Nancy C. Murfin - 5/16/17
Funeral for Nancy C. Murfin
We assemble today to mourn the loss and remember and celebrate the life of Nancy Murfin.
We turn to the Bible for comfort. The apostle Paul wrote,
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
Paul does not tell us that we shouldn’t grieve . . . he says we should not grieve like those who have no hope. This creates a tension for us today. You have suffered a great loss - but your mom has also received a great promotion: Today she is with Jesus in paradise!
Again, quoting Paul,
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:1-4)
This is the confident hope we want to affirm today.
Since this is a celebration of life and of the hope that is ours in Christ. Joyce is going to come and read to us two joyful Psalms. (Psalm 149, 150)
Please pray with me.
O Lord our God, we turn to you today and ask you to help us cling to your promise of life beyond the grave. Assist us as we remember so we may pay tribute to a life that was well-lived. Bring back the memories of life after these weeks of intense focus on dying. Stir up the sure hope that is part of the gospel message. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SONG: I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
Nancy Murfin was a woman who loved life. Life was not easy for her but she had the wonderful ability to see the positive and cherish what is good rather than dwell on what was difficult.
Nancy enjoyed the simple things of life.
Fishing in a lake, a pond or anything else
Listening to gospel music
Dancing with her sister and friends
Watching the Voice and talking about what she thought of the contestants with her children.
Cooking for her family (especially her Turkey Dressing)
Eating catfish or crab legs
Tending to flowers
Pulling a prank
Playing Cards
Having Pepsi with peanuts
Sewing
Painting
Doing puzzles
Eating onions (in everything!!!)
She enjoyed doing whatever it was she was doing!
She was a beautiful young girl. She had long blonde hair and married at 14 because her dad was getting old and he wanted to make sure there would be someone there to care for her.
Nancy had a great sense of humor. Her kids would call her to share something that had happened to them and she would roar with laughter! She believed you could cry or laugh about life . . . she chose to laugh. She was one of those people who was always giving people a hard time. Even near the end when everyone was hovered around the bed she said, “I’m not dead yet!” She would mess with Doctors, Nurses, her kids, grandkids or anyone else who would give her an open door.
When she was in the hospital on the ventilator she wrote a note to Mary Helen asking if the Vent could be taken off for just 20 minutes so she could have a cup of coffee?
If you wanted to get Nancy . . . she was easy to scare. She didn’t like surprised and she hated snakes. She couldn’t even listen to someone talking about snakes! However, one day when a snake was found in the house she beat the snake to death to protect her home and her children!
One time when she was out fishing, she caught a fish that she could not reel in because it was so heavy. She was not about to lose a good catch like this . . . so, she just started running while holding onto her pole until she pulled the fish to the shore!
Nancy’s sense of humor was not a substitute for discipline when the kids were growing up. She was not a happy go lucky pushover! She was soft spoken but carried “big stick”. She didn’t believe any of this “I’m going to count to three nonsense”. If she told you to do something she expected it to be done immediately or . . . you could go get your own switch and it better be a good one or the punishment would be worse!
Nancy was very strong both physically and emotionally. When she got cancer she never complained. She believed she was a lucky woman. She had the support of her family and that filled her with strength. When she was in the hospital one time it looked like she would be too weak to go to Florida. She went anyway, and in a day or two she was climbing steps as if she had never been sick!
One of the greatest lessons she taught her children was: take care of your family. Stick together in all things. She showed this by example. In fact, she taught strength, character, and faith all by example.
Nancy’s greatest love was her family. She had a way of letting everyone know they were loved . . . from the oldest to the newest great-great-grandchild. Nancy loved her family. Each of the kids believed they were the favorite. And somehow . . . in Nancy’s mind, each of them was the favorite. Her capacity to love was enormous.
Nancy loved having the family around her. Sometimes she just sat back and watched all that was going on and she smiled. She loved the activity. She loved listening to Mark and Larry as they played and sang their music. She loved watching the little children. She loved giving hugs and playing with the kids. I suspect she was often moved by the fact that all these wonderful people in front of her were HER family. 28 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren. It was a legacy to be celebrated. And celebrate she did. But the love was not one-sided. She was dearly loved by all generations of her family.
When a family member would leave her presence they all had the same memory: mom would tell them she loved them and they would look back and she would be in the window blowing them kisses until they had traveled out of sight.
When she left their home she would always call and tell them that she got home safely. The kids called her regularly and loved sharing their lives with mom. Many of them had distinctive greetings for mom. She was a friend as well as a mom.
Nancy Murfin was just a very special woman. A gift from God. She will be missed greatly.
