you The psalmist says, I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Well, what a wonderful opportunity we have today to gather together as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, as those who knew Jennifer and loved her. I want to welcome you on behalf of the Linhart family. We thank you for coming. Some of you have come from long distance family and friends to give this day and time to encourage your brother and his children and the extended Linhart family and we thank you very much. The family is going to come in in just a moment. and just remain seated as Be Thou My Vision is played and they come to be seated and then we'll begin the service. Good morning. We're scripture reading from Genesis 23, verses 2 through 4, and then verses 19 through 20. It says, Sarah died in Kiriath Arba. that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham rose from before his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner among you. Give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight. Verse 19. After this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field at Machpelah, facing Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth. Please pray with me. Father, we confess that on this side of heaven like Abraham, we are sojourners. We are strangers and wanderers, Lord. We belong to another land, and yet we must live in this life, in many way, in a land not our own. And yet Lord, though we are not in that land yet, not only are we strangers, but at times we also have grief. We have pain and our souls are burdened. And yet Lord, as Abraham here purchased that field by faith, knowing one day, eventually, all of it would be his inheritance. So also Lord, we those sojourners today look forward to our full inheritance. The day when death, disease, cancer, fear, pain are a vacant memory. We walk upon the new earth created by you with the new heavens and the new earth and glorified bodies. And we walk with Jesus and behold God. Oh Lord, we look forward today to our full inheritance. And we pray that you'd bless this time in Christ's name. Amen. We invite you to pick out a Trinity hymnal that you should have in your pews. And we will be singing hymn number 690. Hymn number 690, Jesus Paid It All. I hear the Savior say, Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, you you The Word of God says this, and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. To those who before knew He also through destiny would come to form the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn What then shall we say to these things? God is for us. Who is against us? God's elect. God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather to be praised. We were considered as sheaths of slaughter. But in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquered the death of God. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor ideas, into her home that day for some reason that I'll never understand. She also let me into her heart. And from what I soon learned, this was a rare gift that I had been given. A couple of years ago, we went on a road trip together for one of her appointments at MD Anderson. That trip would later be infamously called Venus and Jen's Thelma and Louise trip. Jennifer wanted to listen to my 80s and 90s playlist while we were driving. So there we were flying down the freeway singing songs together that we had forgotten most of the lyrics to. The day before we were to come back home, she wound up having to rush me to the ER due to my own chronic health conditions that I suffer with. We were forcibly separated for the next six hours, and even though she was the one who was sick with cancer, she stayed there in that freezing packed and unfriendly waiting room the whole time until my husband Paul arrived and I was finally discharged. But that was my Jennifer, a loyal, compassionate, and sacrificial friend. Over the past decade, we shared some of our deepest fears and struggles with one another, as well as rejoiced together over small victories. In one of the darkest times of my life, she remained a faithful and loving friend, listening, praying, and crying with me, and encouraging me to remember the Lord's love for me. She challenged me to never lose hope and to always keep fighting for faith, hope, and love. During the months that her health began to grow worse, I, along with many of you, watched her fight and struggle to continue being a devoted wife to Billie and a servant-hearted mom to her children. If I had to pick two words to describe her, they would be sacrificial and humble. She pressed on to serve her family, and get them as prepared as possible for the days ahead. And when she physically could no longer be active, she humbly submitted her last weeks to the Lord, finally finding rest in her Savior's arms. It's not because she gave up the fight to live, but because she found the courage to resign her own will to that of her Abba fathers, remembering that he doth all things well. I will miss my very precious and irreplaceable friend. Just in the last few days since her passing, I have struggled with the fear of what my future world now looks like without her. Sometimes I still forget and reach for my phone to text her, but then realize she's gone and my heart begins to burn and ache all over again. But in the midst of all of this grieving process, I grieve as one who has hope because I know she is no longer suffering and that one day I will see her smiling face and beautiful blue eyes again. I know that she is now better off than me, than any of us. One of our last conversations we had together was about one of her greatest desires for us to take away from all of this. And that was for us to live each day with a heart full of thankfulness and gratitude for each breath the Lord gives us. to fight the good fight of faith, to run the race set before us, enduring to the end so that we might finish well, and that we would find ourselves set firmly upon the rock of ages. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. I am not an extrovert, so please pray for me because this is hard. For those of you that don't know me, I'm Jennifer's Aunt Sharon. Sorry, y'all. And her dad, Sam, was my brother who we lost the end of September last year. But I think of what a glorious reunion it must have been between Jennifer and her mom, Carolyn, and her dad, Sam, but even more so between Jennifer and Jesus. My brother, Sam, said before Jennifer was born, when they didn't know back then if she was a boy or a girl yet, that if the baby was born on the 4th of July, he was gonna name it Yankee Doodle Dandy. Thankfully, Jennifer was born July 3rd, She was always just the cutest little girl with blonde curly hair and big blue eyes. Absolutely adorable. My husband claims that he taught her her first word, although I'm sure she already knew a few words. When she was probably about 15 months old, she had some little toys lined up on a table at my parents' house, and Richard would push one over the edge and say, boom. It would land on the carpet, and he would