There wasn't a better day than Easter to celebrate the life of my momma, Joyce Miller. She spent 62 years showing love to everyone & it was time for us to show her a little. Here are my notes from the memorial service.
Easter means so much to Christians, but it should mean a lot to everyone. Jesus showed his unselfish love for us by dying on the cross for our sins. Not only did He take the weight of the world's sins on His shoulders, Jesus bridged the gap between God & man. What an amazing love!
(Isaiah 53:5) "But He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
(John 3:16) "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one & only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."
I cannot fathom a love that great. First that God would allow His only Son to die for us & second that Jesus would take the beating & die on the cross to pay our debt.
(1 John 4:19) "We love each other because he loved us first."
(John 15:12) "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you."
(1 John 4:8) "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
(1 Corinthians 13:4) "Love is patient & kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud"
(Matthew 5:46-48) "If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."
These passages illustrate what I've heard about my mom all my life & especially all week. Words used to describe her & the family have been echoed by so many: "loving", "like a mom", "unselfish". She has been a mother figure to so many & has shown unselfish love her entire life. God called Joyce Miller to be a lover of every person she met & she fulfilled her purpose. Her sisters talk about how she was more of a mother to them, buying them clothes instead of herself with her paycheck. Momma sent me on a trip to the beach with her own money while I was in college. Just a few things she did without ever wanting anything other than love in return.
Love is exactly what Jesus wants in return from us. He wants each of us to be in relationship with Him in order to find our purpose. If you don't already know Jesus, today is the day! He has given His life so we can all live. Take advantage of that gift & live out your purpose as my mom did.
(John 11:25) "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying."
