Grave Site Funeral Service

We have gathered here this afternoon in God's presence as family and friends to remember the life of _______________ . We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss. May God grant us grace,,, that in pain we may find comfort,,, in sorrow, we find hope,,, and in death,,, we have the promise of resurrection.

Ever since that I was asked to deliver this service today,,, I've felt God leading me to this scripture.

This service is for those that are here today.

It's not for ??????,,, even though it is in remembrance of her.

She has lived a very long and blessed life.

She must have been loved and cared for very well to have been as happy as she appeared to be from the stories that I've been told.

That's why I believe that her days of trouble on this earth are over.

But for all of us that are left,,, we must be sure that we are on the right path so that we can spend eternity in heaven.

That's why I feel like this scripture is appropriate for today.

John Chapter 14 verses 1 through 6

I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

1 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If we are Christians today,,, our hearts should not be troubled because Jesus gave us this reassurance while He was teaching His disciples the night before He was arrested and,,, we also have ,,, where Paul says: 8 and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord.

For those of you that are Christians,,, days like today aren't the end.

They really should be a day of celebration,,, since their troubles on earth are over.

But I know from experience that we don't really want our loved ones to leave us so I know there is always sadness associated with death.

But it's a sadness that can be overtaken by the knowledge that our loved ones are at peace with Jesus now even though we miss them terribly.

That's why a lot of times so much emphasis is put on the ones that are in attendance.

And I'm sure that if she could get word back to us today,,, she would want us to be sure that we have made our commitment to Jesus Christ.

That's why that I thought that we should look at this scripture briefly today.

We have these words from Jesus that He gave to His disciples,,, that were intending to comfort them through the trials that He knew was coming for them,,, (and through Bible reading and study,,, they are written to comfort us today through the loss of our loved ones).