Gloria has a poem she is going to read that was written by her daughter; Nancy’s grand-daughter.
[SONG: THE LORD’S PRAYER]
In the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we read,
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13)
There are many sad people who view death as the end. To them, life is arbitrary. You live, you die, and that is it. It is a depressing and hopeless life. But that is not what Jesus said or what the Bible says. They tell us we’re living now to live again.
The Christian message is this: death is not the end. It is only the end of the beginning.
The message of Christ is that we are, by nature, broken people. We are lost and even at our best we have no hope of living up to God’s standard. The Bible is clear: God does not grade on a curve. He doesn’t shrug at our disobedience or indifference. Sin is a capital offense.
Our only hope is for someone to pay our debt on our behalf. That person would have to be without any wrongdoing and their life would have to be of such great value that it could be traded for all those who would believe. The only person that meets that description is Jesus!
Jesus was miraculously born and lived a life of obedience to God. He showed his uniqueness by His miracles and His teaching which was so profound even the wisest of men marveled. He, as the Son of God offered His life as a payment for our sin. He died so you and I could have the chance to be forgiven. He rose again proving that His offering was accepted by God and to show us that there is more to this life than what we see here and now.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies.
In this simple verse Jesus tells us some important truth. Jesus is the only way for us to know life beyond the grave. Some people call that narrow-minded. I call it good news! If a Doctor told you that there was a sure cure for your disease would you complain that there was only one way available to be healed? Of course not! You would celebrate that there IS one way to be healed.
Second, he told us that we must believe in Christ. That is not merely a recognition of the historical fact of His life . . . it is believing that He is the One who can save you and being willing to bet your life on that fact. He is the One sent by God worthy of our trust and our allegiance. Anything less than this is not the kind of belief Jesus is talking about. The belief that is required is much more than saying “magic words,” it is a radical change in who gets the allegiance in our life and who and where we place our confidence and trust.
Nancy had this kind of faith. She believed strongly and as a result she did not fear death. She knew what was ahead. Jesus says the person who has this belief will live even though they die. Everyone does not go to Heaven . . . only those who have given their life to following the Lord Jesus. So for Nancy, death was not the end, it was, if you will, her graduation day.
We are at that time of graduations now. When we graduate from school there is a measure of sadness. We will miss old friends. The future is unknown so it is a little scary. At the same time, however, the future is exhilarating . . . it is the beginning of what we call “life”. It is the same way with death. We don’t want to leave what is familiar and cherished . . . but at the same time we know that death frees us to live the life we always knew was out there. We finally are free of the limits of flesh and can spread our wings and fly as new creatures in Christ.
Listen to how the Bible describes the blessing of Heaven,
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Heaven is much better than the brochure. Today, Nancy
Sees colors so brilliant it would take her breath away if she was still here
Experiences a laughter that is deeper because it is anchored to a joy that is overwhelming.
Knows a love, acceptance and fulfillment unknowable here.
Her questions have been answered
Gets to sing praises to her King in person with a choir beyond number
Is liberated from the limits of aging and the human frame
Is reunited with people who loved her and cared for her in this life
Has gotten to see Jesus in person and feel the warmth of His love in every portion of her existence
Yes, we grieve . . . but we must understand that our grief is for what WE have lost. We are not grieving FOR Nancy; nor should we. We grieve because of Nancy. This is not a bad day for Nancy Murfin . . . it is the best of days!
As we grieve her death, let us also remember and celebrate her life. Remember what she taught you,
You have a choice in life: you can laugh or you can cry. Laughing makes life more fun than crying does.
The greatest blessings we have are right in front of us. They are called family. Don’t miss this blessing because you are too busy doing other things.
The family that stands together is the one that will continue to stand even in the toughest time of crisis.
Don’t stop living until your life is actually over.
The best teaching tool is a powerful example.
Take time to love. Blowing a few kisses is not a waste of time.
People are too serious . . . help them learn to laugh.
When faith is genuine, death is not something to fear; it is another adventure.
You have been wonderfully blessed. Now it is time to take that blessing and pass it on to others.
[SONG: SEE YOU AGAIN]
Father, help us to see past this world of ours. Help us to see You. Help us to trust You and to catch a glimpse of the life that you have prepared for all who put their trust in You.
Lord, continue to keep this family close. Stir up in them great memories. Fan into flame the sparks of faith. We thank you for the life of Nancy Murfin. You blessed us through her and we thank you. Thank you for providing a way for us to know life beyond the grave. Thank you for Jesus.
Lift our eyes. Give us a deeper hunger for Heaven. Sustain us and lead us until that time when we are all together again. We ask in the name of our Savior, Jesus. Amen.