repeat with the next toy, saying boom every time. Then he would put the toys back where they were and do it again. After a while, sure enough, Jennifer started pushing them over the edge and saying, boom. We talked about how her mom, Carolyn, probably wouldn't be too pleased about it later when they got home and Jennifer started knocking everything off the tables onto the floor and saying, boom. As a child, Jennifer always seemed fairly quiet and shy and I could relate to her because that's the way I was growing up. She was very smart and very sweet, and of course, all of you know that. But most importantly, she was beautiful. Not only on the inside, on the outside, I'm sorry, but on the inside where it mattered the most. In 1 Samuel 16, 7, it says, for the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. I know that he looked at her and he saw that she had a heart of gold. When she was either in high school or college, I knew for sure that we were kin because she had a bowl of ice cream that was really too hard and cold and she put it in the microwave and let it warm up so it'd be soft. That's what I do. I told her that and she laughed and said, really? I said, yes, we must be related. Our oldest son, Gary, is actually just three years younger than Jennifer. And he said when they were little in the Easter egg hunts we used to have at my parents' house in their backyard, he remembered Jennifer running towards an egg and then she'd realized that Gary was right behind her and she slowed down purposefully and let him get it. With her kindness and gentleness, she was such a good example of demonstrating the fruit of the spirit. Traits she exhibited throughout her life, I know so many of you could tell other stories of her gentleness and love. Today, I'm really going to speak more to the family and share with you a little about what I've learned over the years from my own personal journey of grief. Some of them already know about it, and I realize they've already had their own share of sorrows. But I'm praying that this helps others as well. Several years ago, we lost our middle son, and it was so hard. But we had no doubts about where he was because he accepted Christ as his savior, and we knew that he was in heaven. We know he is in heaven. And yet that didn't keep us from missing him, still here on earth. We had some people tell us, take it one day at a time, and I soon realized that was way too long. Some days you may pray, God, just get me through this hour, and yet other times, God, just get me through this minute, one second at a time. I know you've left me here for a reason, and there's a purpose to this. Two years before we lost our middle son, my husband worked with someone who lost two of his three sons at the same time, the youngest and the oldest. And I know we went to the visitation, and I remember thinking, I can't even imagine what they're going through. Fast forward two years later and that same dad was at our son's visitation. He stood before us and he said, I'm still here. I'm still breathing. He said, it starts out feeling like a huge gaping hole and slowly becomes an ache you learn to live with. We have found that to be so true. It won't be easy, but with time and prayer, it will start to get better little by little. First Thessalonians 4, 13, 14 says, we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again in the same way through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. We have the hope that is in Christ. Hold on to that truth. Compared to an eternity in heaven, we have just a relatively few years on this life on earth. Remember, as believers, we'll have an eternity to catch up with our loved ones who have gone on to be with the Lord, who also accepted Christ as their Savior. God has blessed you greatly with a loving church family that will pray for you and continue to minister to you. And that is so important and such a blessing. Church family, your ministry of presence is making a huge difference. Just continue to be there for them. A simple text or phone call makes such a huge difference. And I know that family appreciates all of the love and support that you've already shown. In the meantime, Billy, Jason, and your sweet families, I encourage you to look for God every day. And I know that you already are. I have no doubt that he will continue to make his presence known and felt in your lives. I encourage you to get journals and write things down so that you don't forget. Jenna gave me one. Jenna gave me my first journal after Brian passed away. Sorry. Write down your favorite Bible verses, your blessings, cherished memories of your loved one. and write down when you know God has done something just for you. Some people call them God winks, but it's when you know he's done something just because he loves you. For example, the night before we lost my brother Sam, I saw a beautiful sunset in front of the hospital. And then on my way home, I saw Carolyn's favorite Bible verse on a sign outside of a church. I felt like God was reminding me that he was with me and was going to comfort me. Watch for God in the little things and write everything down. And then when the really hard days come, go back and read throughout that journal and remember God's faithfulness in the past and know that he will see you through this because he loves you. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. God created us all differently and we all handle things differently. Just take time to process your grief and pray to God about everything. The only magical formula I know for healing comes from God, and it does take time and prayer. I personally would like to say how proud I am of you, Billy, you and Jennifer and Jason and Jenna. You're raising your kids in church. You're continuing the legacy that Sam and Carolyn lived out before you with their daily lives. I know they're so proud of you. It takes clinging to the Lord to get through the hard times. I know you lost Carolyn about six years ago and then Sam in September and now Jennifer. You've all been through so much, but just continue to pray and hold on to God and allow people to help you. God can work good from this and use this for his glory. We can't understand many things that happen on this side of heaven, but we don't have to because God does and he has a plan. When I was in junior high, my mom taught me how to embroider, and she would stitch these really pretty kitchen dish towels and pictures that you could hang on the wall. Hers always looked much better than mine. But while the part that we could see on the top looked so pretty, once you turned it over and looked at the back of it, it was just different knots and kind of messy looking. I feel like on this side of heaven, we can only see the messy knots of our lives. and our tiny part of the world, but God sees the whole big, beautiful picture that he's creating from above. He can use our knots for his glory. Life is hard, but God is good, always. when the disciples were on the boat out on the water in the midst of the storm and they saw Jesus walking towards