Ann Fiquette Funeral

Paul said to Timothy

2 Timothy 4:6 ESV

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

He uses the same metaphor about departure when he speaks to the church at Philippi.

Philippians 1:21 ESV

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:23 ESV

23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

This is a word that describes loosing a ship from its moorings.

Charles Brent a former bishop in the American Episcopal Church explains it this way.

What is dying? I am, standing on the sea shore. A ship sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean. She is an object of beauty and I stand watching her till at last she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says ‘ she is gone’. Gone where? Gone from my sight that is all.... Just at the moment when someone as my side says ‘she is gone’. there are others who are watching her coming, and other voices take up a glad shout, “there she comes” and that is dying.

While Paul was writing this his ship was tied up. He longed to untie the ship pull the anchor of the restrictions and limitations that this life had to offer and sail away into eternity. To sail away where he would be to free.

We must understand that we live in a perishable body. Ms. Ann’s body was no different. The limitations of this worldly body had its affect on Ann’s mind as she suffered with dementia for several years.

But I am here to tell you that nothing not even dementia separated Ms. Ann from the love of Christ.

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore we dont have to remember Ann for the of years she strugled with dementia but rather we can look to Ms. ann as she is now as paul wrights

1 Corinthians 15:42–43 ESV

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

when you think of Ms. Ann you can think of her as imperishable, raised in Glory, raised in power.