CLEOEJACKSONIII.COM
  • My Home Page
  • My Life and Ministry
  • My Ongoing Thoughts
  • My Favorite Bible Verses
  • My Favorite Stories
  • My Favorite Jokes
  • My Favorite Quotations
  • My Favorite Web Links
  • My Contact Info
"Helping Others Communicate"

HEADING HOME

1/29/2018

 
Pastors very often grieve right along with those very individuals to whom they are called to minister.  Such was my lot over the past few days, as our church family paid their final respects to a fine gentleman named Derek Williams.  Much too soon, he departed this life, at age 51.  He had struggled with ALS for the last four years; and the Lord gave him victory over that terrible disease by calling him home to Heaven for his eternal reward this past week.

Derek was a fine husband and father, as a well as a much loved member of this community.  And he was also a first class churchman, pouring his heart into serving his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ throughout most of his earthly life.  As one fellow minister remarked, “You build churches on men like Derek Williams!”

He will be missed by one and all.  And those of us who knew and love him look forward to seeing him again one day in a place where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and where no evil thing, including both disease and death, shall ever harm the children of God again!

I was reminded of a story that Jon Redmond tells in his book, What Happens at the Moment of Death:

When we die, we’re not just going to be leaving our bodies and departing from this world.  We’re going somewhere! We’re going to the place Jesus has prepared for us.  We’re going to Heaven.  We’re going home.

At a funeral I spoke at recently, I was explaining to the congregation how the person who had died, because of his faith in Jesus Christ, was now in the presence of God in Heaven. I compared the person’s physical death to a bird being released from a cage. The person had been sick for a long time.  He had actually become a prisoner in his own body. He had been trapped in a body that had worn down. When he died, he was mercifully released form that body.

I talked about sometimes at a graveside service there is a dove release ceremony. The doves are released from their cages as a picture of a person being released from the pains and difficulties of life. I explained how the person we had come to honor had been released from his body … just like the dove is released from a cage.

Using the dove imagery, I painted a clear word picture of what the death experience is like for a Christian. The people in attendance got the point, and I felt good about my sermon. 

After the service was over, a good friend of mine said to me, “Jon, that was a nice service. But you left out the best part of the dove release illustration.” I asked, “What do you mean?”  He said, “Well, you’ve done enough graveside services to know what kind of birds are actually being released from those cages, haven’t you?”  I replied, “Sure I have. They’re not really doves at all. They’re homing pigeons.” He said, “Exactly. And why are they called homing pigeons?” I said, “Because when they are released from those cages they instinctively and immediately fly to their home.” 

With a smile on his face, my friend said to me, “And that’s the part of the illustration you left out. The next time you talk about those birds being released from their cages, be sure to stress to the people that at the moment of death we are not just released from our bodies. We, just like those homing pigeons, instinctively and immediately go home … to our home … in Heaven with God.”


I wanted to reassemble the congregation and re-preach my sermon. But it was too late for that. The service was over, and the people were gone. But I have used that illustration several times since then, and I wanted to include it here. My friend was right. When our bodies die, it’s not just that our souls are released form them. It is much greater than that. At the moment a Christian dies, he goes immediately home … escorted by the angels … safe in the arms of Jesus. At the moment of death, Heaven will indeed become our new home. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world! 

Well said, Jon!  Derek has now been released from his worn out earthly body; and he has flown straight to be with Jesus in that wonderful place called Heaven, which will be his eternal home! May God be praised!

SOURCE:  Jon Redmond, What Happens at the Moment of Death (Pasadena, Texas:  First Baptist Church Publications, no date), pp. 22-24.

Jon is Assistant Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Pasadena, Texas.  He has a number of publications available through the church.  Among them:  How to Be A Happy Christian, Riding Out the Storms of Life, Finding Freedom Through Forgiveness, Never Alone, How to Make Heaven Your Home, When God Says, “Wait”, How to Have A Peaceful Heart, In the Twinkling of an Eye, Angels Among Us, Discovering God’s Will, The Lord Is My Shepherd, Prayer and fasting, and The Bible Reading Plan.

Cf:  
www.fbp.org.

Comments are closed.

    Cleo E. Jackson, III

    Occasionally I will add
    a few thoughts to my blog. If you find them inspirational, I will be
    honored.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All