On behalf of Marvalyn and the rest of the family, I want to welcome you to all of you. Thank you for coming to this service in which we give thanks for the life of Bill Hoyt and celebrate God's mercy in his life. We're glad to have you. Hope you'll be able to stay afterwards for the reception as well. You should have gotten a little Brown program. The words to the songs that we'll be singing are in the inside and a little bit of an order of service at the beginning. So if you didn't get one of those, but I think everybody did. So, all right, let's begin with prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you that In every moment of every situation in our lives, from the beginning to the end, you are involved, whether we recognize it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not. But we're glad to have the opportunity here to gather together as family and friends to remember Bill, all that he meant to us in different relationships over for some many, many, many years. We thank you, Lord, that we can lift up our hearts to you and celebrate your amazing grace through the gift of your Son. We pray that the words of our mouths, the meditations of our hearts this morning will be acceptable in your sight. You are our rock and you are our redeemer. And so we glorify you. We praise you and ask you to receive our worship in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's sing together, first of all, Amazing Grace. Always we come to God in the fullness of His grace. And we celebrate it, particularly in its visitation to us in salvation. So you'll find the words inside. Let's sing Amazing Grace. Bill was born on August 23rd, 1934, in Albert Lee, Minnesota, the son of Virgil and Iva Hoyt. He passed away of cancer on the 15th of April of this year, 2018, at his home in San Diego. He and Marvelyn Wolfe of Northwood, Iowa, were united in marriage in April of 1956. After graduating from Albert Lee High School, Bill enlisted in the US Navy. During his naval career, Bill rose from enlisted ranks to also serving his country as a naval officer. Bill was proud to be called a Mustang. He spent most of his career at sea serving as a repair officer. Bill was a member of the American Legion, the VFW, and served as president of the Sweetwater Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. Bill retired from the Navy in 1978 after 23 years of service. He then started Hoyt's Appliance Repair Service. He enjoyed seeing the city while driving to various homes to repair appliances. Bill was a car guy and enjoyed talking to anyone about autos. During his lifetime, he owned 48 cars. As a member of the San Diego Miata Car Club, he was afforded times to drive the back country roads with the club. Bill also rode motorcycles and continued to ride until age 80. Bill rode many times on streets and highways, but his greatest pleasure was riding dirt bikes on trails. He also competed in observed trial competitions. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Virgil and Iva, and a sister, Lavonne. He's survived by his wife, Marvelyn, sons Bill, Jay, Van, and John, sisters Joanna and Yvonne, 10 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. And as some of you know, you were at the graveside this morning. He'll be interred at Miramar National Cemetery. I wanted to read a few portions of scripture appropriate to the situation. One of these I alluded to at the graveside ceremony earlier this morning, the account that John gives us of the death and the promised resurrection of his friend, of Jesus' friend, Lazarus. This is from the 11th chapter of John. Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to Jesus, saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill. But when Jesus heard it, he said, this illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Mary and Martha to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha said to Jesus, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said to her, 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? She said to him, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, who is coming into the world. And then to demonstrate his power, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. When Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians, they were concerned about people who had died among the believing community, and Paul wanted to give them comfort and hope regarding those who had died. Some probably thought that if they had come to faith in this one who proclaimed himself to be the resurrection and the life, perhaps Christians can escape physical death. But that's not the case. And yet, Paul, speaking in the Holy Spirit, had these words of comfort from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who do not have hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words." And then from the very end of the Bible, next to the last chapter of the last book in the New Testament, the book of Revelation, Then I saw new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eye, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new. I read earlier in the other service, Psalm 23, let's sing a musical setting of it. The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want. Now we'll hear a few reminiscences of Bill. First of all, from his son, Bill Allen, and then another son, John, and then from the president of the Sweetwater Chapter of the Military Officers Association, Ernie Lewag. So I'll let them come in turn up here, and we'll hear from them. This is something my father wanted me to read to all of you, and it's titled, I Was a Sailor Once. Like standing on the bridge wing at sunrise with salt spray in my face and clean ocean winds whispering in from the quarters of the