Pastor Steve Vaughan's Memorial message (in point form):

• What do you say at a time like this?
• Acknowledge all the pain and confusion
• Acknowledge the premature death of a daughter
• Expand this
• I found myself asking
• What would Jesus the one who Lisa loved and in whose presence she is now, say to Hal and Marie?
• Michelle, Sonya, Tim, too all of us?
• What would he do?
• How would he handle us?
• What could possibly make a difference in this heart wrenching place we find ourselves?
• What would he say to a parent who’s child has died?
• Where in scripture did Jesus speak to a person who was going to lose or had lost a child?
• He did speak to a woman whose child was going to die
• A time when miraculous intervention would not come
• A time when healing did not happen.
• It was as he himself was about to die
• He talked to his mom
• Yes He spoke to his Father in heaven, but he also spoke to his earthly mother
• Can you imagine Mary His mother the one who had reared him, nurtured him, taught him, ached for him loved him with all she had, at the foot of the cross as her son was in the process of dying?
• Can you imagine the heart of this dear woman?
• What’s going to happen to me she must have wondered
• That’s the question we ask ourselves right now isn’t it?
• How am I going to be?
• How will I cope?
• What will I do?
• What will calm my heart?
• What will I do tomorrow without this one I love so much?
• Is it possible for me to be ok?
• Maybe more here
• Do I have hope???
• Jesus got to the heart of what Mary needed as he spoke to her and his close earthly friend John
  
• John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
• Words of protection words of provision words to Mary’s heart, a heart in agony despair, fear, anxiousness, WORDS OF HOPE
  
• Jesus spoke the words that met Mary’s immediate need
• For a woman in her situation, Her husband likely not living, where would she go?
• No one to care for her
• Her oldest son whose responsibility it was to care for her was going to die
• In those few words, she was provided for
• This aching mom who was losing her child was being taken care of
• Yes her heart would be wrenched for some time, there would be a hole left where her son belonged, all of that
• But her immediate need, the things of life and death were taken care of
• Here is your son, here is your mother,
• What are the words to us?
• What are the words of provision that meet us where our hearts are?
• What are his words, to the hurting yes, maybe fearful, anxious, despairing heart, now, here today
• John 11:25-26 I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
• 2 Corinthians 5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
• John 14:1-3 Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
• Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
• Isaiah 43:2-3
  When you pass through the waters,
  I will be with you;
  and when you pass through the rivers,
  they will not sweep over you.
  When you walk through the fire,
  you will not be burned;
  the flames will not set you ablaze.
  For I am the LORD, your God,
  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; ...
• Psalm 30:5
  .. his favor lasts a lifetime;
  weeping may remain for a night,
  but rejoicing comes in the morning.
  
• Psalm 121:1-4
  I lift up my eyes to the hills
  where does my help come from?
  My help comes from the LORD,
  the Maker of heaven and earth.
  He will not let your foot slip
  he who watches over you will not slumber;
  indeed, he who watches over Israel
  will neither slumber nor sleep.
• Psalm 55:22
  Cast your cares on the LORD
  and he will sustain you;
  he will never let the righteous fall.
• Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble
• Isaiah 41:10
  So do not fear, for I am with you;
  do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
  I will strengthen you and help you;
  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
• Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
• Are not these words of provision for our hearts, promises of comfort???
• Are these not words that give us hope?
• We could spend the whole afternoon reading from his word, the words of provision, the words of hope.
• These are truths that give us a picture of the God who will bring you through, bring us through these difficult weeks and months ahead
• How would we be if there was nothing?
• How hopeless, how awful, would we not say, "why bother?"
• The question now is, are these words true?
• How can we be sure?
• How can we be sure they are not just words?
• Fast forward 3 days from that scene at the cross
• Different Mary
• Mary Magdalene
• Same Jesus
• Mary in her hopelessness is going to the grave of the one she loves
• Still in shock over what has happened
• Heart still aching terribly, the world not making any sense to her
• Most likely exhausted from the hardness of grieving the death of her friend and teacher Jesus, now dead 3 days
• Just doing what she believes is right to do for one who has died
• Going to anoint the body of Jesus
• Finds the grave empty, alerts the apostles, and then she is alone at the grave
• Has an encounter with 2 angels
• She is crying agony heaped on her sorrow, the body of Jesus is missing
• She voices her anguish
• And then turns, and there is Jesus, didn’t realise it was him
• Jesus asks her what the problem is
• She tells him
• And then in one word it all comes together
• Everything Jesus had taught
• Every promise he had spoken
• All the truth about his death and resurrection
• In that one word, all of these words of hope and provision become truth to her
• In this one word all her anxiety and fear and hopelessness is gone
• This word connected at the point of all her questions
• Pause
• Mary
• The risen one says her name
• Her lord speaks to her again
• The one who was dead talks to her
• The word penetrates her mind her heart her soul
• In that one word her whole life is changed, it is turned on it’s head
• The ultimate in provision
• The Lord creator, and saviour taking her name on his lips
• The ultimate in hope
• In that one word He declares who he is and what he can offer
• He declares in that one word that he does have power over death, that there is life after death and that everything he has spoken is true
• I imagine a smile on his face
• He knows it is going to mess with her mind
• I mean can you imagine
• MORE here
• Jesus, the saviour called Lisa’s, name
• At the time she entered into her personal relationship with him
• She heard him say Lisa
• And in that one word received all the provision she would ever need even through all she has endured
• All the hope she could imagine needing was transferred to her in that moment
• More here
• And she has heard that word again
• Lisa, well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord
• Isn’t that wonderful?
• Can you imagine any sweeter words that Lisa could hear?
• More here
• What are his words of hope to us today?
• If He has called your name like He did Lisa’s then everything we have talked about today is yours.  What hope.  What provision
• Everything we need to live until we are reunited with Lisa
• I believe Lisa was concerned that all who knew her have heard their name called by Christ
• Just like Lisa heard
• So that all the promises we just heard would be theirs
• That everyone she knew would have those words of provision of Hope
• And that all would one day hear those words again as their saviour spoke
• "Well done, good and faithful servant;: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

Please stay for the lunch.

Lisa was the type of person who would have us get to know each other, encourage one another and enjoy being together.  Hal and Marie would very much appreciate sharing this next little while with all of you.  Lunch served right through those doors and the coffee and tea are beyond, in the hall.  Thank you.

Benediction/closing words and prayer

2 Timothy 4:6-8 ... the time has come for my departure.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day ...