them. When Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus, as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was fine. It's only when he took his eyes off of Jesus that he started sinking. So in closing, I just want to say, pray and read God's word for comfort and never take your eyes off Jesus. Continue to trust him and he will provide the strength and comfort you need to get through this because he loves you. I think I'm the reason we're all here, if I don't say that myself. I wrote everything down on my phone because I didn't want to get up here and sound like a blubbering idiot, so here I go reading from my phone. Okay, I'll follow you. All right. I met Jennifer in 1998 at Tarleton State University. A mutual friend of ours and I worked together and she introduced us. We were both looking for roommates when we met. So we became fast friends and roommates. I told my friend, I don't know her and I don't know if she'll like me. And she said, she likes everybody. It's not going to be a problem. And I quickly found out it was not a problem. She was so quiet and comforting and kind and fun to be around. Even if she didn't want to be part of the fun, she was looped in with us. We spent many hours together watching TV, Usually everybody loves Raymond or friends or the Drew Carey show, the good stuff. I admired how Jennifer committed so much to studying. She would schedule early classes each semester in order to be finished by noon. Then she would go to her banking job from one to six. She would come home and study, then bedtime, then start all over again. We enjoyed our fair share of college dinners, typically Taco Bell, or hamburger helper, whichever. On the weekends, Jennifer would go to her parents' house in Dillon. She rarely, if never, missed Sunday at church with her family. Her parents were very supportive of her. I adored Jennifer's mom and how easy she was to talk to. She welcomed me at their home on many occasions. It was easy to see how much love their family had for one another. Jennifer's mom was a wonderful school teacher and her dad a coach and teacher as well. Once she allowed me to shadow her in her classroom for observation hours for my educational degree plan. Jennifer was very quiet, but don't let that mistake be mistaken for not having anything to say. She was kind, loving, and friendly to everyone. From time to time I would ask her if she would want to go out and hit the town. There were always lots of Texas country singers coming through Stephenville, and I wanted to see every single show. Pat Green would come, and family would come in, and we would go, and she would always say no. Heiko Music Festival, people would come. No, she didn't want to go. Ed Burleson. any big name you can think of would come through and she would say no. And so one night I came home and I was getting ready to go out for the next big show. And she said, where are you going? And I said, you didn't hear Jewel's going to be here singing. She's dating Tom Murray, so she's going to do a show. And she said, you didn't ask me to go. And I said, you would say no. And she said, but you didn't give me the chance. In the spring of 1999, my brother and I had a long conversation about what he was going to do next with his career plans and his options. He and I thought it would be a good idea for him to visit me in Stephenville and see if Tarleton would be a fit for him. He stayed for a few days to check out the school in town and discover if there was anything worth sticking around for in Stephenville. I guess you could say he found it. A few days ago, Billy reminded me of three rules that I gave him. One, clean up after yourself when you're here. Two, if you stay long, pay part of your bills. And three, don't date my roommate. He only broke one rule. Not too bad. I loved being a part of their wedding in De Leon in 2000. I was proud that she was a part of our wedding in Mexico in 2005. I was at the hospital when Nora was born in 2008. She and her mom were such a pair, working hard to get Nora here while Billy was deployed overseas. I'll never forget sitting in the waiting room during the election coverage and thinking and knowing how proud Billy would be as Jennifer and her mom were delivering Nora safely. Liam and Libby were the perfect additions in 2012 and 2014. This time, Billy was by Jennifer's side for the deliveries. Jennifer was so strong, having them both without any medical options. Jennifer lived the characteristics of a Proverbs 31 woman. She was trustworthy. Billy trusted her and had full confidence in her. Jennifer was industrious, a hard worker, diligent in her responsibilities, and not idle. She made wise decisions in her daily life with good judgment. Jennifer was strong physically and in her character. She carried herself with dignity and honor. She was resourceful, skilled in managing her household, providing for her family, and preparing for their future. Jennifer feared the Lord. She knew that her worth was not just in the external qualities, but also in the reverence for God. I'm blessed to have been a part, a small part of her life the past 26 years. I'm better for knowing her and blessed that she and my brother shared 23 years and three wonderful children. I know many of you have been keeping track of everything that's been going on by reading The Caring Bridge. Jennifer insisted that I author them, but I would always have her edit them because Jennifer had a stronger sense of embarrassment than I did. I'm not easily embarrassed, as many of you know. So I would rely on her for that sense of embarrassment. And so as I went through and I was typing this up, I thought, what would embarrass Jennifer? And so it helped me shorten it quite a bit. I'm just going to read it off for you. Good morning. My name is Billy Lindhart, Jennifer's husband. I'm not being hyperbolic whenever I tell you I honestly don't know what Jennifer could have seen in me that allowed her to give me the time of day. Yet I know beyond a doubt what I saw in her. When I was 18 years old, I didn't know much, however, I knew I wasn't meant to be alone. I knew I was meant to spend the rest of my life with someone, and I had observed the behavior of a lot of young ladies to that point. When I met Jennifer, I knew, and I know many of you will know exactly what I mean whenever I say this. When I met Jennifer, I just knew that I would not find a more intelligent, more dignified, and more kind woman. to spend the rest of my life with. After a year and a half, I wore her down, and we were married. I won't go into detail, but the first five years of our marriage were rough. 