Janet Breckon - 6.13.22

Funeral Service for Janet Breckon

6/13/22

We have gathered this morning to remember and celebrate the life of Janet Breckon. We also gather to grieve together and strengthen each other in this time of loss.

Our struggle today is to separate what is seen from what is unseen. What we see is a body that is worn out, a shell that barely resembles the person who once inhabited it. However, the person that inhabited that body, we believe, lives on. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me will live even though they die.”

The Apostle Paul wrote,

When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. (1 Corinthians 15:36-38)

So, in a sense, we straddle a fence today. On one side of the fence is life here on earth, where we weep and mourn that Jan has died. But on the other side of the fence, we rejoice in the hope that is ours in Christ. We rejoice that Jan has been freed from the limits of a body racked with disease and is able to stand before the Lord with a heart and life that has been made new by faith in Christ.

Let’s pray,

Our Father, we are grateful that you have given us hope and your comfort in this time of loss. Help us to mourn the loss; help us to celebrate the life Jan lived here on earth; and help us to see the message of the gospel clearly so we can rejoice in the assurance of life beyond the grave. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

* * * *

[Paul]

Jan Breckon was born on April 5, 1943 in Monmouth, Illinois, the daughter of Paul and Zelma McMillan. Jan was born to her parents later in life. Some would say, “Jan was the accidental baby.” I get the impression her dad (and her mom) saw her as a special gift. She was a unique and special person. When she was growing up, her mom was pretty strict. Her dad had a really good sense of humor which she picked up and passed on to her boys.

Jan met Steve Breckon on the school bus. They went to the same school. Jan was in first grade, Steve was in 2nd. He says by the time 4thgrade came along they were holding hands on the school bus. They didn’t officially start dating until Steve graduated from High School. She was the woman he always knew he would marry.

Jan was a lover of books. She loved the English language and was an excellent typist. This became a skill that came in handy because Steve had lots of papers to type but he wasn’t much of a typist. Jan literally wore out typewriters and she was a vital partner in Steve getting his Doctorate.

Jan was also active, she liked to play baseball in the church league. She loved horses. She like to shoot her gun. She was an avid bowler. She had lots and lots of fun at the bowling alley. She was up for any adventure. But she was not reckless. Her brother died in a freak accident on the Mississippi, and I think that was always a caution in the back of her mind.

The nature of Steve’s job meant he moved around frequently. He would come home every three years or so and announce they were moving . . . in a week. Jan took it all in stride. She worked with what she had and made the best of every situation.

It wasn’t easy to have a husband who is the Superintendent of schools. People frequently had things to say . . . many of them were not nice. Jan handled it all in stride. Once when she was bowling, some women on the other team were talking about the school (and Steve). They looked at Jan and said, “Are you going to defend him.” Jan simply said, “I came here to bowl. Why are you here?” Jan had a way of saying those things that let you know that she was not going to play those games, and if you were wise, you wouldn’t push her.

While Steve ran to a host of school events Jan stayed home with the boys. She didn’t work outside of the home until Paul was 16! They were used to playing board games and then going outside to play catch or frisbees with mom. Jan never complained. When the kids were just infants she would sometimes show up at basketball games and sit in the second row so she could spend some time in the vicinity of her husband.

Jan was an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan. She loved Coca Cola (she didn’t understand why anyone would drink a diet soft drink). She loved crossword puzzles and watching John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

The one thing I will always remember about Jan Breckon is the fact that you could almost never get a straight answer from her . . . about anything. She was constantly joking with you and giving you a hard time. She would generally answer a question with a question. She always had a twinkle in her eye . . .especially as she toyed with you.

Jan savored life. She was interested in whatever her family members were interested in.She did a number of ride-a-longs with Matt, she went and got a tattoo of a horse when she was 60 years old. She learned how to be a medical transcriptionist later in her life. She was great at discerning what Doctors were saying or writing. She did that job working at home.

Steve and Jan took care of Jan’s mom when she was older. It was the right thing to do.

Jan died because of cancer. She didn’t seem to be afraid of dying. She was determined to squeeze every drop out of life. And right beside her was the boy she met on the bus when she was just starting school. He loved her then and he loved her to the very end. He walked his love to the door that leads to eternity and surrendered her to the only one who could love her more than he did.

Jan was a fun, patient, and skilled woman. Her death, late on June 7thleaves a hole in the lives of those who knew her. She leaves behind her husband of 52 years and her sons, Paul (Kim) and Matt. She also leaves 5 grandchildren whom she loved dearly. She was proud of her family . . . she should have been, she went a long way toward making them who they are today.

[SONG]

* * * *

The book of Ecclesiastes is not the most exciting book in the Bible. There seems to be a great deal of angst in the book with words such as “meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.” The book however is Solomon’s search for real meaning in life. He is frustrated that much of what we value in life is ultimately meaningless. They have no lasting or eternal value.

There are some gems of wisdom in the book however, and one of those places is in chapter 7. It has become one of my favorite funeral texts.

1 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.

And the day you die is better than the day you are born.

2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.

After all, everyone dies—

so the living should take this to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter,

for sadness has a refining influence on us.

