Funeral: Antonio Vasquez
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The book of Ecclesiastes says that what we are doing here today is actually a very good things.
It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
the living should take this to heart.
Mejor es ir a una casa de luto
Que ir a una casa de banquete,
Porque aquello es el fin de todo hombre,
Y al que vive lo hará reflexionar ensu corazón.
It is a good thing for us to be here and not somewhere else.
It is a good thing to have come to this place and shown our support to the Vasquez family and pay our respects to Antonio Vasquez, instead of being somewhere else.
It is a sad occasion, it is a painful moment, but nevertheless it is a very good thing that you and I are in this place.
Why is it a good thing for us to be at a funeral?
Why is it a good thing for us to be at a funeral?
First of all, it is a good thing for us to be here and honor the memory of Antonio Vasquez.
Antonio Vasquez was created in the image of God, he was a man of worth and dignity, and we have come to pay our respects as his family members, relatives, friends, or acquaintances.
We gather to give God thanks for the years of life that God granted Tony.
Each each hour, each day, each week, each month, each year, that Tony lived was a gift from the Creator - and for that we are grateful.
Please do not take for granted that your heart is beating, that you are alive - the fact that you are alive is reason enough for you and I to give God thanks. It is he who grants and sustains our lives.
Secondly, it is a good thing for us to be at a funeral because it reminds us that life is short.
Although Tony lived for 74 years, in our heart of hearts we wish / we would’ve hoped that he would have lived many many more years.
Although we may live until we are 100 years old, in the end, when we take our last breath, we will realize that life is extremely short.
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Sin embargo, ustedes no saben cómo será su vida mañana. Solo son un vapor que aparece por un poco de tiempo y luego se desvanece.
Life is so fragile, that it here today and gone tomorrow.
Each of us has been allotted a certain amount of time by Almighty God.
There will come a day when we will take our last breath and those who we leave behind will consider our life and come to the same conclusion - his / her life was too short.
Thirdly, it is good to be here today, because it reminds us that one day we too shall pass.
Today we say goodbye to Tony.
One day, it will be our time and our loved ones will gather around us to say their goodbyes.
Imagine that our lives are like a book, with many chapters. Those chapters describe different life events and experiences. No two lives are alike. However, in the end each of our books ends in the same way, we too shall come to the end of our life and breath our last breath.
Fourthly, it is good to be here today, because it reminds us about the awfulness of death.
Death is painful.
Death causes our hearts to break.
Death separates us from our dear loved ones.
…for this reason, the Bible calls death “the last enemy”.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Y el último enemigo que será eliminado es la muerte.
Death entered the world through a singular act of sin / rebellion against God.
Many many years ago, our first parents turned their back against God and determined to do their own will.
That first act of sin / rebellion against God introduced death, sickness, and pain into the world.
We can sense that something is not right in the world when a loved one passes away…those emotions that we feel can lead us to desperation or to find a way for death for once and for all to be destroyed!
Each loved one that passes is a reminder that sin is present in the world and that we desperately need a savior that can deliver us from sin and death.
Conclusion
Conclusion
However, the last reason why I think it is good for us to be here, instead of a house of feasting, is because we are following Jesus’ example who also went to the funeral of one of his dear friends.
Jesus went to the funeral of his dear friend Lazarus.
Jesus went to the funeral of his friend, who he would raise from the dead that very same day, to offer hope:
This is the very hope I offer each of you who are on this same journey as I am, and understand how precious and short our lives are.
Jesus knew that he would raise Lazarus from the dead, Martha, Lazarus’ sister, needed hope. She needed to understand that there was hope for her, even in the face of death. Jesus offered life giving hope when he said:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
Jesús le contestó: «Yo soy la resurrección y la vida; el que cree en Mí, aunque muera, vivirá,
Even as we gather to pay our respects and honor Tony’s life, I pray that you would leave this place with a newfound hope in Jesus Christ.
If you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Bible says that even though we may die (and we will), we have assurance that we will live, we will receive eternal life, through Jesus Christ our blessed Lord and Savior.
God will comfort your broken heart today, and gives you the opportunity to receive the gift of salvation and eternal life.
Let us give God thanks for Tony’s life.
Lust us give God thanks for if we believe in him, we do not need to fear death, rather, we can rejoice that we have received the promise of eternal life.
Our Father, your word tells us how Jesus, our Savior, went to the tomb of his dear friend Lazarus and wept.
We also weep with the Vasquez family. We weep because we also knew Tony and it breaks our heart knowing that he is no longer with us.
However, we give thanks for his 74 years of life. We give thanks for the memories that we have of him. We give thanks for his friendship, his love for his mom, sister, his daughter, his grandchildren, and many many nieces and nephews.
We pray that you bring comfort to each of them. They weep just as Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. God of all comfort, heal their hearts, bring comfort to their broken hearts. May they be comforted by knowing that you are close to the brokenhearted and afflicted.
We also pray for each of us gathered here today. We know that life is short.
We know that one day we shall also die.
There are some here who have not put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and therefore do not have the hope of eternal life, forgiveness of their sins.
I pray that they would trust in Jesus Christ; for if they trust in Jesus Christ their sins will be forgiven and the fear of death will vanish.
Our Father, I believe in your grace, your mercy, your love, and your comfort. I believe in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for lost sinners just like me. Give us today the assurance of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
