WHEN DEATH BECOMES BIRTH BY MAX LUCADO (DELIVERED BY LINDA PEEL)

My father in law Shirley Peel died 8/8/08 at the age of 94. This is the message that I shared at his funeral yesterday.

One Saturday several weeks ago, I was reading a weekly e-mail devotion by Max Lucado entitled "When Death Becomes Birth". If you are not familiar with Max, he is a minister in San Antonio TEXAS as well as a prolific author of Christian books and Bible studies. While I was reading, the phone rang with the news that Shirley's blood pressure was dangerously low and we needed to come to the hospital right away. To me the timing of the phone call and the arrival of that e-mail from Max was a "God Moment".
Shirley did not die that day. He recovered enough to return to Sayre Christian Village and I tucked the devotional away in my memory.

On Friday August 8th Ernie called to tell me that his father had died. Just like that Saturday in July, I thought about God's perfect timing. Shirley's wife Anita was born on August 9th and now, after being apart for almost 20 years, they would be together to celebrate.
Ernie and his sisters have graciously allowed me the privilege of sharing Max Lucado's Devotional as part of the service today.

WHEN DEATH BECOMES BIRTH

Heaven enjoys a maternity ward reaction to funerals. Angels watch body burials the same way grandparents monitor delivery room doors. "He'll be coming through any minute!" They can't wait to see the new arrival. While we are driving hearses and wearing black, the angels are hanging pink and blue streamers and rejoicing. Just as we on earth don't grieve when babies enter the world, the hosts of heaven don't weep when we leave it. Dread of death ends when you know that heaven is your true home.
Max says "In all my air travels I have never seen one passenger weep when the plane landed. Never! No one clings to the armrests and begs 'Don't make me leave. Don't make me leave. Let me stay on and eat more peanuts." We are willing to exit because the plane has no permanent mailing address. Nor does this world.
Phillipians 3:20-21 says : But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

It is right for us to weep, but there is no need for us to despair. Shirley had pain here but he has none in Heaven. He struggled here but he has no struggles there. You and I might wonder why God took Shirley home but Shirley doesn't. He understands. At this very moment Shirley is at peace in the presence of God.