4 A wise person thinks a lot about death,

while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

The first verse says a good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. Think about it. If we had said Jan Breckon had lots of money, power, and status it would be easy to say, “and what did that get her?” However, being able to talk about her character, her love for her family, her approach to life, her playful spirit, and her eagerness to learn and experience life . . . now that is someone who leaves a positive imprint on the lives of those around her.

My favorite part of the verse however is verse 2. Solomon says it is better to spend time at a funeral than at a party. The thing is, almost no one believes this. But Solomon goes on to explain. At a party, people laugh and have a good time but it doesn’t make them better people. But a funeral is different. Funerals make you think about ultimate things. It makes us take stock of our own lives. It leads us to deeper questions. Such as,

· What is life really all about?

· What happens after we die?

· Will I leave a positive mark on the lives of those around me?

· Does God really exist?

Solomon doesn’t answer all these questions in his book, but he points us in the right direction. He points us toward the eternal, to a God who makes all things and to whom we will all give an account. It is the only thing that makes sense. Otherwise, we are simply a cosmic accident and there is no meaning or purpose in our lives.

Jesus takes things the rest of the way home. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6) That’s not a very WOKE thing to say. But, the Bible doesn’t say it to be culturally popular, it says it because it is true.

Jesus also said, “I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in me, will live even though he dies. He who lives and believes in me will never really die.” (John 11) What made that comment ring true was Jesus next calling his friend Lazarus from out of the tomb 4 days after he had died! Jesus gave an exclamation point to those words when He himself came back from the dead.

I know, to some, this sounds like a Disney movie, but it is not. Anyone who wants to carefully examine the evidence will see it is compelling. The atheist turned Christian, C.S. Lewis did not want to believe in God. He certainly didn’t want to believe in Jesus. Finally, the evidence became so compelling he trusted in Christ and served him as one of the greatest defenders of the faith.

It was Lewis who said it is impossible to think of Jesus as merely a great teacher. The man claimed to be God! He either was God or He was a liar or con man, or just plain crazy. You can’t call Him merely a great teacher. He didn’t leave that option open to us.

These words of Jesus matter today. I know Jan Breckon had a faith in Christ. I don’t know how deep it was, but Jan was a smart woman. I believe she saw there had to be more to this life than what we could see with our eyes. If Jan’s faith was in Jesus as her Savior and Lord, then the Bible tells us we need not grieve for Jan. Solomon was right, “the day we die is better than the day we are born.” When we die, we enter a life that is cleansed from all that brings pain, anguish and sorrow. It is the life made possible when Jesus died to pay for our sin and rebellion.

Of course, we still grieve. But our grief is for our loss, not hers. I believe Janet Breckon is more alive now than she has ever been. It was Lewis who said, this life is but the title page of the great story, the one in which every chapter is better than the one before.

As we wait for that day in our own lives, we are reminded to deal with spiritual matters now. This is a wakeup call to not put off what will matter for all of eternity. This is a good time to closely examine the evidence for the resurrection. Knowing Jan loved reading, I would say start with Lewis and “Surprised by Joy” or “Mere Christianity” or Lee Strobel’s book called “The Case for Christ” which is the story of his attempt as an investigative reporter to disprove Christianity. Or J. Warner Wallace’s book, “Cold Case Christianity” in which he uses the cold case techniques he used as a cold case detective to examine the claims of Christianity.

As we learn from this time, let us also remember joyfully the life of Jan Breckon,

· Her quick wit

· Her desire to keep learning, even when others were taking up their rocking chairs

· Her adventurous spirit (getting a tattoo, going on ride-a-longs with her son, going for a ride on a motorcycle) all later in life.

· Her adaptable spirit. She didn’t waste time complaining about circumstances . . . she dealt with them.

· Her all-in approach to raising her kids and grandkids. She savored the moments and in so doing left boxes and boxes of memories.

· Her resolve to enjoy life. Why give up drinking Coke to drink Diet Coke (which in Jan’s mind wasn’t really a coke at all)? Why be miserable when you could enjoy the journey?

· Her devotion to the guy she met in first grade. He may not be perfect, but she believed in him and encouraged him to be the man he is today. The same can be said of her sons. She saw the treasure in people.

· And Jan’s genuine faith. She wasn’t crazy about going to church, but I don’t believe that was because of a lack of faith. I think she had trouble with those who seemed to only pretend to have faith. Jan didn’t like to pretend. She was who she was . . . and who she was, was pretty special.

I believe those who learn from this day, those who take time to think about eternal things and turn to Christ as the One who is trustworthy above all others, will see Jan again. And though it is hard to believe, she will be filled with even greater joy.

[SONG]

Let’s pray,

Our Father, we thank you for the promise of life beyond the grave. We thank you for the evidence that you have left us that this life is not all there is and that Jesus is the One in whom we can confidently place our trust. And we thank you for the life of Janet Breckon. Thank you for her spirit, her encouragement, and the life that was so fully present in her.

We ask you to welcome her into the place you prepared for her. And we ask that you would help us to remember what she taught us, and to build upon those lessons. Grant that our memories would be vivid and that even in our grief we would find many reasons to smile, laugh, and give thanks. We ask this in Jesus’ name.