Funeral service for Joshua Allen Lewis

Welcome:

Good afternoon, my name is Pastor Chad Wilham and on behalf of the Lewis and Heironimus family I’d like to thank you for joining us today as we remember the life of Joshua Allen Lewis.

Song:

Now you belong to Heaven: Mari Olson

Obituary:

Joshua Allen Lewis, son of Tammy and Chris Heironimus of Bunker Hill, WV passed away on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at the age of 40.

He was employed at US Lawns as a lawn care specialist and he loved fishing, cooking and was an avid movie buff who loved horses. Josh was also a sports fan who enjoyed watching his favorite hockey team, the Minnesota Wild play.

Surviving are Josh’s wife, Nikkole M. (Buckley) Lewis; children, Christopher Lewis of Bunker Hill, WV, Brady Lewis of Westbrook, MN, Caleb Lewis of Westbrook, MN, and Arabella Lewis of Westbrook, MN; brothers, Nathan Lewis (Jessica) of Berkley Springs, WV and Ryan Heironimus (Brittany) of Bunker Hill, WV; grandmothers, Sarah Morris of Stephens City, VA and Carol Sentelle of Bunker Hill, WV; and many other family and friends.

Josh is preceded in death by his father, Allen Lewis, Jr and infant daughter, Jaidyn Lewis; maternal grandfather, Sharley Morris; paternal grandfather, Allen Lewis, Sr.

These few sentences seem a little inadequate to sum up the life of Joshua Lewis. Over the last week so many of you have been kind enough to send in some memories and stories about Joshua. These have allowed me the opportunity to get too know Joshua just a little bit through your eyes.

I’ve learned that Joshua had a “gypsy soul” and loved the adventure of moving and living in different places. From here in the mid-Atlantic, to the South Dakota, Nevada, Florida and Minnesota. He was an avid fan of hockey and could often be seen in his South Dakota Rush Jersey or cheering on the Minnesota Wild. He loved to go fishing, enjoyed working with horses and visiting the ocean.

Life wasn’t always easy for Joshua and while he had his struggles and life could be overwhelming for him at times he carried a deep love for his family and you deeply loved him. I encourage you as you move forward from today too not only remember the brevity and struggle of Joshua’s life but to remember and focus on the good that Joshuas presence brought to you.

Shall we Pray?

Prayer:

Father,

It is at this time that we ask you to quiet our spirits and help us to yield our hearts to your wisdom. Give the Lewis/Heironimus family grace and a deep sense of your love during this hour. Comfort their hearts during this time with your love that passes all understanding. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Poem:

“If tomorrow starts without me”

John 11 Funeral Meditation:

No doubt, some of you are searching for answers this afternoon. I want you to know that it’s OK to ask those questions. It’s natural to wonder why this had to happen.

There’s a story in the Bible that addresses some of the same things that you may be feeling today.

It’s found in the Gospel of John, in the 11th chapter. Here we read of a funeral that involved hard questions, deep feelings, and budding hope.

The deceased is a man named Lazarus. He comes from a very close family -- among them are two sisters -- Mary and Martha.

Like Joshua, he came from a good family and had a bunch of friends – and one of his best friends was Jesus.

Jesus arrives four days after Lazarus dies, and as he approaches the house full of people crying, both sisters run out to Him at separate times and say:

“Lord, If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (v.21)

I suspect some of you may be asking “If” questions as well.

“If only I had spent more time with him.” “If only I had been nicer.” “If only I had done this – or that.”

These kinds of “If” questions are normal.

May I encourage you, don’t blame yourself – it’s not healthy, and it’s not right.

The question may then come, “Well, if we’re not supposed to blame ourselves, then maybe God is to blame for this.”

That’s precisely the implication both Mary and Martha make when they are grieving over the death of their brother:

Lord if YOU had been here, my brother would not have died. (v.21)

Some of you may be wondering why God would allow this to happen.

It’s OK for you to ask these kinds of questions.

Jesus does not scold these sisters for suggesting that perhaps their brother’s death was His fault.

Allow me to say, you shouldn’t feel guilty for wondering if there was something that God could have done. God could have kept Joshua from dying. But, for some reason, He didn’t.

It Was Joshua’s Time.

Ecclesiastes 3:2 reminds us that there is:

Ecclesiastes 3:2 NKJV

2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

While we may not understand why Joshua died so young, we do know it was her time to die.

As we continue with the story, we find the shortest verse in the entire Bible. Surrounded by family and friends, Jesus is deeply moved and asks where the body of Lazarus is. When he views Lazarus, he could have said something extremely profound.

Instead, John 11:35 tells us what Jesus did -- “Jesus wept.”

Here is Jesus of Nazareth, the world’s most complete, most perfect man, attending the funeral of a friend and openly weeping, without embarrassment, without apology. In fact, those watching him said, “See how much he loved him!”

If you feel like you need to cry today or in the days and weeks ahead, don’t hold back.

