.

Express your love. Don’t let a day go by without letting those closest to you know just how much they mean to you!

Do what’s right. The right thing to do is not always the easy thing to do but if you want to make the most of every moment and everyday, choose to be a person that has character and integrity.

Spread JOY wherever you go! Be kind. Smile at people behind the grocery counter. Appreciate your friends, co-workers, teachers, etc… Donate your time, pick up trash, call your mom or dad, text your siblings, be kind to customer service! :-) It’s the little things that make the biggest difference!

Mend broken fences. Keep short accounts with disagreements and anger. Be quick to say “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you”. Seek peace in your relationships as much as possible so that regret will not be your companion in years ahead.

So think about death honestly. Make every moment count.

And prepare to meet God. Remember what read? Everyone who is born, dies and after that they give an account for how they lived in the space between.

Romans 6:23 CSB

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only way to be fully prepared for death is by placing your faith in the one who conquered death: Jesus Christ.

There’s no better time than right now to settle your eternal destiny and to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior & Lord.

It’s simpe:

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Paul wrote, “Where, death is your sting?… But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Yes, there’s a whole lot to be learned at a funeral. May we apply these lessons and live the lives we were created to live.

Let us pray.