Wade Steven's Service

1. Welcome, everyone!

For those who don’t know me, my name is Joel Littlefield. I’m the lead pastor at New City Church in Bath, where Rob is currently a member.

When Rob invited me to share at his brothers celebration of life, I was truly honored. So, thank you for letting me play a small part in this season.

2. I’d like to begin with a Scripture reading. I’m reading Psalm 145:8-21

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9  The LORD is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,

and all your saints shall bless you!

11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

12  to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The LORD is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.]

14  The LORD upholds all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

15  The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

16  You open your hand;

you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17  The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and kind in all his works.

18  The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

20  The LORD preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21  My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

3. Let’s pray -

Heavenly Father, we gather together to think about the truth today. To turn our eyes to you, the Creator of life, the comforter of the brokenhearted, and Shepherd of the soul. I trust that even on this day, with the reality of death so clearly before us, that you will bring good, and hope, and healing, and life to all who cry out to you today. In the name of your Son, Jesus, who was crucified and risen from the grave… Amen

4. EULOGY At this time I’d like to invite ____________ to come up and share the Eulogy.

5. MEMORIES AND STORIES This is the time I’d like to invite any friends and family members of Wade to come forward and share a favorite memory, or a cherished story, so that we can all celebrate his memory together. Who would like to go first?

6. SERMON

Jesus was familiar with death. There’s a famous story when Jesus was away doing ministry with His disciples when he got word from Mary and Martha that a close friend named, Lazarus, was ill. This story is of course most famous because Lazarus, who had dies before Jesus got to him, was called out of the tomb by the voice of Jesus - and he, in fact, walked out of the grave full of life.

But something very significant was happening leading up to that miracle. As it so happens with most deaths in a family, there is a lot of busyness, and planning, and figuring out what to do next. There’s a lot of shock, and unsettled emotions the reality and the finality of it all sets in.

When Jesus finally got to the town where Mary and Martha were, they were disappointed. Jesus was too late. He could have done something, right, but he didn’t get there in time.

So the question would naturally enter their minds…does he even care about our hurting and our pain?

Well, I’m here to tell you today that he does.

John 11:32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

2 things I want each of you to hear very clearly today as you reflect on both Wade’s death, and your life.

Jesus is deeply moved and troubled by the human condition, and he weeps with those who weep.

He weeps with you. He sees you. He understands death, and he knows what it’s like to grieve the loss of a close friend. He, in fact, is near to the brokenhearted. There is a side of God that becomes clearer and more precious in seasons of loss, and this is because death reminds us of the brokenness in the world, and our own need for knowing God.

So hear me, dear people, Jesus has seen you, and he weeps with you out of heart of love and compassion.

Earlier in the story, Jesus said to Martha in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

2. And this is the second thing I want you to all hear today...

Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is forgiven of all their sins and given eternal life as a gift. For that person, death is not the end. And Jesus has the authority to do this, because He was God in human flesh who stepped into our world of sin and death, lived a perfect life, and willingly hung upon a cross to receive the punishment that we deserved for our sins against God, and then rose from the grave three days later.

This Jesus, I proclaim to you, and I implore you to trust in him today for the forgiveness of sins, and follow Him. He sees you, he understands your grief, he was willing to enter your grief, but he has so much hope for you today.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

His love is that great! He is the resurrection and the Life. DO you believe this today? Will you believe this today?

7. CLOSING HYMN AND PRAYER If you could all stand and we will sing a closing hymn together and then a final prayer.