99.9% my fault, I'll admit it. However, in the providence of God, the turmoil of those years led us both back to church, to Christ's church, in our own time. I'm sorry in which it led us back to Christ Church in which we'd been raised. It was it was there sitting under the preached word of God that we each in our own time came under the conviction that we had sinned against a holy and righteous God. We had been living for self and for pleasure and we had no marks of true conversion on our lives. It was through this process that God helped us to understand the price that Christ had paid for our souls on the cross. That our sin being applied to him so that he might receive the punishment that we deserve, his righteousness could now be applied to us so that we would stand before God in righteousness, not our own. Many of you have told me over the past three years that you don't know how we could remain strong through all this, through cancer. The gospel, Christ's death and the forgiveness it secured for us, this eternal life secured for us in heaven, this good news that would become an anchor in the storms of life in the years to come. Prayer was also a primary means, a primary source of strength for us. Not only ours and those of our children, but the prayers of all the saints and the constant intercession of Christ at the right hand of the Father in heaven kept us from losing faith even when times got the most tough. Sitting with Jennifer on Sundays, I felt the pain of not being able to worship with the people of God. However, as we watched online, what a great blessing it was each week to hear our pastors pour out their prayers for Jennifer, me, and the kids in the corporate worship service. Adding to that was the constant reminder from many of you through texts, letters, online messages, and comments, and phone calls that we are constantly in your private prayers and the prayers of your families and of your churches. I assure you saints, God used your prayers to sustain us through this trial. Who was Jennifer really? She wouldn't have put it in so many words, though she understood it to her core and lived it in every aspect of her life. Jen understood that the value of a person is found in relation to all the other persons their lives touch. Above all else, she would have wanted to be remembered as a child of God, a loyal wife, a loving mother, a faithful church member, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. If you knew her in any of these capacities, then you knew that she poured her whole self into her relationships with others. Whether she knew you for six months or six years, your value to her in the moment was of paramount importance. And she would often neglect other things to seek the betterment of those for whom she cared so much. I had the honor of watching her in her most tender moments when she found out that one of you had undergone a great difficulty. Though she may not have seen you for months or even years, I saw her shared pain and her tears over your situation. When you had a great triumph, I watched her rejoice over you, even if you were 500 miles away. She truly modeled for me how to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. In the last days, she asked me what kind of mother I thought that she had been. And honestly, I'm grateful that she asked me this question because it gave me the opportunity to remind her of all the ways that she had been a great mother. She was so diligent in her research and her pursuit of just the right curriculum for her children's home education. Our kids are so smart and doing so well in school and it's 100% owing to her labors as a home educator in those early years. She was also a very patient and understanding mother with her kids. I told her that she had set the example for me in this regard and that I don't know how I could ever measure up. I can't. There were over a dozen reasons that I was able to give her in that moment, but she wouldn't have wanted me to recite them all here. You wouldn't describe Jennifer as sentimental or romantic. She had no particular appreciation for poetry or lofty prose. didn't like jewelry or musicals, but on the right occasion, she would accept flowers and stuffed animals and chocolate. If I'm honest, she really wouldn't have wanted me up here at Waxing Eloquent for you. Jennifer was practical and prudent in all her ways. To the very end, she would ask me if I was paying this bill or that one. She was just that kind of person. It's how she showed that she loved us and still cared for us. One year I made it my goal to buy her just the right practical gift for Christmas. I went to Old Navy and I found some knit boots that had a sole that was kind of like a slipper sole at the bottom of it. And as soon as I saw it, I recalled how she, on cold days, would wear these big wool socks to church. And then we'd get to church, and she'd take off the wool socks and slipper flats on and go into church. And I thought, oh, this is perfect. This is the perfect practical gift for Jennifer. So I came home, and with a swollen chest, I said, you know, I bought you the perfect practical gift for Christmas. And without skipping a beat, she blurted out, oh, did you get me drip pans for the stove? That was her way. She was immensely frugal. She once told me that if I really wanted to get her what she really wanted for Christmas, I would just get her groceries. Jennifer also had a great sense of humor and a wonderful laugh. As quiet as she preferred to be, she would, on certain occasions, speak her mind in social situations. When she had something intelligent to say, it carried the weight of the most profound wisdom. Everyone would stop when Jennifer spoke. If she made a joke, the whole room would just erupt in laughter. I was reminded recently, thanks to an old Facebook post, of a time that we had helped Nora find her Marco Polo Library Book. Jennifer and I delighted in recalling that it was the most fun that we'd ever had looking for a library book. I'll let you fill in the gaps. Jennifer is a beautiful soul. And because of that, she was a beautiful woman. I would often look back at old pictures and see just how pretty she was when she was younger. Then I would turn to her and be reminded of just how much more stunning that she had become in my eyes over the years. I guess what I'm laboring to give you through my feeble words is a mosaic of small glimpses. It's a portrait of a lady, my wife, my children's mother, a member in good standing at Christ's Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, the daughter of Sam and Carolyn Frazier, a sister to Jason, an aunt, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a cousin, a niece, a coworker, and a friend. Most importantly now in glory, a sister to King Jesus, a daughter in the peaceful, loving bosom of God. a good and faithful servant who is finally and most joyously entered into her rest. Abide with me, fast falls the eventide The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide Help of the helpless so abide with me Swift to its close ebbs out life's little days First joys grow dim as glories pass away Change and decay in all around I see O Thou who changest not, abide with me I need Thy presence every passing hour One but Thy grace can foil a tempter's power Who like Thyself my guide and strength can be? Cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me. I fear no foe Tears, no bitterness. Where is destiny? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still if thou abide. