Learning Activities

The legacy of one life
A sermon starter for a memorial service
1 Timothy 1:15-17 

Several of the people in Sustaining Simplicity are coming to the end of their lives. Use these thoughts and your own text study to construct a sermon that puts into perspective the value of the life of someone who has died...

Memorial services sometimes bring with them the awkwardness that comes when the supposed worth of a person’s life is difficult to voice. Our culture’s general taboo against “saying anything bad about someone who’s not here” extends naturally to those who are not ever going to be here again. So we content ourselves with vague generalities or glib assurances that mask the uncomfortable truth that Uncle Ned was actually not a very nice person.

In this text, Paul—not a very nice person during the early decades of his life—talks about the legacy that will come from his life. He sees himself as a flawed sinner, but also as an example of how Christ patiently turns people’s lives around. The truth about this saint was not that he was nice to animals and had perfect attendance in Sunday school.  Instead, he was an example of what good God can accomplish in one flawed person’s life.

Taking that idea as cue for a memorial service, we can gratefully approach the life and lifestyle of the deceased and beloved person, looking less to describe that person’s grand qualities than God’s grand work through that person’s life. Strength is made perfect in weakness; problems become useful reflection points; small, unnoticed features of the person’s life live on as examples for those who follow behind. The legacy that follows any person can be reflected in the choices they made regarding a way of living, their approach to life’s ups and downs, their generosity of spirit that was seen in small deeds, and the present life choices of someone who can name the dead person as an influence.