Donna Burt - 6/9/17
We come together this morning to remember and celebrate the life of Donna Burt. We also gather to give and seek comfort in this time of loss. We lean on friends and we turn for strength to the Word of God in the belief and confidence that there is more to life than what we see in these few short years together.
Jesus said,
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (John 14:1-3)
The Apostle Paul declared,
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 Corinthians 5:1)
We can debate and come up with philosophical arguments for or against the existence of God. However, today this is not merely an academic debate. Today it is personal. I believe with all my heart and all the intellectual acumen that I can muster: we were created by God and those who know Him and trust Him will live after they die. In fact, I believe what the Bible teaches: we won’t truly appreciate what life IS until after we die.
Please join me in prayer.
Father in Heaven, we ask you to help us to sense your presence in this place. We stand on our tip-toes trying to catch a glimpse of life beyond this life. We seek your comfort and your assurance. Help us to remember fondly and to know a hope that is sure. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SONG: AMAZING GRACE
Donna Jean Burt, was born on January 17, 1939 in Kirkwood IL the daughter of Ward and Alice Whitmore Melvin. Donna was a 1957 graduate of La Harpe High School. In 1959 she married Ronald Burt. They were blessed with four children. Unfortunately, the marriage later ended in divorce.
Donna had the heartache not only of burying her parents, but also having to bury her daughter Rhonda and then later, her son, Rodney. These losses took something from Donna.
She is survived by her daughter Rena, and son Roger.
Donna died on Tuesday June 6th. She is welcomed into eternity by her parents, her son, her daughter, a grand-daughter she will enjoy getting to know, three brothers: William, Ward and Ralph Melvin and one sister: Nancy Johnson.
A person’s life cannot be summarized by an obituary. Rena, as one who knew and understood her mom the best, is going to come now and help us to remember and celebrate the life of her mom.
RENA EULOGY
SONG: THE DANCE
In 1 Corinthians 15 the apostle Paul wrote these words,
if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. (1 Corinthians 15:19-20)
Paul was writing to a church where some people (like today) said there is no life beyond the grave. They said, “We live, we die, and that’s it.” The apostle Paul pointed out that such a view of life means: sin is not forgiven, loved ones are not seen again after they die, faith is a waste of time, and all the talk about Heaven is useless.
When such a belief starts catching on you end up with a society that doesn’t care about anything more than what they can get from life while it lasts. Right and Wrong give way to what gets me what I want and what doesn’t. Life loses any sense of intrinsic value.
But Paul does not argue for life beyond the grave simply because it makes this life easier to deal with. He doesn’t argue that we all instinctively believe there must be something more (even though even many atheists will tell you that they believe their loved one is in a “better place” when they die.)
Paul argues that the reason we know there is life beyond the grave is because Jesus rose from the dead! Jesus also raised three other people from the dead during His life! Paul points to eyewitnesses who all said they talked with Jesus after He rose. They ate with Him and they spent time with Him for 40 days after his resurrection. Paul said it wasn’t just a few people who convinced themselves that Jesus was alive. Jesus appeared to over 500 people at the same time! Then he adds, “most of whom are still living” which invites his readers to talk to the those witnesses for themselves.
People who examine the evidence conclude people actually did believe Jesus rose from the dead. They believed it so deeply that they were willing to be martyred rather than deny His name. This belief transformed them from followers in hiding to those who preached boldly in front of the Jewish temple. They went from fear to being willing to endure tortuous death rather than deny their testimony about the Lord. I think the evidence for the resurrection is compelling for anyone who will objectively examine it.
Frank Morrison, was an attorney from a previous generation. He set out to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was nonsense. He ended up becoming a follower!
C.S. Lewis a distinguished Oxford professor professed to be an atheist. Then suddenly after he began examining the evidence he became one of the most powerful voices FOR the Christian faith.
Lee Strobel was an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He set out to disprove the resurrection and the reliability of the Bible. He wanted to prove to his wife that it was all a sham. He became a Christian, a Pastor, and then a prolific author who presents the evidence for the Christian faith.
My point is this: you don’t have to park your brain in neutral to believe this is not the end of Donna Burt. You too can embrace the incredible evidence of life beyond the grave through Jesus.
The Bible tells us that Jesus came to earth to help us to become right with God. He came to make it possible for us to be forgiven and made right with God. He came to die for us. He rose again to show beyond a doubt that his death was a sufficient payment for our sin and rebellion.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even though he die. Those who believe in me will never really die.” (John 11)
This is the hope I point you to today. The Bible says those who put their hope and trust in Jesus will live even after they die.
Donna Burt was one of those people. We had occasion to talk many times over the years. I remember visiting with her in her home and she showed me the various books she had gotten from Billy Graham. She talked about some of her favorite passages in the Bible.
When I would lead Bible Study at the Nursing home (and she was up to coming out) she would join us at the table and enjoy our times of discussion (she may have enjoyed the jokes most of all . . . but that is beside the point).
If you read further in the Bible you find out that it teaches that because of Christ, death leads to new life. Pain is gone, tears are dried, heartache is healed, minds are restored. We learn Heaven is where we meet up again with family that has preceded us and where we wait for those who someday will come. In Heaven, life is richer, bolder, and even more beautiful. Disease is gone. Evil is abolished. We will discover that Heaven is the life that we always thought was out there but always seemed beyond our reach. In Heaven, wrongs will be made right, good will be rewarded and people will love and get along. And most significantly, we will see the One who made it all possible; we will see the Lord Himself and have all of eternity to tell Him how much we love and thank Him.
The Bible does not say everyone will go to Heaven . . . only those who embrace Christ will receive the promised life. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “In the end, either we will say to the Lord, “Thy will be done!” or He will say to us: “Thy will be done”. Ultimately it will be our choice whether we embrace Him or reject Him.
I am confident that Donna reached out to the Lord. Because of that I believe she is more alive now than she ever has been. The journey is over. She has arrived at her destination. It may be a sad day for us but it is the best of days for her.
As we move on from this day, I encourage you to savor the positive memories. Remember her joyful spirit, her infectious laugh, that motherly tone she would often take when talking to you. Remember the woman who had a good heart and battled valiantly in life that was often very hard for her. Donna Burt kept our lives interesting. She loved her family. She endured the heartaches. She maintained her faith. And now she is home with her Lord. We need not grieve for her. She is doing better than ever.
I hope and pray you will also use this time to examine your own relationship with God. Examine the evidence for the resurrection. Be sure of your own faith. It will not only comfort you in loss, it will equip you for life.
SONG
Please pray with me,
Father, I thank you for sending Jesus to let us know you love us. Thank you for His death to make forgiveness and new life possible. We have no hope of being good enough to earn Heaven. Our only hope is your grace; the grace you offer so freely through Christ.
Thank you for the resurrection of Jesus. It is our anchor in life and in death. Help us Lord to place our trust in you.
Now, please give Donna a hug for us. Let her know that she is remembered fondly and missed greatly. Tell her that we will see her later. Amen.