globe, the ship beneath me feeling like a living thing as her engine strove her swiftly through the sea. I like the sounds of the Navy, the piercing thrill of Host Wayne's pipe, the synoptic clangor of the ship's bell on the quarterdeck, the harsh squawk of the 1MC, and the strong language and laughter of the sailors at work. I like Navy vessels, nervous, darting destroyers, plodding fleet auxiliaries and amphibs, sleek submarines, and steady, solid aircraft carriers. I like the proud names of Navy ships, Belgrove, Antietam, Iwo Jima, Oriskany, Dixon, all of which I served on. I liked the tempo of a navy band blaring through the topside speakers as we pulled away from the boiler after refueling at sea. I liked the liberty call and the spicy scent of a foreign port. I even liked the never-ending paperwork and all-hands working parties as my ship filled herself with the multitude of supplies, both critical and mundane, in order to cut ties with the land and carry out our mission anywhere on the globe where there was water to flow her. I liked sailors, officers, enlisted men from all parts of the land, farms of the Midwest, small towns of New England, from the cities, the mountains, and the prairies, from all walks of life. I trusted and depended on them, and they trusted and depended on me for professional competence, for comradeship, for strength and courage. In a word, they were shipmates then and forever. I like the surge of adventure in my heart when the word was passed. Now set the special sea and anchor details, all hands to the quarters leading forth. And I liked the infectious thrill of sliding home again and the waving hands of welcome from family and friends waiting to your side. The work was hard and dangerous, the going rough at times, the parting from loved ones painful, but the companionship of robust maybe laughter and all for one and one for all philosophy of the sea was ever present. I like the serenity of the sea after a day of hard ship's work, as flying fish flittered across the wave tops at sunset day and wave at night. I like the feel of navy and darkness, the masthead and range lights the red and green navigation lights, the stern light, the pulsating phosphorescence of radar report heaters. They cut through the dust and joined the mirror of stars overhead. I liked drifting off to sleep, lulled by myriad noises, large and small, that told me my ship was alive and well, and that my shipmates on watch would keep me safe. I like the quiet mid-watches and the aroma of strong coffee, the lifeblood of the Navy permeating everywhere. I like hectic watches when the exacting minute haze-gray shapes racing at flank speed cap all hands at a racer's edge of alertness. I liked the sudden electricity of general quarters, all hands, man your battle stations, followed by the hurried clamor of running feet on ladders and the sounding thump of watertight doors as the ship transformed herself in a few brief seconds from a peaceful workplace to a weapon of war, ready for anything. I like the sight of space age equipment, manned by youngsters, clad in dungarees and sound powered phones that their grandfathers would still recognize. I like the traditions of the Navy and the men and women who made them. I like the proud names of Navy heroes, Halsey, Nimitz, Perry, Farragut, John Paul Jones, and Berkey. A sailor can find much in Navy. Comrades in arms, pride in self and country, mastery of seamen's trade, and adolescent could become adulthood. In years to come, when I was home from sea, I still remember the fondness and respect the ocean and all its moons. The impossible shimmering mirror, calm and still, tossed spring water surging over the bow. And then there comes again a faint whiff of stacked gas, a faint echo of engine and rudder orders, a vision of the bright bunting of signal flags snapping at the yard arm, a refrain of hearty laughter in the wardroom and chief's quarters and mess decks. Gone ashore for good, I grew wistful about the Navy days. When the seas belonged to me and the new port of call was ever over the horizon, remembering this, I stood taller and said, I was a sailor once, and I would do it again. That's all he wrote. He was 83. 23 of those years, he was in the military. He didn't say anything about the other 60 years. He grew up in Albert Lee. He was born there. Lived in a small town, Glenville. He went to the Navy. He enlisted in San Diego. He came back, met my mom, was married, had me. I was born in Albert League. My dad, while he was off at sea, we moved around the nation like nomads as a family. Moved from Albert Lee to Boston, Boston to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Florida, where my other two brothers, Jay and Ben, were born. From Pensacola, Florida, we moved to Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia to Philadelphia, where John was born, from Philadelphia. We moved here to San Diego where my dad enlisted because he felt this was heaven on earth. He really did. My dad always felt though that Minnesota and Albert Lee was his home. The rest of us still feel San Diego is our home. With dad moving in 23 years at sea, I mean he was gone at 9 months at a time and come back for a couple months and then he's gone again. My mom, through her faith and support, very strong woman, raising a family, four boys, the support we had was through the church. We were raised in the church. So, and with that, my dad had a restless spirit, very restless. And he was an adventurer. He traveled around. He wanted to see the world. He did that. He did that through the Navy. It's a lot I can say. We weren't sure he was saved until the last few days. God had blessed him with an extended life. We didn't think he was going to make his 83rd