If it was OK for Jesus to cry, it’s OK for you to cry.

God feels your pain -- he wants you to let it out -- and to let Him in on your feelings. He wants to help you work through everything you’re feeling. He wants to be a part of your life. God knows what it’s like to hurt. One day He lost a family member too, His one and only son.

In this passage, Jesus said in verses 25-26 while speaking to Martha

John 11:25–26 NKJV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Notice, Jesus didn’t merely say that there is a resurrection. He claimed that HE IS the resurrection.

The fact that He would rise from the dead was the guarantee that others would too.

We often think that this is the land of the living, and that when we die we go the land of the dead. The opposite is really true – this is the land of the dying, when our life here is over, we are transferred into the land of the living – either to a place of eternal joy or to a place of eternal torment. There are really only two possible destinations.

There’s only one requirement for entrance into resurrection life -- it’s not a matter of trying to be good or even going to church -- the only requirement is that you personally believe that Jesus exchanged his life for yours by absorbing your sins on a cross and that He rose again so that at the moment of your death you will rise too.

I invite you today to put your faith and trust in Jesus as the Savior and Leader of your life.

James 4:14 NKJV

14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Joshua was not planning to pass away the day he did – but since life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then passes away – it was his time to go.

Friends, none of us know what will happen to us either. Our lives are very fragile, aren’t they?

Proverbs 27:1 NKJV

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

This passage gives us two very significant reasons why we should never presume upon the future:

· Life is unpredictable. We don’t even know what will happen tonight, much less next week or next year. The truth is that no one can predict the future.

· Life is brief. Our lives are like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Friends, life is too unpredictable and too brief to live it without God at the center. We count our lives in years but God tells us in

Psalm 90:12 NKJV

12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

The truth of the matter is that all of us are just one heartbeat away from eternity. King David said,

1 Samuel 20:3 NKJV

3 Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

Our lives are like a vapor – here one minute and gone the next. Joshua’s life is an example of just how quickly time passes for us in this world.

I encourage you today, to place your faith and trust in Christ today.

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies.”

Do you believe this? If not, don’t waste another minute of the only life you have. Right now, right here, decide to pin all your hopes on Jesus Christ, and him alone, who exchanged his life for yours, and who, in the next life, will greet you on the other side -- if you receive Him into your life now.

Would you bow with me again in prayer?

Closing Prayer:

Lord,

We turn to you today as our source of hope and strength. You are the giver of eternal life in the name of your son Jesus. Father, you know the grief that is in this room today. I pray you would give Joshua’s family and friends the comfort they need today and in the days ahead. Soothe their pain from this day forward as they continue life without Joshua. We commit him to you today. Amen.

Announcement:

The family of Joshua would like me to invite you to join them in the reception center here for a continued time of celebration of Joshuas life over a meal.

Commital:

THE DASH

by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning… to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile… remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?

I’d like to share with you a few stories that were sent to me about Joshua’s dash, particularly the early part of Joshua’s dash.

Joshua's Mom likes to recall the incident with the baseball and Paw Paw. His   Paw Paw loved baseball and softball and had taught his own kids to play when they were younger. Joshua got his first baseball glove as a birthday gift from his Paw Paw when he was 4 years old and the beginning of the lessons started that Spring. By summer he had learned to catch pretty well so next came batting practice.  His Paw Paw would pitch the ball to him always saying " keep your eye on the ball son, follow it in." Many times this was repeated until the time came that Joshua swung the bat and connected with the little wiffle ball. The hit was so hard and it sent that ball directly into the face of his Paw Paw causing a bloody nose.  Seeing what had happened Josh said to his Paw Paw" you didn't keep your eye on the ball and follow it in!"

Aunt Donna loves to recall the time of the Persimmon experience.  Joshua's Grandma Peaches, Aunt Donna, and his mother Tammy took him, his brother Nathan, and his cousins Jeremy and Eric on a local trip to Bluemont , VA.  This is the area where his Grandmother grew up and that day was sort of a family history outing.  As had been done with her own children many years before,  Grandma decided to let the grandsons experience what tasting a Persimmon was like.  Of course it was played up that a Persimmon was a fruit and the boys were thinking that like all fruits, it should be a sweet tasty treat. Much to their surprise when they took a big bite out of it, they made the most puckered funny faces that you could imagine.   They definitely learned the power of sour that day and it was an experience that none of them ever forgot....the boys always remembering the Persimmons from Bluemont and the adults remembering the funny faces.

The dash that was the life of Joshua Allen Lewis has come to a close. As you go forward from today to finish out the dash that is your life I’d like for you to remember the words from Psalm 23.

Psalm 23 NKJV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

May you find strength from the great Shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ

Prayer

Father, Now that the spirit of Joshua has departed, with cherished memories we therefore commit his body to its resting place – earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust – knowing that the end of all flesh is the grave; but that in God is our eternal hope. Amen.