Our memorial                               Sermon by Doug Davis
                                                               January 9, 2009

I realize that this, being the beginning of a new year, is a funny time to talk about memorials.

However, a few weeks ago, I heard on Fox News, something that I haven’t been able to get out of my head.

This usually means that the Lord is showing me something.

Or, that a song I can’t stand is stuck in there, that happens too.

The news said that the second most popular thing people are being buried with in England is their cell phones.

How weird is that?

They said that during this one man’s funeral, his phone kept ringing from inside the coffin.

People were leaving him voice-mails.

Somehow, I don’t think he got them.

I had to laugh though, what an odd thing to happen during a funeral.

But this got me started thinking about what defines us.

What would you say defines you?

(ask for answers)

What would you want buried with you, or maybe a picture of by your coffin?

I’d think of a guitar for me.

What about you?

When you think of different people, I’m sure that 1 or 2 things will pop into your mind, something about them.

Maybe something unique, or specific to that person.

Could be a hobby they had, or a particular interest, or endeavor they may have taken place in.

If I say The Wright Brothers, instantly every one thinks of an air plane.

What comes to mind when I say Jacque Costo, or Tiger Woods?

Have you ever thought about the legacy you will leave behind?

What will people say about you?

However, that isn’t exactly what I want to talk about tonight.

ACTS 10:1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,

2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!"

4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

We know this story, so we don’t have to read on.

These 4 verses tell us what we need to know.

Cornelius wasn’t a Jew.

He was a Roman soldier.

But look at verse 4 B The angel says to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

Prayers, and alms, that’s money.

Corny’s prayers to the Lord, and the money he gave to the poor were considered by God, as a memorial.

You see, we spend so much time thinking about what we are going to leave behind on the earth, but that isn’t really what is important.

What is our memorial before the Lord?

I haven’t ever been to a funeral where the dead person was rotten, and mean.

Like the movie Kingdom Come, the widow wanted to put Mean and Surly on her husband’s headstone.

She wanted to do this, because that is what he was.

A very funny movie, by the way.

I told you about the funeral I did, that when I opened the floor up for people to make comments, there was a long silence, and finally one man got up and said, “well, he finally let me hunt on his property.”

Um, OK?

Can you imagine the minister getting up and saying, “well, Fred was a mean nasty man.

Nobody liked him, in fact, everyone hated him.

There wasn’t a redeeming quality in him at all.”

No, of course you wouldn’t do that.

But what is our memorial before God?

It is a living memorial, because this passage in the Bible shows that while Corny was alive, his prayers, and alms were before the Lord.

But, it is also a living memorial, because it will continue forever.

If we stop and think of forever, we might want to change our memorial just a tad.

God isn’t going to sugar coat anything, like we have to down here.

An angel isn’t going to stand up before the Lord, and say, “Doug was a thrifty man, a man of very few friends, but a loyal friend to those who knew him best.

He was careful in everything, and was quiet.”

Which interpreted is, “Doug was a tight wad, and nobody liked him.

No, our memorial is before the Lord right now, this very minute, and we can change it anytime we are willing to make the effort.

What is your memorial before the Lord tonight?

This takes a very honest person to look at it, think about it, and ask God to be blunt, and truthful with us.

Do we really want to know what our memorial is in Heaven right now?

Maybe not.

I’d rather get to Heaven, thinking that I don’t have much of a memorial, and be surprised at all that is in it, rather than getting there, thinking I am the Cat’s Meow, only to find out I’m not such a much.

Let’s make an effort this year, as the new year is beginning, to be aware of the memorial we are sending before the Lord, everyday, all the time.

If we think about that, then our memorial here on earth, will be taken care of.

Let’s pray.