God's Faithfulness

[written for a special Palm Sunday Service at Hinsey Brown]

We are here today to commemorate the precious life of our loved ones. All life is a gift from God and it is from God that we each find our hope in this life and for the next. It is our hope here today, and the expressed hope of Hinsey-Brown, that this Palm Sunday balloon releasing commemoration service facilities your grieving process so that you can honor the life of your loved one by continuing to live life today to its fullest. We all grieve differently, but healthy grief is one that allows us to process our emotions and be real with what we are feeling. Today, let us look to God in this journey and share our true feelings with Him.

Psalm 100 is one of my favorite Psalms and I want to read it to you, "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

Let us pray together.

No matter where we are on life's journey or in the stages of the grieving process, there is one truth that never changes. God loves us and He is present to our brokenness and sorrow. Jesus promised, "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted" (Mt 5:4).

I. Psalm 100 declares that God is the Author of life; He made us and we are His; we are His people! God is our Father and we are His children. All life is a gift from God and it is from Him that we all find our source. The Psalmist described God as “the fountain of life” (Psalm 36:8) and it is from God that all life flows. We are here to commemorate the precious life of one of God's gifts to the world; your loved one and you! God's Kingdom is a relational kingdom and He treasures each person and desires to be in a personal relationship with you. He sees you and your loved one as a precious jewel. That is why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to live amongst us and to then die for our sins so that we can have eternal life in God. God loves us so much that He went to this great length for us to know Him and to be able to live in Him for all of eternity. Life is precious and through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ we pass from this life of heavy burdens to eternal Life in Glory.

II. Psalm 100 declares that we can give thanks to God for all life! We are to shout for joy; we are worship the LORD with gladness and come before Him with joyful songs; we are to enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise. But where do we find the strength or the hope to give thanks, rejoice, praise when death is so hard and the separation of death seem unbearable.

It is my hope that today you can rejoice in the God who made you because of the gift of life He bestowed upon you.

The fact that you are here today indicates that your loved one was a gift to you and your being here today is an expression of love and thanksgiving to that person and to the God who gave them life in the first place. Your getting out of bed each morning and trying to figure out what today will be like without them lifts up praise to God. We find the strength for today through God's love and presence in our lives. Our response is to look at each day we have as a gift and ask God how we can live today in such a way that honors the memory of our loved one.

III. Finally, Psalm 100 teaches us that we can trust in God's faithfulness in this life and the next. Even when the evidence of this life points otherwise, we can trust that God is good and that He is love. Psalm 100 states, "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." In the midst of grief, suffering, pain, and loss we can be certain of this one thing: "the LORD is good and His love endures forever!"

God has not forgotten you nor has He abandoned you! God loves you with an everlasting love and has promised to continuously give of His presence if you will only call upon His name and seek after Him. All the promises of God have been answered 'Yes' in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Turn to Him and find rest in His faithfulness!

Friends, we all mourn differently and deal with grief differently, but today we want to join with you in the process so that you can move forward into the new future that God has for you. Life can never go back to the way it was; there will always be a part of you that is missing and not the same due to the loss of your loved one, but God wants you to know that He is with you, He loves you, and He wants the best for your life and future!

Today we are gathered to give each of us an opportunity to commemorate the life of our loved one by participating in this activity of letting a balloon fly in memory of the one you love. We do this intentionally because we want to give you an opportunity to remember your loved one. To remember their life and the gift it was to you and the gift your memories will continue to be. We desire for you to remember the joy you had with them. Balloons always seem to brighten up a room. People will smile when they see the bright colors. We want you to smile today. We want you to feel the joy of the life once lived. We will be giving you some instructions here shortly and we will allow you to commemorate that important person by writing a name, a message, a love note, whatever you want to do.

Another way to commemorate is to plant a tree. As you leave here today you will be given a red bud tree. Go home and plant it in remembrance. Know in your heart that this tree is planted with your loved one in mind. Let it remind you that your loved one continues to live through their legacy and in their eternal destiny.

It is important to remember their life and over the years, as you walk by this tree, remember that your loved one wants you to continue to be happy and to live your life to the fullest.

As the tree grows, it is our prayer that you will grow...one day a time, sometimes 1 step forward, 2 steps back, sometimes at a crawl and sometimes at a sprint. But grow with the life that God has given to you as a gift. Embrace today and trust God with your tomorrow. Trust God with your loved one and always remember that He is faithful and His love endures forever.

Closing prayer