birthday. He did. In the last three years, he was in and out of the hospital a lot. And it wasn't for sure that we knew he was safe until the last few weeks before he died. I would encourage everyone to not wait that long. I'm sure there are pastors in your local congregations or even OPC here would be happy to talk to you, consult you, as we think about our life here on earth. And it's not so much as what we are here on earth, but where we end up. So that's it for me. Hello everyone, I'm John. Today we're celebrating Dad's life and it is a sad day in some respects. April 27th, so today 62 years ago, my dad married my mom. So today is their 62nd wedding anniversary. And on their first wedding anniversary, out came Bill Allen. He goes by Bill, the family calls him Allen, so I'll say Allen. So it's his 61st birthday today. Yeah, first of all, I just want to thank everyone for coming today, sharing your love and support for dad and our family. There was many people, one because it's Friday or because of location, couldn't make it today. We definitely want to say thank you to all those as well. There's a table full of condolence cards at mom and dad's house, people sending cards. Thank everybody for that. Thank you, Pastor Wagner and your wife, Sherry, for all the support you provided the last few months down in and out of the hospital and the whole church. I mean, tons of meals delivered to the Hoyt household over the last few years. And all the other church members helped today with the reception and just providing this nice place for us. Yeah, so being the youngest of four boys, I was only 11 years old when dad graduated, retired from the Navy. So I didn't remember much of his military time. There were a few things, however, I do remember going to the ship. I guess they prepared, I can't remember if it was lunch or dinner, but we went to the USS Dixon for a meal. And it seemed like a big deal. I mean, I was, I don't know how old I was, maybe nine or ten, but it's like, wow, I mean, this is pretty neat. And dad was a repair officer on the USS Dixon. So I'm like, Dad must be pretty special to have people waiting on him, people cooking for him, and were there being served. So that was one of the good memories of him being in the military. The other thing he mentioned is he wanted a blue casket. So those of you at Miramar saw he had a blue casket. He got a nice one, the light blues were for the shallower, calmer waters, nice lighter blue color, darker blues. For the hundreds and thousands of hours he was in very deep ocean, sometimes I'm sure big waves they had to go through so Yeah So growing up yeah, dad and us four boys and mom tagged along a lot of times too we we rode motorcycles and we competed in observed trials, so We were out riding all the time We went to many competitions all throughout Southern California. A lot of us competed. So those are some good times. Along with riding, we don't usually go over the weekend sometimes. So we would go camping, pitch the tent. We'd have to cook food, our own food, and just sitting around the campfire at night, just talking about the day, and riding the sections. Yeah, at trials you ride little sections, and it was just great times out there. So, yeah, in the trials community, Dad was given a nickname, Downhill Bill. So he crashed a few times going downhill. One time he actually broke his collarbone. So yeah, a lot of people call him Downhill Bill. So yeah, anyone who knew Dad knew that he loved cars and motorcycles. Yeah, 48 cars, 43 something motorcycles he had. So he definitely loved vehicles. So one thing we would do, kind of became a little tradition, whenever we bought a new car, acquired a new car, we had to show dad our new car. So sometimes right off the dealer lot, we would drive straight to mom and dad's house to show dad our new car. And he would be so excited. Sometimes he didn't even know, we'd just show up and He's like, Dad, come take a look. And he was like, did you buy a new car? So excited. Just spent hours sitting out in the garage in a chair just looking at everything. Of course, pop that. I want to see the engine. So Van was the last one to buy a new car. Just recently, he came down. Showed Dad, Dad was not doing well at the time, but he wanted to see the car. So Jay, Van, Mom got him in his wheelchair, got him out of the house, Van picked him up, got him into the car. You guys went for a little drive too, right? Yeah, so they went for a little drive and I'm sure he loved that. So all his life, loved cars, and thank you, man, for doing that. Yeah, so. Among most of the dad's cars were little two-seater convertible sports cars. He loved going on the backcountry roads with his cars, motorcycles. The curvier the road, the better for him. He loved driving out there. Yeah, I remember one time Chella and I and Jonna was just a toddler. We went with mom and dad. They had their Miata top down. We were going on some of these curvy mountain roads. And I just remember dad going very fast around these corners, sliding around corners. There was mom with her hand on her hat looking back at us and just going around these corners. Good times. So yeah, we do have a memory table out there. I know a lot of you have looked at it already. But definitely, if you get a chance, take a look at a lot of the photos we have out there. A few items I want to mention is, yeah, Dad, in the living room, Dad had his chair, the TV, and he had a little table. He always had a globe. on his table, I'm sure reminding him of all those times on the ship cruising around the world. So that's a special globe. Another one is an envelope from the Iwo Jima, USS Iwo Jima, that picked up Apollo 13 astronauts. So dad was on the Iwo Jima when they picked