What I Want on My Tombstone

I just finished writing the sermon for a funeral service, I’m doing tomorrow. I didn’t know the man, though we did meet once. That’s always a challenge, but it is an honor to have the opportunity to bring a message of hope to hurting people. The idea that came to me is not all that original but it hit me in a way I hadn’t thought of before. It’s the idea of the “dash”—how our whole lives are summed up with a single hyphen, that little line between the dates of our birth and our death. So much summed up in so little, but then I had a thought. This is what I want on my tombstone. (I gave myself the benefit of the doubt and give myself a hundred years. That number is, of course, up to God.)

What really hit me in this Easter season is, because of what Jesus did for us, believers get a second dash… a really long one. Ain’t God good?!?

Goodbye

I watched him say goodbye today. A man, a friend, a brother in Christ, let go of his wife, three months short of what would have been their 60th wedding anniversary. I watched as he spoke tender unheard words to her. Sickness stole her memory, her health and finally her life. I listened to the stories of their life together, and the love they had was so clear. My job was to tell their story to a congregation of people, but that story was better told in that moment of tender words at her casket. This was for better, for worse, in sickness and in health modeled for all that saw them. This was real abiding, time tested love. This woman loved Jesus, and on this day, I saw her husband entrust her to the only One who loved her more.

Their trust is rewarded today. Faith in Jesus always is. May we all live in the blessed hope of a love that never dies. You see, for a believer, goodbye is not goodbye, it’s a temporary parting. One mission complete, one continues. We all have our race to run. God is always faithful, always good, always knows what He is doing. Even the toughest situations end in grace and mercy embraced in a loving eternity.

Where have you placed your hope?

AMOKArts Art Church presents: WDJD?/WWJD 17: Resurrection

In this message, our Easter message, we’ll look at the resurrection of Christ and what it means to you. Happy Easter from Dave Weiss, New Creation Fellowship and AMOKArts.

Jesus is Risen

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
Joshua 13; Mark 9; Psalm 117
You can also download your own chart here.