A Memorial Message Written

9/19/2019

In case you were wondering about this (it must mean something, right?), today at 9:19:19 (in just a couple hours from this writing) the moment in time will be 9/19/19, 9:19:19—just thought you needed to know—same thing in the pm. Oddities can cause more oddities to occur! 

On a more serious note: one of my grand-nieces (I think—my brother’s granddaughter?) has called and talked with me about a memorial service for her best friend who has passed away, a very untimely and early age death. It remains in the undecided column as to whether I go or not, but I’m putting together some Scripture for my grandniece’s husband to use if he conducts the service. In our conversation, it struck me as to the worth of Scripture in a memorial service setting. It’s the authority.

Most of us of some age have been to funerals or memorial services which are a set pattern, put together by some theologian somewhere for some religion or another to perform as a ritual, rather than be what the service should be: a call to remembrance of the individual who has passed, and build a reason to have the hope of seeing them again in eternity.

What a funeral or memorial is not should be carefully considered. It is not a “revival meeting” followed by an “altar call” or “invitational service.” It is not a long drawn out “what I loved most” speech by one person, nor a public speaking opportunity to all who knew the deceased. It also, is not a church service designed to make the attendees want that particular religion to become their religion (that’s a horrible form of proselytizing.)

The difference in a funeral and a memorial is this: A funeral is to give closure to the body and put it in burial, away from the eyes of those who remain. A memorial is to remember, after the body has been interred or cremated, to remember the life of the individual, more in a celebration mode than a funeral. You may disagree, we won’t count off for that, but this is how I see the finality to a person’s life.

Funeral’s may have very humorous and poignant parts and memorials may have very sad and weeping moments. However, the two services must have a usefulness and a framed out time for the authority to speak! And that, of course, is Scripture, which is the final authority in all matters of life and purpose. So it seems I have now placed myself in the position of using Scripture in that light. Or a strong suggestion that others do the same and give them Scriptures to use for it. We’ll see how that goes. Maybe I’ll relate them to you. You may use them or suggest them or just set it aside and never use them this way. Let me think about that for a few minutes.

Well, I got some things written down for the memorial service. I hope it is useful and brings a proper end. The Scripture which I suggested is most of Job 14 and the last 3 verses of 1These. 4. Also, I placed the words of the gospel of Christ in the reading part of the program.

It is truly a relief to come to the knowledge that the Holy Scriptures as we find them in the King James Bible, are the actual authority we are to have over us in this life. Not a church, nor a “para”-church, and certainly not a man or someone with a title purporting to be somewhat. As Paul said, “whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me. God accepteth no man’s person.”—Gal.2:6. An hierarchal organization has no basis in Scripture and thusly, cannot usurp the authority of the written word of God. (For your information, even writing that in case someone doesn’t know that irritates me!)

Romans 14:12 says, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Then, for crying out loud, get yourself away from a pseudo-authority such as a churchman or a church organization. Your validity as a child of God comes from the Scripture itself, directly to you through the words preserved for the “church, which is His body.” (That’ll be Romans through Philemon which is written TO us today.)

Well, great news on the business front: it looks like we’ve come to an agreement with a new location—this is going to be exciting! Hard work to bring it about timely, but exciting!

Thanks for reading, the Elder.