Play on my friend, play on.

10:45 - Music

11:00 - Eulogy (Andrea Kinnie)

11:05 - I can only imagine

11:10 - Comments (Aaron Edington)

11:15 - Photo presentation

11:22 - Pastoral comments

11:42 - Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone

11:50 - Lunch

I want to begin by reading a passage of scripture that seems to be the prevailing thought of both his family and church family.

Psalm 116:15 KJV 1900

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of his saints.

Over the course of years, I have had many occasions to stand before families in their times of loss.

Sometimes you stand in this position and all you can do is offer kind words to the family.

There have been times when the sense of loss has been so profound that it does not matter what I say, it would not be heard.

BUT there are also times when there is a peace in the sadness that supersedes the personal loss.

That peace comes from having watched your loved one through ups and downs, pain and heartache, upsets and disappointments and even in all of that, stay true and strong in their convictions and faith in God.

Many of us looked at Anthony Edington and saw a modern day Job and like Job, when you sum up his life lived we can say that Anthony Edington charged God not foolishly!

He had not frustrations or regrets that he would direct to God.

It is easy to look at him over the years and ask ourselves

Why didn’t God heal him?

Why did he have to endure so much?

While I wish I had that answer today,

What I do know his pain and sickness was an example to all of us on how not just to live life but how to live our lives serving God!

Maybe I do know the answer to that question?

For those who would take the time to listen, Anthony Edington had much to teach.

Here are some things I learned over the years about him:

His love for family

You couldn’t talk to him for more that a few minutes before his was talking about Julie this, this kid that, his grandchildren...

I don’t know how often he said it in words, but he love you!

I don’t remember many conversations about himself

I found out about his cancer taking him down the stairs, thrown in between small talk and the lates family news…

Love for this church

Served on the church board for many years

Played his trombone

He knew what to fight and when

Love the picture in the presentation of his basket ball team - him in center, the only black man on the team.

What a fight that must have been

Fought for the unborn

Fought for this Country

Yet with awareness of an OT patriarch, his family would come together one last time - and his final gift to them would be the peace in which he would leave this world!

Greatest lesson he had to teach was faithfulness

Faithfulness to his family

Faithfulness to his friends

Faithfulness to his God

No one has an excuse not coming to the House of God after meeting Bro. Edington

Conclusion:

Anthony Edington had learned much and so had much to teach.

And the taught it well by the life he lived.

Yet there is a final lesson that He has learned from experience in the past few days.

He has learned last Sunday that God really is a healer.

All the prayers prayed by you and by him for healing - They have been answered!

As I announced to the church last sunday that our friend and inspiration has passed to his final reward

I began to talk about him having to have help up the stairs every service..

How faithful he was not mater the pain.

How winded he was when we would roll him onto the platform and he would get out his trombone and somehow gather enough wind to play!

I painted this word picture on Sunday and made the comment that he did not need help with steps in heaven!

I got news for you today, Heaven is not ADA compliant!

Heaven is not handicap accessible!

Today our friend, father, husband has a new body!

One of our ladies went home and put on paper

Play on Anthony Edington, Play on!

Song: My chains are gone, I’ve been set free.

Final words and prayer:

Bro. Edington would not want me to end this services without telling you that if you do not have peace in your tomorrows, don’t leave here without making things right with God!

He can take the chains from you spirit like he did many years ago for Anthony.

Prayer