Joyce McPeak Graveside Funeral - 12/13/17

We gather together this afternoon to remember and thank God for the life of Joyce McPeak.

As we do so we hold on to the words of the Apostle Paul who said,

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 Cor 5:1)

Let’s pray together.

Our Father, we bow before you today and we acknowledge that life and death are in your hands. We come looking for comfort, grace, and mercy. We hold tight the promise of Jesus that whoever believes in Him will live even though they die. Help us now as we remember and seek hope and comfort.

Joyce was an interesting woman. She was fiercely loyal and protective (almost to the point of driving people crazy). It was my observation that you didn’t want to be on the wrong side of her but it was a blessing to be on her good side.

Joyce worked hard. She loved to cook and had a flair for decorating.

Joyce was bi-lingual. She was fluent in both English and sarcasm. If Joyce was not giving you a hard time about something you thought she was sick. She was a person who enjoyed people (even though she hid it well). I know she loved her husband and her family. They were everything to her.

Joyce was one of those people who would start talking to total strangers. And before you knew it she was sharing things you shouldn’t share with a stranger . . . things maybe you shouldn’t share with anyone. It made for some interesting trips with mom for the kids. Joyce was known as one of those people who lacked a filter on the things she said. I understand. I had a similar mom. As inappropriate as they could be, they had a way of opening people up.

Sadly, as we all know, Joyce’s life took a radical turn when Ryan died in an accident while at work. A big part of Joyce died with him. She was so close to Ryan and was never able to wrap her mind around the fact that he was gone. Her ever-present grief robbed her of some of the joys she could have known. Her fixation on her loss isolated her from others who had to find a way to move forward in life. One of the things that makes her death a little easier to bear, is the hope that she and Ryan have been reunited.

I honestly don’t know where Joyce was in terms of her faith. I’d like to think that all those times she went out to Ryan’s gravesite, she was talking to the Lord in addition to Ryan.

The Bible’s picture of Heaven is this,

3I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4He 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.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

It is never easy to lose someone you love. You are never ready to bury your wife and mother. But there is sense in which you lost Joyce many years ago. The thought that Joyce is now at peace, that she has seen Ryan and knows he is OK, and maybe even now understands the “why?” of what happened makes her death seem more like a blessing than a tragedy. Her suffering has ended. She now knows a joy that is unlike any she has ever known. She is truly well.

The body we bury here is not Joyce . . . it is just the worn out shell that is no longer needed. So we send her off with four simple words, “We’ll see you later.

Let’s pray,

Father, we thank you for the life of Joyce McPeak. Help us as we try to remember the healthy and happy Joyce. Help us also as we look forward to that day when we will see her happy again. Lord, please welcome Joyce into your Kingdom and lead us in that direction as well we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.