Memorial Service: Brian Peele

Welcome/Opening Prayer

Welcome you all to the Celebration of the Life of Brian Peele

Welcome you who are joining us on Facebook Live

We’d love for you to share a story or photo or even video of Brian as we celebrate and remember him.

Let me pray for our time.

Pray

Thank you Lord Jesus for Brian Peele.

We are not a people with out hope.

Slide Show

We are going to begin our time by viewing this video of Brian’s Life.

Stories

I’d now like to invite up Kayla and Matt Galecki to share about Brian.

Eulogy

I’d like to invite Daniel and Chris up for the Eulogy

Song: Highlands

Would you join us as we sing a song.

Message: Hope Even in Death

Introduction:

We are gathered here today to remember and celebrate the life and death of Brian Peele.

I’ve known Brian for years.

We spent a season in a discipling relationship where Brian was considering his next steps in life.

I remember one morning in particular at a coffee shop in Lake Baldwin.

We discussed his faith, where he was struggling and what was next for him.

I remember Brian just being hungry to know God more and sense his direction for his life.

It was maybe a year or so later as Brian had begun to get much more involved in the life of the church

that he had taken a monumental step to play drums for the first time on a Sunday for worship.

I remember thinking he did a great job and marveling at where the Lord has brought him.

It was a shock to me as it was many of you to hear that just a day later he was in the hospital having collapsed in pain.

In hindsight this was the beginning of a long struggle Brian would have with cancer.

We had many conversations over that time.

As i did with his close knit friend group that remained at One Hope.

Brian developed deep friendships and believed in the importance of community.

Then there was the morning he and his parents were able to come to a One Hope Service and many of us circled around him and prayed for God’s healing in his life.

God answered that prayer, but not in the way we would have hoped.

For Brian is now more healthy and more fully alive than he has ever been.

Brian is enjoying time with Jesus and longs for the day when he will be reunited with us.

This is the power and hope of those who walk with jesus. Death will never be the end.

Jesus hated sin and death.

We see this in the story of Lazarus in John 11:1-44

We are told that Jesus knew Lazarus was ill, but nevertheless he stays two more days before going to see him.

When he arrives, Lazarus has already passed

He comes to a scene of many people weeping and grieving.

He goes to the family and consoles them.

John 11:33 ESV

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

He then goes to the tomb of Lazarus where we read

John 11:35 ESV

35 Jesus wept.

He wept bitterly at the grave of Lazarus as he saw all those affected by the grief of death.

Not unlike many of us hear today.

He then does something utterly amazing.

He tells them to take away the stone of the tomb.

Then he says to Mary...

John 11:40 ESV

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

John 11:41-42: Jesus prays to God the Father

John 11:43–44 ESV

43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Lazarus — arise

Unbind him, let him go

This is what Jesus says to death, sin and suffering.

Unbind him, let him go

Just as Jesus called out to Lazarus to rise again,

so he did when he called Brian back home.

He said, Brian, arise and come be with me forever.

And that is what Brian did.

He said to sin and suffering: unbind him and let him go

Brian is no longer bound by suffering & sickness

He is no longer bound by death and disease

You see Brian is now more free than he has ever been

He is more healthy than he has ever felt

more alive than he has ever been.

This is the hope of the Resurrection.

This is our only hope in life and death.

This was Brian’s Hope

John 11:25–26 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Do you believe this?

Brian believed this and is now waiting for us to see him again.

And on that day tears will flow, but not of sadness

of Joy!

So we thank you for Brian, for the time we had

and the time we will have.

Let’s Pray

Song: It is Well

Will you stand with us as we sing “it is well”

Family Sharing

Is there any family members who would like to share anything? (if needed)

Close in Prayer

Lord we pray

This concludes our Celebration of Life Service for Brian Peele.