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes Pour me to the skies Heaven's morning breaks And earth's faint shadows flee In life, in death, O Lord Thank you. Come thou fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing thy grace Streams of mercy never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it Mount of Thy redeeming love Here I raise my Ebenezer Hither by Thy help I've come And I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus saw me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God He, to rescue me from danger Interposed His precious blood O to grace, how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be Let thy goodness Like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it Seal it for Thy courts above Prone to wander Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it Seal it for thy courts above Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it Seal it for thy courts above When peace like a river attendeth my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my loss It is well, it is well with my soul It is well with my soul Though Satan should profit Though trials should come Let this blessed assurance control And hath shed His own blood for my soul It is well with my soul It is well, it is well with my soul My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought He's the Lord of my soul In His ways With my soul It is well with my soul It is well, it is well with my soul If I had only known the last time would be the last time I would have put off all the things I had to do I would have stayed a little longer, held on a little tighter Now would I give for one more day with you? Cause there's a wound here in my heart where something's missing And they tell me that it's gonna heal with time But I know you're in a place where all your wounds have been erased And knowing yours are healed is healing mine The only scars in heaven ♪ It won't be long to me and you ♪ ♪ There'll be no such thing as broken ♪ ♪ And all the old will be made new ♪ ♪ And the thought that makes me smile now ♪ ♪ Even as the tears fall down ♪ That the only scars in heaven Are on the hands that hold you now I know the road you walked was anything but easy You picked up your share of scars along the way But now you're standing in the sun You fought your fight and your race is run The pain is all a million miles away The only scars in heaven Won't belong to me and you There'll be no such thing as broken All the old will be made new And the thought that makes me smile now Even as the tears fall down Is that the only scars in heaven Are on the hands that hold you now For the hands that hold you now There's not a day goes by that I don't see you You live on in all the better parts of me Until I'm standing with you in the sun I'll fight this fight and this race I'll run Until I finally see what you can see The only scars in heaven That won't belong to me and you There'll be no such thing as broken And all the old will be made new And the thought that makes me smile now And even as the tears fall down Is that the only scars in heaven? Or on the hands that hold you now? A bright sunrise will contradict The heavy fall that weighs you down In spite of all the funeral songs The birds will make their joyful sounds You wonder why the earth still moves You wonder how you'll carry on But you'll be okay On that first day When I'm gone Dusk will come with fireflies and whippoorwill and crickets call and every star will take its place in silvery gown and You'll lie down in our big bed Dread the dark and dread the dawn But you'll be alright On that first night when I'm gone As if sorrow were your friend And this world so alien But life will call with daffodils In morning glorious blue skies, you'll think of me, some memory, and softly smile to your surprise. And even though you love me still You will know where you belong Just give it time We'll both be fine When I'm gone But sometimes my life just don't make sense at all When the mountains look so big But my faith just seems so small So hold me Jesus Cause I'm shaking like a leaf King of my glory, won't you be my Prince of Peace? And I'll wake up so hard inside my soul, I swear there must be blisters on my heart. So hold me Jesus, cause I'm shaking like a leaf. You have been king of my glory, won't you be my You take what You give and I need And I've beat my head against so many walls Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees And this Salvation Army band is playing this hymn And your grace rings out so deep, it makes my resistance seem so easy So hold me Jesus, cause I'm shaking like a leaf Won't you be my Prince of Peace? I'm singing, hold me Jesus Cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't you be my Prince of Peace? You have been King of my glory Job 19, verses 25 through 27. For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, who I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. how my heart yearns within me. Amen. several weeks ago, maybe a month or two. Billy and Ryan and I were sitting on the back porch and Billy brought out the service that he put together for the graveside and for the funeral. I don't know if I wasn't paying attention or not, but we put me on the program after three very emotional, retellings of Jen's life, 352 of the cutest pictures ever. And now I'm supposed to say something. She is a truly beautiful soul. Because not only was she made in the image of God, though born dead in Adam, she was born again and made new by Christ. And she will forever be increasing in glory and beauty as she beholds the Savior. Truly a soul can only be that kind of beautiful soul if Christ has rescued it from the marring and the fall of sin. There's a sense in which we've already had three eulogies. Four. This is eulogy number five. The eulogy to me is, well, it's one of the most difficult parts of a funeral. Preaching. We preach a lot, and that's got its challenges. Talking, we talk a lot. That seems pretty easy for some of us. But eulogy, a good word to be spoken about a person. And we've heard so many good words. College stories, family, stories, personal stories of friendships and stories from one who loved her as a husband. So I suppose mine is the pastor eulogy. And that's really the capacity in which I knew Jennifer. Jennifer was a faithful church woman. Her churchmanship, as we will call it, was exemplary. And you might think, Was that because she served on a million committees? Is that because she taught Bible studies? Is that because she was the most amazing theologian in the church? It's none of those things. She was there every Lord's Day. She strove to hear the word of God and to do it. She took seriously the admonition of James not to be hearer of the word only and so delude themselves, but to be a doer of the word and we've heard We've heard the stories, we've heard the context in which she did obeyed Christ as a faithful daughter, a faithful sibling, a faithful mother, a faithful husband. And you did marry up. There's no doubt, brother. And every man in