up the Apollo 13 astronaut. Gene Reinhart was on the ship as well. He's here today. And he actually was the one who ordered those envelopes that are sitting out there on the table. So part of history right there. So yeah, I just want to thank everybody who was a friend of dad's family, friends of dad's. His life wouldn't have been what it was without you guys being a part of it. He talked about his friends a lot and just all the good times that he had with them. So you guys are very special. We appreciate that. Yeah, I'm gonna miss Mrs. Big Heart, his big smile. Oh, if he had his teeth in. A lot of times we'd show up, he didn't have his teeth in, and he'd smile. Oh, need to put my teeth in. Yeah, so we spent a lot of time in Mom and Dad's house, in the living room. Yeah, they have a beautiful view. If you've ever been to their house, a beautiful view of San Diego, Coronado Bridge. So we spent a lot of time just sitting in the living room, chatting, having a good time, watching TV. Those are times that are going to be missed. So yeah, lastly, just dad was very proud of us boys. I mean, no matter what we did, very proud of us. proud of our families, proud of the grandkids, proud of just all his friends and extended family, his sisters. So yeah, well, Dad, we're very proud of you. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Ernie Lewak, and I'm the current president of the Military Officers Association of America, which Bill loves so much. He spent a lot of time with MOAA, and he was the driving force to a lot of the things that we do with this organization. I first met Bill Hoyt when I joined MOAA in the Sweetwater chapter about seven years ago. From the beginning, I saw his enthusiasm and dedication to MOAA and its mission. As soon as I became a member, he asked me if I would take the position of treasurer of the organization. Because of his persuasion, I gladly accepted the position. And only because he just grilled me daily about it. That's how passionate he was. I learned something else about Bill. I know John talked a lot about cars. He loved his classic car. Three years ago, Bill was due to audit the annual treasurer's report. So we invited him and Marilyn to lunch at our house. Bill and I started talking about cars and I told him about my 1968 Mustang and how I regretted selling it. As soon as he heard I came by the car, his eyes opened up and he said, Ernie, you should see my car. So all four of us went out and he showed us his classic car. I don't know, was that a Miata that he was driving at that time? But anyways, he was so proud of the Louis Vuitton leather upholstery that he had custom made. And he talked about every detail about the car and its performance. And he went on and on and on. You know, you're right. He loved his car. And cars, for that matter. As you said, okay, he had 48 cars, okay, and a lot of motorcycles. Bill was an extraordinary man. He was a fighter to the end. The last time I saw Bill was when my wife and I visited him before he passed away. Although he knew that the end was near, he still had that great smile that I'm so familiar of seeing. He still had that sense of humor. For instance, before we left, he said, Ernie, you should see my state run. overlooking the bay again the bridge. Sure enough, what a spectacular view. He was very optimistic to the end. Today, we say goodbye to a dear friend, a loving family man, a true patriot, and a devoted husband. God bless you, Lieutenant William Hoyt. We love you and will forever miss you. Fair winds and following seas, my friend. A huge sail towards your final destination. May you rest in peace. I'm sure many of you have memories of Bill and during the reception you're going to have plenty of opportunities to talk with one another, to laugh together, to rejoice in what Bill meant to each one of you, but thank you Bill Allen and John and Ernie for sharing your thoughts here. I wanted just to share a few thoughts with you. We knew this day was coming, particularly over the last few months as Bill's health declined. And as I visited him, talked with him, prayed, with him and for him. There was a particular story that Jesus told that kept coming to mind. When I was visiting him, I wanted to keep it short, so I didn't share this story with him, but I wanted to call it to your mind. For some of you, it will be familiar. It's recorded in Matthew chapter 20, but it's a story that Jesus told about a master who needed laborers to work in his vineyard. And so he went out to the marketplace to hire some day laborers, and he agreed on a denarius, which was a Roman coin that was about standard wage for a day of labor. You've seen this kind of scene yourself, not in an ancient setting, but maybe men waiting to hire out of a union hall. just waiting for a call to come in, we need some men on the job, or more often you're coming out of Home Depot and there are a bunch of day laborers there waiting to get picked up just for some work. So this man goes and he hires, at the beginning of the day he hires some laborers He goes out again at mid morning, Jesus says, and saw others that were standing idle in the marketplace. And so he said to them, you go into my vineyard too, and whatever is right, I will give you. So they went. Then about noon, the The landlord goes back and hires more, and then in the middle of the afternoon, even more men. And then about an hour before quitting time, he goes back to the marketplace and he finds that there's still some men who haven't been hired. They've been standing there all day. And he says, why are you standing there? And they said, well, because no one will hire us. So he says, okay, you guys go into the vineyard as well. When the evening came, Jesus said, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first. And when those hired at the end of the day came, each of them received a denarius, a day's pay. Now, when those hired first, the beginning in the morning, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, these last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal with us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. But the master replied to them, friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I chose to give to the last worker as I gave to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So the last will be first, and the first last. There's a lot in that parable, but as I pondered it and thinking about Bill's experience, of course, Jesus' point is that God draws people into his kingdom at different times, in different ways, under different circumstances. And really, the wages aren't wages. They are the gift of God's grace. The New Testament says it's by grace that you have been saved, by faith, not of works, so that no one can boast. It's not our doing, but God's generosity. Now, he also wants to warn those who says, well, we've been working through the heat of the day. We've really put in the hours. How come we don't get more? We're recipients of grace. We don't commend ourselves to God. We don't earn credit with God. But the main point of contact, of course, was the fact that some of these men were invited into the vineyard and received that blessing of grace at the end of the day. One hour left to work. Now it's no secret, it's already been alluded to, that God was not high on Bill's priority list. Going to church, especially when it conflicted with driving cars or riding motorcycles or whatever. I've been in this church for 34 years. When I came, Marvalyn was one of the stalwart members and Bill was one of the absent husbands. And though he would turn up from time to time for a social occasion, and occasionally for church, although he didn't like me very much, and I knew it wasn't me, he wasn't sure what to make of God, and how important God should be in his life. And so we were kind of estranged for most of those years, always polite, You know, he was a good smile, even for me. But things began to change in just the last few months. And after he came out of the hospital at the end of last year, and then he went on to hospice, he'd actually, with Marvel, and visited our sister church over in Bonita, and the pastor who's here this morning went and talked to Bill. And that led to a phone call to me. You ought to go back and see Bill. He'd like to talk with you. And so I did. I wasn't really expecting that he'd want to see me under the circumstances, though I'd visited him in the hospital. And he started off by apologizing to me for the estrangement between us. And that was a surprise. As I say, I've got many of my own problems, but I often have trouble with people because they don't like what I represent. So when he wanted to rebuild a relationship with me, I thought, this isn't about Roger Wagner, this is a softening toward God himself. The Culley's had given Bill a book, Right With God, and Bill began there in those last months to read it, read it with Marvel, and begin to mark it, and some of the other members of the church visited with him, and so this seemed like an interest, and at one point he said to me, you know, I'm sorry it's too late, I can't get to church, he was too weak, couldn't get out of his chair, but But it seemed like God was calling him into the vineyard just an hour or so before quitting time. And as I shared the gospel with him, and he seemed very responsive, and he'd pull that book out every time we'd visit, this is the best book I've ever read, best book I've ever read, and seemed to understand. And I've always taken Marvalyn as the gauge, because as I say, Bill was always polite, but I could find out from Marvalyn whether she thought there was a sea change, no pun intended. in his life, and there in these last weeks, she thought, yeah, I think something different is going on. Well, now Bill's gone, but we had many, many encouragements. I mean, it'd be sad to talk about a life filled with cars and motorcycles and travels, only to end there, but this story seems to have a happy ending. because of what appears to be a genuine though fledgling faith that Bill had there at the end. An understanding of why he needed a savior and how it is that even after you've spent your whole life on cars and travel and friends and family, God would still accept you if he was the last choice that you made in your life. And of course, those of us who hired on early in the day, or maybe at noon, or maybe in the middle of the afternoon, we think, well, what's up with that? We've worked hard. We've put in the time and the heat of the day, and God says, now, calm down. It's all of grace. It's my love extended to people who don't deserve it. So some of you hired on early in the day, some of you maybe in the mid-morning or at noontime or in the mid-afternoon. Some of you, perhaps, were like Bill. Other things just were more important. They were a higher priority in your life, and you're still in that condition. So in the hopes that there's somebody out there that thinks maybe I'm too late, I want to say you're never too late. And let me just leave you with these brief biblical thoughts. No time to explain them or expand them, but as was said, I'd be happy to talk to you further about it. But just some basic truths that we need to think about on a day like today when we're thinking about Bill, but we're also thinking about one of these days it's going to be me that's gone. And these flowers are going to have my name on them. And people are going to provide a meal for my family and friends because I'm done. And if you're thinking about that day that's coming for you and for me, each one of us, these brief things to keep in mind. We die because we're sinners. People don't like to hear that, but it's the fact. Death entered our human experience because of the sin of Adam and Eve. The sting of death, says the Bible, is sin. And we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the wages, the payout for that sin is death. It's appointed for each one of us to die, and after that, to face judgment. