Living And Dying Peacefully

(A selection from of the Brother's funeral sermon)

One of the things that struck me as I was privileged to be with Brother_____ and his family at in his final hours of life, was the peacefulness of it all.  Brother_____ was at peace with himself and his God. He was at peace with his children, and they with each other. Many of his grandchildren were able to come see him off as well. It was a calm and peaceful scene.

This peaceful scene was many years in the making. It was the fruit of the gospel practiced over a lifetime. 

The common hope in the New Testament is “grace and peace.”  

Jude 2 “May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”

And in Brother_____ life it was.

Rom. 15:13  “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

He was full and joy and hope, and the peace that comes by faith. 

Phil. 4:7  “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

And it did. In days of work and success, in days of grief and despair, in days of exasperation and testing (he did raise 3 boys!), the days of old age holding grand and great-grandchildren on his knee, and finally on to the days of feebleness and forgetfulness…   We read it again:

Phil. 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”