here married up. The Lord commands us to not forsake the assembly of ourselves together, but to do so all the more as we see the day of Christ approaching, that we should gather together to stimulate one another to love and to good deeds. And she did this. She did this by coming. She did this by preparing her heart for worship. She did this by attending. She did this by singing. She did this by listening to the word as it was read, listening to the word as it was preached. Probably last year sometime, Jennifer reminded me, though I never told her about this, but she reminded me of a woman that I'd met almost 30 years ago now. I pastored a church in East Texas. And there was a lady in the church, and she was probably 85 or so. Of course, I was 27. Everybody was old at that time. I was the youngest thing around there, and they all knew it, too. I was just a kid. But Mrs. Nichols, she had had surgery, I don't know, several years prior before I got to the church. She'd had a tumor taken out of her that was supposedly like the size of almost a basketball, where they literally cut her all the way around, laid her out, and took this out. And they put this woman back together. And Mrs. Nichols came to church every Sunday. She lived every day in pain. And I'm sure she just had the mentality, well, I can be at home in pain, or I can be in church in pain. I'll just be in pain at church. And I think that's pretty good. Unless you're like, you know, going to contaminate the world, just come and moan a little bit and be sick and be, we'll, we'll take you. We'll give you a chair. We'll find a spot. We want you there. I think of the guy with the four people that had to carry him to Jesus one day, you know, She was just there. Well, Mrs. Nichols came and she sat on the second row. And the reason she sat on the second row is because that means the row in front of her was there and she would take her left arm and she would lean on the pew in front of her. And she would have her Bible in her hand like this. And she would do this every Sunday. I was there almost three years, and she was just leaning like that. And at first, I didn't realize why she does that. And then I heard the story. And she was in such pain every Sunday that the only way she could get comfortable to listen to my sermons that went on and on and on and on was to lean and to hold her Bible. And she told me one day, she said, After I'd been there for a couple of years, she said, Pastor Jason, I don't think anybody here listens to you. Because if they did, they would have fired you a long time ago. Because she was listening to what I was saying. And back last year sometime in the midst of all the chemos and treatments and things, I noticed Jennifer every week leaning forward looking right at me to listen to the sermon. And like I said, I never talked to her about it, but I would imagine like Miss Nichols, she was probably trying to find a way to be comfortable. I don't think I was that interesting, but she did. She looked right at me and she became in those months, those years, I don't want to say that she was never attentive to preaching prior to that, But she became very attentive, very attentive. You know, suffering has a way of revealing what's really going on on the inside. Either it makes you hard, it makes you bitter, it makes you cold, it makes you angry at God, it makes you run away, or it breaks you. And it humbles you, and it makes you more beautiful. and more like Christ. And I saw that in her. I saw that in her and her attendance. I saw it in her and her love for her family. I saw it in her and her love for you kids. I saw it when we would talk in my office, the three of us, as we sat there and counseled at different times. She was truly devoted to Christ until the very end. I remember just a few weeks ago, Billy, you shared with me there at the house, maybe Ryan and I were probably there together, and you said that you had asked her recently if she still believed in Jesus. Words were few there toward the end. And she said to you, I still believe in Jesus. So I think maybe the best way to just give a good word about her is maybe to hear her own words. And these are from her testimony. Like I said, it's very difficult to give a eulogy because you're trying to give a good word about someone. And in truth, none of us are good. None of us are good. There are none righteous. And just before somebody's gonna come up and say, but I know, Paul says, no, not one. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death. but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, and Jennifer knew this. Therefore, she wrote several years ago, I'm not sure exactly when this particular testimony was written, but this may be the one that she wrote for the church. I was glad to see that picture. Jennifer said, This is just part of her testimony. I thought I was a good person. But in reality, I had sinned against a holy and infinite God and deserved hell. I had completely ignored God and his word. And she had recounted several paragraphs prior about other devastating things that had happened in their lives. And she said, as devastated as I was before, it was nothing compared to the sorrow that I felt at that moment. It was at that moment that I truly repented and trusted Christ, putting all my faith and hope in him, prayed And I asked God for forgiveness and committed myself to a life of obedience to him. Billy alluded to difficulties that they'd had earlier. Maybe this is about that. I was able to forgive by God's grace, my husband, and a year later, God saved him too. I was not baptized until a few years later after sitting under sound preaching and realizing the moment of my true conversion. God has continued to grow me in spiritual maturity. I've learned so much in the last 14 years. And the more I know him, the more I love him. I've faced many trials. And at the time of writing this, she had not faced her final trial. But what she says here would apply for that as well. By God's grace, I have persevered in faith. And by his grace, I will continue to persevere. And by God's grace, she did. The good word to say about Jennifer is of the good work that Christ did in her. And one day, as the gospel of John tells us, we will find that all that has been done in us has been wrought in us by God. For God will receive all glory, all praise, all honor. And we, not because of our own deeds, but we will receive everlasting joy which Jennifer is having right now, right now. May God bless just the memory of his servant today to your heart. And may it bless you in such a way that you would look to her savior and find in him comfort and joy today. These are the words of God. Revelation 21, verses one through seven. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bridge adorned for her husband, a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain. for the former things have passed away. Then he who sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new. Then he said to me, write, for these words are true and faithful. And he said to me, it is done. I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts, he who overcomes. shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. We will be singing out of the Trinity Hymnal once again. Hymn number 335. Hymn number 335, Abide With Me. Abide with me, fast falls the evening tide. The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide When other helpers fail and comforts flee Help of the helpless who abide in me Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away. Change and decay in all around I see. O Thou who changest not, abide with me. I need Thy presence every passing hour. What but Thy grace can For the tempter's power Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless. Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where'er it's at stake, I triumph still, if Thou abide with me. Hold Thou Thy cross before Thy closing eyes, Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee. In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. Amen. Hear God's word from the book of Philippians chapter 1. What then, only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the spirit of Christ Jesus. according to my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me, And I do not know which to choose, but I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better. Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith. We are almost finished with our service and yet I'd like to say they save the best for last, but I don't think that's the case. And yet I do pray that you would consider what I have titled The Christian's Hope from 2 Corinthians chapter five. If you have a Bible or I don't know if there's one in the pew, you may turn there. I will be reading a selection of scriptures from 2 Corinthians chapter five. I promise you I won't preach from the whole chapter. Thinking lunch is starting to sound good soon, but let's pray. Father, would you grant us light and understanding now as we come to your word, that it may comfort and strengthen, in Christ's name, amen. I desire to speak to you all briefly this morning about the Christians' hope when they are faced with death? Either they themselves, as Jen was faced, or perhaps as we are faced today, in the passing of our sister. What is the hope and comfort of those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ when they are faced with death? That is what I'd like us to consider briefly. In order to answer that, I want us to look at several passages from the fifth chapter of 2 Corinthians, and as we do so, for simplicity's sake, I have three points for you. First, the what of the Christian's hope. What is it exactly when we speak of the Christian's hope in the face of death, and what is it not? Secondly, the how of the Christian's hope. How is this hope not only made our hope, but how is this hope also distinctly a Christian hope? How does it differ perhaps from a Muslim or a Jewish hope, all of whom also believe in a resurrection after death? Third and lastly, we will consider the why of the how. I think, okay, pastor, this is way too complicated now. The what and the how refer to the Christian hope, but the why refers to the how. When we get there, I think it will make sense, though. First, the what of the Christian's hope in the face of death. What is it? Well, first let me say that the Christian's hope is not simply that there is life after death. That indeed is part of it, and to be sure, that is no small comfort and joy to us. Paul says in verses 6 through 8, therefore, being always of good cheer, and knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, We walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. To be dead, for your body to be laid in the grave means your soul is at home with the Lord. And I wanna say that Jen is very much alive right now. In fact, we might say she is more alive than anyone in this room. Furthermore, Paul says that it is so good to be at home with Jesus, though we love our family dearly, and it is as our own flesh being torn from us to be separated from them, yet it is so good to be at home with Jesus, he says, we prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be home with the Lord. It is still preferable, though we deeply love our family. Why? Well, let me read a beautiful description of what exactly it is like to be at home with Jesus from the Second London Confession. It says, the bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption, but their souls which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them. And the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God in light and glory." First, it tells us that Jen's soul has been made perfect in holiness. It has been cleansed of the root of indwelling sin and perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. She, in fact, loves the Lord her God with all her heart and with all her soul and with all her might this moment as she never has before. Secondly, this place is called a paradise. And those who are there are said to behold the face of God in light and glory. My friend, I think we can perhaps understand that theoretically. I could produce a series of theological treatises to explain what that means, but to truly understand what it means to behold and know the beauty and glorious riches of the triune majesty, only those who see it can truly know what that means. Indeed, when Paul spoke of this paradise, Having himself been caught up in it for a moment, he says that he, quote, heard inexpressible words which man is not permitted to speak. Jen is hearing those words this very moment, but they are too rich this side of heaven for us to know what they are. And so yes, to be at home with the Lord is far more preferable. And yet, As much as that is a great part of the hope and comfort of the Christian, yet there is still much more. We do not stop there. Namely, we look forward to the resurrection of the body. Paul explains this beginning in verse one of 2 Corinthians 5. He says, for we know that if the earthly tent, which is our home, is tore down, in other words, if our mortal body dies, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed, in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed, while in this tent we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. This is a crucial part of the Christian hope and faith. not simply that there is life after death, but a resurrection of the body. In other words, though for a time the soul is with Christ in a disembodied state, yet that state is not permanent nor fully good as it could be, but that one day the Lord will redeem their bodies as well. Our hope is not simply that Jen is alive or that we shall see her again, But it is that we shall see her one day again in the flesh. You will be able to hold and hug Jen again and hold her hand. You will see her smile. You will hear that hearty laugh. And yet even that, as good as that is, is still not the full picture of the Christian's hope. Because our hope is not just that our bodies shall be raised from the dead, but for those who are in Christ, their bodies shall be made