Listen to and read this week's Sermon below
Bereavement Service 2020
November 1st - All Souls' Day (Revd Jeanette Hamer) Psalm 23 contains some of the most comforting verses in the Bible,
often being quoted in times of trouble or distress and often are read or sung when we gather together for a funeral. Some of you may have chosen it as the reading at the Funeral of your loved one. The words describe God in terms that are clearly understood, as a Shepherd caring for his sheep. The writer, David, points us to God, the only Source of confidence in times of trouble. Listen to Lize Hadassah Wiid Sing Psalm 23 below
David was a Shepherd boy before he became a soldier and then a King. He knew how difficult life could be. Even as he became the leader of his people, life was not easy and he understood the grief of loss, as we do. The words of this Psalm reflect our journey through life, our journey through the rough and the smooth, looking ahead to the future. We none of us know of the twists and turns that lie ahead and we are gathered here today to remember those we have lost in our journey to this point. A time to remember those we love yet see no more. It is a time to gather, to reflect, to remember and to share those memories together. Psalm 23 reminds us that God is with us in our journeying. He is there at our side throughout our lives, ready to help when things get tough. He loves each one of us, his precious children and knows us all by name. The Bible, in Isaiah 16, tells us that our names are engraved on the palms of his hands; we are so precious to him. This is an overwhelming love that surpasses even death. Verse 4 of the Psalm says, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.’ God offers to travel with you, even through death, to be with him. John 3:16 reminds us ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.’ It’s a promise for our future. The Psalm reinforces this, with David’s words as he looks to God for the future. ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever’. He offers comfort to us, when we feel bereft, in sorrow and in grief. He understands our grief and sorrow, for he too has felt it. Jesus shares in our humanity, his tears flowed at the site of the grave of his friend Lazarus. He promises to be there when we call upon him, to help and restore us as we travel on. Jesus himself offered words of comfort to his Disciples, when he told them he was leaving them. John 14 reminds us that he has gone ahead, to prepare for those who follow on. ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?’ I wonder if you are familiar with the poem 'Footprints in the Sand'? You may have seen it on cards and posters. I don’t know the author, but it appears it is someone whose faith has helped them through the dark times in their life, and how faith in God has sustained them. "One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me." He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints.... it was then that I carried you." This poem linked so well with Psalm 23 for me....t he picture of a shepherd that cares for the sheepand the picture of the God who can walk beside us throughout our life are intermingled aren’t they? A God who cares for each one of us and the ones we are gathered to remember. It is a love so deep that it involved the death of his own Son, to enable us a future with him. God is the shepherd, who searches for us in our need and reaches out in love and compassion, to lift us up and carry us on. God has opened his arms of love for us to turn to and receive his embrace. God has gone ahead to prepare a place for us in the future. Can we echo the voice of David from the Psalm? ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.’ Amen |