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. This is really the fear behind the fear of death, the fear of judgment. But God, and this is the whole point, God who is rich in mercy, so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Since we are people of flesh and blood, Jesus Himself took on flesh and blood, a human nature just like ours, so that through His death for sin on the cross of Calvary, He might destroy the power of death by taking away sin and deliver all of those who through the fear of death were subject to a lifelong slavery. Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it abundantly through faith in Him. Whoever believes in Jesus, the Son of God, is not condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the only Son of God. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. So now is the favorable time. Maybe for some of you an hour before quitting time. For some of you it's still pretty early morning. I see these handsome young gentlemen here. It's the start of the day for you. But God calls you and invites you and not to wait until the last minute. Now is the day of salvation, and how shall we escape if we neglect the offer of such a wonderful free gift from God through His Son, Jesus Christ? It is never too late. God will receive us. Don't bypass that opportunity. Let's close together by singing the so-called Navy hymn, Eternal Father, Strong to Save. But it's more about the God that we worship than it is about sailors. Yes, there's all that sailor stuff. But it's the Eternal Father strong to save. It's our Savior whose almighty Word the winds and waves obeyed. It's the Holy Spirit who did brood upon the waters, that Trinity of love and power. So let's close by singing together, Eternal Father, strong to save. Lord, we do thank you. that we can know You through Your Son, the Lord Jesus, that we can face the issue of our guilt and sin, knowing that He bore that penalty in His own death on the cross, so that for those who trust in Him, there is no condemnation, no fear, though we must face the physical reality of death, yet that death is but an entrance into glory. with a sure and certain hope of resurrection one day when Jesus returns. Lord, you know that there are many things that you have given us in our life, family, friends, and other relationships. The work that we can do and enjoy and celebrate like the reading that Alan gave us this morning from his dad. There are cars and mountain roads. There's food and drink and all of the enjoyments of this life, and it's easy for us to get distracted. Indeed, it's easy for us to make those things the object of our love and our desire, rather than you, the true and living God. And so we need to hear you call us away from those things which at best are passing away. Bill couldn't take any of the cars with him. We can't take any of our friends with us. This life will soon pass away, but Knowing you, the true, the eternal, the living God, will give us joy and satisfaction for all eternity. We do thank you again for Bill's military service. And there are others in this room who have served our country faithfully. And as we enjoy our freedom and our security, it's easy for us to take those sacrifices for granted, not only by the military member, but for wives and children that have to endure those separations and the moves, the uprooting, the impermanence of life, and just having to get acquainted with a loved one over and over and over again at the end of a new deployment. Lord, these are things that cannot be valued with money. And they are things that our nation does not value adequately. And so we give you thanks and praise for that is a good gift from you as well. We pray that you will continue to comfort Marvalyn and the boys and their families and all of us, oh Lord. We do thank you that Bill's suffering, which was so intense during the last months especially, is now over. And we thank you for the relief that that represents for Marvalyn, particularly as she was so faithful in caring for her husband. Lord, on our wedding day, we say in sickness and in health, for better, for worse, but most of us put limits on what we think sickness is going to look like or what worse might be. And we thank you that Marvalyn has been such a testimony to all who know her of faithfulness and care in the midst of this ordeal and so help her to rest to recover physically and emotionally from this ordeal, and to be blessed by you and all of her friends here today as she reconnects with so much of life that's had to be put on hold for the past months and even years. Thank you that we could gather together, that every human life is important, and that our recollections of shared lives is so important that we ought to take time. And so as we gather for a meal and continue to share our thoughts, we thank you for the food. We thank you for the ladies that have been so sacrificial in their own way to set it before us. And we pray that you would be honored in our eating and drinking, even as we hope you've been honored here in our singing, in our recollections, and in responding by faith to your word. So dismiss us with your blessing, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.