Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. – Hebrews 12:28

First, let me invite you to church this morning. Come see us at Howard Memorial Presbyterian in Tarboro, where my friend Andres Esguerra will be guest preaching. If you live somewhere else, then show up at whatever local congregation you know, and spend an hour in worship.

If you want to know why I believe church is so fundamentally important, I need go no further than reference the memorial service Rebekah and I attended Saturday afternoon in Wake Forest.

Because sometimes it is death that makes the idea of life so perfectly clear. We were not created for this world alone. Or, as Rebekah often says, “life itself is not enough to explain life.”

Our friend Brett, who plays drums on the Wake Forest praise team, recently lost his wife Evelyn. He asked Rebekah to have a part in the service and the new pastor, Liz, welcomed her graciously.

Evelyn had been close to Moffett Churn, who was associate pastor when Rebekah came to Wake Forest in 2013. Moffett was unable to attend but prepared some thoughts for Rebekah to share. These were words saturated in love and light and poetry and wisdom; and then, when Rebekah read them, the Holy Spirit jumped on board and God spoke through her so beautifully.

Here, you can listen for yourself. The message is full with grace and love and truth and more. The whole service is meaningful, but the recording will start where Rebekah shares Moffett’s letter.

What, then, does all this have to do with my initial invitation to attend church this morning?

In a word, “everything”

The truth is that everything about a great memorial service or funeral comes out of a life where trust in God finds its expression in and through “doing” faith as a community of believers.

Jesus did not come to Earth as a human to live, teach, heal, encourage, be crucified, then defeat death and offer hope to each and every one of us just to secure my place – and yours – in the afterlife. No! Jesus did all that, and continues today, so that we can really live – so we can embrace “the life that is truly life” today; eternal life, then, is a continuation of the new life that begins now.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. – 1 Tim 6:18-19

And – this is really important – such life is not solitary, it is lived in community – in koinonia! We are called into life together, where redemption and reconciliation and restoration and all those other “R”-words can be experienced and shared.

If Saturday’s poignant memorial service for Evelyn Patton said anything at all then it said this: “Please join us in church Sunday morning. This is about life! And it begins right now!”

Thanks, Evelyn. And thank you, God, for this remarkable gift that is life – DEREK