glorious, incorruptible. You see this in verse one. On the one hand, Paul likens our mortal bodies to an earthly tent. It is earthly. It's a tent. It's a temporal, kind of a shelter, but it's not permanent, and it can't really protect you from the elements, ultimately. By comparison, our future bodies are said to be a building. They are not merely called earthly, but said to be heavenly, and they are not temporal, but are said to be eternal. What exactly this means is hard to say, but perhaps the simplest way is to say that the Christian's body shall be like the body of the glorious resurrected Christ. And whenever he is described in scripture, he's said to shine like the sun. So shall Jen in that day. This then is the Christian's hope that though this body may die, yet they shall live with and behold God for eternity, not merely with the soul, but also in a resurrected glorious body. And this was Jen's hope as well. Secondly, let us consider the how of the Christian hope. How is all this possible, the resurrection of the body in glory? And the answer to that is a great difference between a Christian hope of resurrection and any other, namely that for the Christian, this hope is made possible only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul says in verses 14 through 15, For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died, and he died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. You see, the Christian's hope of a resurrection is grounded not simply in the power of God to raise a body from the grave, no one denies God has power to do that, but more specifically, it is grounded in and may even be said to flow directly from Christ's own resurrection as water from a fountain or light from the sun. In other words, our resurrection is nothing other than Christ's own resurrection in us. Our life is his life given to us, and our glory is the partaking of his. Paul says in Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Or Christ himself says, I am the resurrection and the life. Now to be clear, the scriptures teach that the bodies of all men shall be raised in the resurrection, but not all shall be raised in Christ. And those who die in their sins shall be raised again unto life, but not to glory and honor, but rather unto shame and wrath. But for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, Their hope is so bound up in Him that it may be said to be Jesus Christ Himself. As the hymn goes, Jesus lives and so shall I. Death thy sting is gone forever. He who deigned for me to die lives the bands of death to sever. He shall raise me with the just. Jesus is my hope and trust. You may speak of a resurrection from the dead. You may speak of life after death. You may even perhaps speak of glory. But if it is not through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, It is not the hope of the Christian, nor is it the message proclaimed by the apostles. His death and resurrection are the how of our hope, and apart from it, we have none. Lastly, we come to the why of the how. And simply all I mean by that is that yes, Christ had to die to set us free from death, And he had to be raised again to new life to give us life, but there is much more to it than that. Why did he have to die to give us life? Could not God simply by his infinite power just do it? Why did the Christ have to take on flesh and die? And the answer is that Christ did not come to merely die and be raised again. but to die in our place for our sin, and thereby to free us from death. You see, in scripture, death entered God's good world because of sin. Death is said to be the wages of sin, its repayment, its punishment, and in order, therefore, for the penalty to be lifted, God's justice had to be satisfied, and it was satisfied on the cross of Christ. Apart from that, he might die and rise again. And yet if his death were not a payment for sin, the Christian's hope would be in vain. Paul says in verses 18 through 21, now all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. namely that God in Christ, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors from Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us, we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Hear that last verse. He, God the Father, made Him who knew no sin, Jesus Christ, the perfectly righteous, to be sin on our behalf, meaning he was punished in our place as though he were a sinner, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him, that we might be treated not as though we were sinners, but as if we were totally free from sin. In fact, as if we had completely fulfilled the law as Christ did. Theologians aptly call this the great exchange, Christ and sinner trading places. This is the why behind the how of Jesus' death and resurrection. In his death, he bore the penalty for sin in our place, and yet by his obedience, he gained eternal life for us, and so was raised from the dead. That is the why of the how. the cross of Jesus Christ. This was Jen's hope as well. Christ had borne her sins. By faith, the very righteousness of Christ was hers and therefore death ultimately has no claim on her and she shall be raised again when Christ returns. My friend, I pray that that is your hope as well today. Paul says in verse 21, we beg you on behalf of Christ, we beg you in light of this hope, be reconciled to God. Be reconciled to the God who made you. When we asked Billy and Jen about their wishes for this service, the one thing they were absolutely adamant about was that the gospel be proclaimed, that sinners might be reconciled to God. My friend, if you are not reconciled to God, this hope can be yours today. Christ offers you this very day, not only to pardon all your sins, but to give you freely the gift of eternal life. the resurrection in glory, beholding the face and glory of God, eternal life with Christ, all that can be your hope today, and I beg you, and Jen would beg you, be reconciled to God. I pray that though in many ways this is a day of death, yet for those of you here who are estranged from God, I pray it would be the beginning of new life and hope in Jesus Christ. and that you too might claim the Christian's hope as your own. Thank you. We're now gonna finish with the doxology. If you're not familiar with it, if you turn to your Trinity Hymnal, hymn number one and just turn one page over. It's before hymn number one. And let us all please stand together as we sing. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him, above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. Amen. Have a few instructions for you. We shall now be dismissed and there is a catered lunch out to the right in the annex building you go through those double doors cross a little parkway kind of thing and then you go into some more double doors and it'll be in there. If you need to leave at this time, you are free to do so. If, however, you would like to express your condolences to the front, we ask that you remain seated until you are dismissed by row. And if you'd like to do that, you may be seated for the time. Thank you. Okay.