Joyce Selberg, a life that lived and believed Jesus Christ

Welcome

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 CSB

13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

These words of encouragment are given to us by God through the pen of Paul writing to the Thessolonians. He tells them “not grieve as other’s do who have no hope.” He is not telling them or us not to grieve, but that grief should be different when there is hope. We greive because of the horrible reality of death. All that we love here in life, all that we work for and strive for is lost in death. It can come slowly and gradually or in an instant, unexpected. If death had the final word, there could be no hope.

But we know that Grandma lived her life in hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. She believed that Jesus himself died and rose again and that she to would be raised to be with Him forever. She did not keep this a secret, I think everyone who knew her knew this about her,, and probably a lot of people that didn’t know her found out what she believed.

So while we grieve her loss, we know that her hope was never in this life, but the next. And even now she is with the savior in which she placed her hope.

5 min

Let us pray

Lord God, we come to you full of sadness and loss. Comfort us with true comfort. For only you can truly heal our hearts and souls. The only comfort the world offers is distraction or ways to numb the feeling. But you Oh Lord who made us are able to heal and restore our hearts. I pray for those here that they might seek your comfort. That we may all be comforted as Grandma is now being comforted in the light of your presence. Amen

7 min

Worship

I invite you to stand and sing with me the Hymn “Be Thou My Vision” You should have a paper with the lyrics on your seats. As you reflect on the lyrics I think you will find that it well describes the focus of grandmas life. Even as I have had the opportunity to read some of her journals this weekend I was not surprised to find that all of her writings I found were either written about the Lord, or to him as a prayer. That Godward focus of hers is the focus of this Hymn. Let us sing.

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11 Min

Obituary Reading - Tim Selberg

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16 min

Scripture Reading - Gary Green

Psalm 103:13–18 ESV

13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

18 min

Message - Jesus is the Resurrection

As I was thinking about Grandma’s death, and trying to find the words that I would now be giving to those that she has left behind, I found no better words to dwell on than those given by Jesus himself to a women that was mourning death of her brother. This women loved Jesus as did her brother who had died. The women’s name is Martha and her brother is Lazarus. The Passage is John 11:21-27, I encourage you to open your bibles or if you have a bible app on your phone feel free to use those. Again the passage is John 11:21-27. Lazarus has died 4 days previously. As Jesus nears Bethany, the city in which Martha and Lazarus lived, Martha, who is mourning in the house, hears that Jesus is approaching and goes out to meet him. Let me read for you their dialogue beginning in John 11:21

John 11:21–27 ESV

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 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?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

We have here a women who believes in Jesus, but she is struggling to come to grips to the situation which has brought her much turmoil and confusion. In this exchange Jesus’ reply to Martha at first seems a little out of place, however, we find that his words to her are words of love meant to give her true comfort.

In verse 24, Martha says to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurection on the last day.” This seems to us a hopeful response of her belief in the resurrection, however, Jesus seems to correct her by saying immediatly afterward, “I am the resurrection.” Why does he do this?

He says this because her confession is merely generic, an unspecific nebulous sort of idea about a coming resurrection. However, these vague sort of hopes are not very helpful when a day of crisis comes.

For instance, lets say that you had a vague idea that there was a hospital filled with medical staff that could help you in a medical emergency. Well I tell you that in a time of emergency, the belief that there is a hospital building somewhere is not going to be very helpful. In fact it is flat out worthless. What you need to know is the name of the Hospital, how to get there, and whether or not it is equipped to solve your problem.

And these are the very kind of details of which Jesus reminds Martha.

First he identifies himself as the one through whom life and the resurrection from the dead is found. “I am the resurrection and the life.” He gets specific. He calls her away from a general idea of resurrection to the identity and source of resurrection, which is Jesus himself.

Secondly, he tells her how to get there. He says, “everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” If he is the resurrection, then we cannot believe in the resurrection unless we believe IN him. And if he is life, then we cannot live eternally unless we live IN him.

Thirdly, he assures her of his ablity to overcome the problem facing her and us. He says, “whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” Our ultimate problem is death. And while we find ourselves powerless against it, he has overcome death by raising himself from the grave.

But after making his this declaration Jesus asks her the question, “do you believe this?”

The response that Martha gives to his question is a beatiful testiment to her faith. In many ways Martha reminds me of Grandma and her words here are no exception. In her answer, Martha affirms three truths about Jesus, truths that Grandma likewise held near and dear in her life. Let me read for us from verse 27

John 11:27 ESV

27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

First she asserts that Jesus is the Christ. Now what does that even mean that He is the Christ? Christ is the term used for the coming savior that was promised in the Old Testemant scriptures. For Martha to affirm that Jesus is the Christ presumes that she believed the scriptures to be the true word of God. And not only did she believe the scriptures to be true, but she beleived that Jesus was the one prophesied to come and deliver his people.

Like Martha, Grandma firmly believed in the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the scriptures.

Secondly, Martha confesses her beleif that Jesus is the Son of God. To believe in a Jesus that is only human is to beleive in a Jesus that cannot help you. Only God, who is the author of life can claim to be the Resurrection and the life. Only the God who gave life can restore life to the dead. Jesus is divine and is able to give life. Martha beleived that, and Grandma believed that.

Lastly, she not only says that he is the son of God, but that He is the son of God, “who is Coming into the world.” you see, It was necessary for God to come into the World because it was impossible for us to go to God. Man cannot reach God on his own. All of our attempts and efforts ultimately fall short. But in a display of God’s amazing love, he came to us. He came into the world as a man, shared our infirmities and weaknesses, and even died for sins that were not his own. He died that our sins may be washed away and that we might be clothed in His righteounsess to stand blameless before God our maker. But he had to come to us. We were hopeless, and He came bringing Hope. And again, I know Grandma beleived this also. For she often lamented and struggled with her own failings and weakness. She recognized that could not attain to God’s righteousness in her own strength.

And so she did not trust in herself, rather, she trusted in Jesus as revealed in the scriptures, Jesus who is God and came to us to rescue us from this curse of death. Because I am confident that she lived and believed in Jesus, I can be confident in Jesus’ words that “though she die, yet shall she live”

30 min

Prayer

Remembrances

At this time we would like to give the family an opportunity to speak concerning the deceased and share special memories that may be meaningful. We will start with her children and then open it up to others if time allows.

60 min

Scripture reading - Bruce Walker

Revelation 21:1–4 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

63 min

Hymn - Tim Selberg (Amazing Grace)

66 min

Scripture Reading -

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Heaven’s Shore

70 min

Dismissal