Funeral Sermon - A Sense of Peace

Below is a recording and the text of the message offered during the funeral of Ella Henry, Saturday, May 11. 

I’ve been a minister for about 37 years, and part of my job is doing memorial services like this one. Now in the past, I’ve done a lot of them for younger people who’ve passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. And you know, before those services, as I talk with the families, they always feel sort of numb, you know, like they’re living in a dream. And I’ll tell you something else, they always have questions that I just can’t answer, most of which begin with the word “why.”  Why did this have to happen? Why did God take him so soon? Why didn’t we have a chance to say good-bye? Why?  Now that’s what they ask. And I’ll tell you, I sure understand the reason. I mean, their emotions are all jumbled and confused. It’s as though they just can’t get their heads around what’s happened, but then how could they. My gosh, their lives will never be the same, and it all happened in an instant, in the blink of an eye. And you know, whenever I go into one of those services, I try to offer some kind of comfort in my message, although I know that they’re still going to be left with a lot of the same questions and the same feelings they had going in. And I also know that only time and close friends and family and of course prayer will help them get a handle on the confusion and maybe even the anger and doubt they’re feeling. 

But you know, I hope that’s not the case for us this morning, because I believe we have every reason to leave this service with a sense of peace. In other words, although we’re going to miss Ella, I really believe that we can feel a sense of comfort, a sense of tranquility, a genuine sense of peace as we leave here and go on with the rest of our lives. And let me tell you why. 

First, I think we can feel peace just knowing that Ella lived a good, long life. Now, before I say anything else, I’m going to be straight with y’all; I’ve only been around here for just short of three years. And so, I’m not going to pretend that I knew her well. But y’all did. I mean, y’all know how strong she was and how hard she worked and how dedicated she was to her God and to her church and to her family. For example, it takes real strength to deal with the passing of two husbands and two sons and a step-son, along with parents and siblings. Man, it takes strength to deal with that kind of grief. And I think everybody here knows how hard she worked. My gosh, she ran a farm before women were supposed to do that kind of stuff, and she did it while also raising a family, for crying out loud. In fact, when I talked with the family yesterday afternoon, I think y’all called her an overcomer, because, when faced with a challenge, she didn’t make a lot of excuses, did she? Instead she took care of it, even if that meant doing payroll after the kids were in bed. Man, she knew how to work. And as to her dedication, my goodness, I think she did just about everything that could be done around the church. And within her family, let me ask you, how many mothers would have their kids line up and drink carrot and celery juice from a “Juicenator,” because it was good for them? And how many chicken farmers who made their money selling eggs, how many would respond to a son who broke a whole mess of their income with just three simple words: Clean it up? And how many people would care so much for all her children, that she made everyone feel like family and it didn’t matter whether they were step brothers or half-sisters or even in-laws and out-laws? For Ella, everybody belonged. And as I remember, when I visited her in the apartment, their pictures were probably somewhere in her living room. Now that, my friends, is dedication.  You see, I believe I’m safe in saying that Ella really did live a good life. And that’s the first reason I think, we can feel peace.

And second, I hope y’all believe that Ella also has a wonderful future, a future that’s grounded in the promises of God and the love of Jesus Christ. I mean, just think about what Isaiah saw, a time when those who have gone before us “will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint.” And of course from John, that wonderful vision he had of our future, in a new heaven and a new earth, a place where God will wipe away all tears from our eyes and where there will be no death and no sorrow and no crying and no pain. You see, that’s our future, a new world, a recreated world. And I’ll tell you, Ella is going to be there, and personally, I hope she’s making some of the stuff y’all talked about yesterday, you know, like the orange cookies and the loaves of bread and the buns and the rolls. And who knows, she just might be baking all that stuff in an avocado kitchen with a Formica table. But you better be careful; she just might hand you a pair of scissors so you can cut that hardtack candy. You see, she’s going to be there with her mom and dad and with Virgil and Gene, Douglas and Robert and Marty, who died one year to the day Ella passed, and of course, all the other family members to whom she had to say good-bye; I’m telling you, they’re all going to be there with her just the way it’s supposed to be. In other words, the time is coming when we’re going to see Ella again, and it won’t be on Mayfield or in Water Run. Instead, we’ll all be together in a new and glorious world, one where there’s no pain and no passing. You see, that’s our future. That’s our hope. And that’s the second reason I think we can feel peace.

You know, after some funerals, families struggle for years with all kinds of questions and emotions and maybe even guilt, and I’m talking about a whole bunch of questions that I’m not sure anyone can answer and emotions that are jumbled and confused and guilt, man, guilt that can almost take over a person’s life. But you know, I don’t think that should be the case for us, as we leave here this morning, because I believe that we can feel a sense peace as we think about Ella, and I’m talking about the peace that comes from knowing that she lived a good life and that the day is coming when we’re going to be with her again. You see, I think knowing these things offers a genuine sense of peace.