Funeral Service for Greg McMillan

John 14:1-6 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Today, we’ve come to celebrate the life and share the loss of Greg McMillan. We’ve come to remember, tell stories, and say good-bye to Greg. And as hard as it is, this service will help us begin the process of letting go so we can begin the process of grieving. Also, this is a time for us to take a look at our own lives. Ecclesiastes 7:2 “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.” Today makes us face the fact that we all are mortal. None of us will live in this body forever. So, this is a great time to ask some tough questions. Questions like, “Am I ready to die?” and “Where will I go when my life is over?” These are questions that are tough to ask, but need to be answered nonetheless. I stand here today and admit that I am saddened that I didn’t get to know Greg the way I would like to have known him. So, in this service today, I can only go on what others tell me. As I talked with those who knew Greg well, there were a few things that came up time and again. He was baptized here at Bosco Baptist Church. Cared deeply about his family, and made it a habit to go without so that others would benefit. He loved his grandchildren and cherished the time he spent with them. Greg was a hardworking man and really enjoyed nature and the outdoors such as hunting and fishing. From what I have heard, it sounds like Greg was a simple and caring person who sacrificed for his family. That is what was said about him in his physical life. But, as you may be aware, we are body, soul and spirit. What about his spiritual life? If it was true what others said about Greg’s spiritual life, then there are a few things that we can know for sure. We can know that:

He knew the one who said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes unto the father but through me.” We can be sure he came to God the Father the only true way…through Jesus Christ.

He no longer has a feeble and worn down body. 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:”

He is feeling no more pain… Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Unlike the last few years of his life, he now has a clarity of mind which we can only imagine and envy… 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

(and this is my favorite) Greg has PERSONALLY seen the risen Jesus…FACE TO FACE! Not the Jesus represented by media…frail and feminine…but the REAL Jesus… the RESURRECTED Jesus that John saw in Rev. 1:14-18 “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

After experiencing what we just went over, I don’t believe for a moment that Greg would want to come back to this earth. But if he did, I think he would tell us a couple things.

First, I think he would tell of his unspeakable joy… a joy that is found in having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. John 11:25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

And secondly, I think that the most urgent thing he would tell us is this: he would tell us that most important thing in life is not personal pleasure, not money or possessions, or fame, or even power. he would tell us that the most important thing in life is KNOWING Jesus Christ… not just knowing ABOUT Him, or doing things FOR him, but actually yielding your life to Him as your Redeemer and Master. he would tell you THIS is the one thing that you must not ignore or put off.

As we close this service, I want to read Psalm 90:12 to you. It is a record of a prayer of Moses. In this verse, Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” In other words, he is saying to God, “Help us to recognize how short life is, that we can spend our energy on things that really matter.”

So, today, as you gather with friends and family, and you talk about the great memories you have …it is my prayer that you would celebrate the life and memory of Greg…but also it is my prayer that you would take time to do an inventory of your own life and make the needed corrections, so that you will spend your energy on things that really matter.

Graveside Service

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

I want to encourage you, as we gather together this afternoon, to remember that God is our refuge and our strength. We are ever embraced in the arms of our everlasting Lord.

We have come to our final words for _____’s going home celebration. Let me share a poem that speaks comfort to our hearts.

Near a shady wall a rose once grew,

Budded and blossomed in God's free light:

God saved him. And he will save us as well.

After all, God knows how we feel. He isn’t asking us to go through something that he has not gone through Himself. God lost a loved one as well.

Greg is in God’s hands now. Now he sees the Lord face to face. And he’ll be waiting for us when we get there.