Not To Us O Lord

We celebrated the life of Denny Ferry today. I was reminded all over again that a life well-lived is a beautiful thing. Denny lived a life that was beautifully simple - he loved God and he loved people. This simple phrase summed up his entire life. Well, he also loved music, and Karen and his family and ..... I think you get the point!

Ah yes, music. There was music everywhere! The choir started us off with "Not To Us O Lord." It was majestic! Karen even left her seat to join them in singing the anthem! There were three soloists, we had four congregational songs and we ended with a men's quartet. In addition, three more songs accompanied the Tribute to Life slide show at the end of the service. And at the graveside? Jim Jenkins played the bagpipes as we sang Wild Irish Rose and Amazing Grace!

The thoughts that I shared at the service follow.

Denny requested that this passage of Scripture be read at his Celebration of Life Service. Denny felt strongly that a person who called themselves a Christian should live like one.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

“Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:8-20

I first met Denny when I candidated at New Covenant in 1991. Denny was serving on the Deacon Board in our worship ministry. We hit it off right away as we were both born in the Tama/Toledo area. I've never met someone who was so excited about being from Tama, Iowa!

Denny lived the Ephesians passage out. He was careful how he lived. Three words come to mind when I think of Denny.

The first word is sing. Denny loved to sing. As you can gather from the ceremony today, Denny loved music. He was in various music groups and ensembles including our choir.

The second word is smile. Denny always had a twinkle in his eye, a smile on his face and a good word for everyone he met. He loved to laugh and have fun. Maybe that came from all the ribbing he had to take from his nine brothers and sisters!

The third word is servant. Denny chose to live as a servant, always looking for ways to serve the needs of others. He had a special place in his heart for children. And of course, Denny also served here at New Covenant.

As I mentioned before, Denny served as Deacon of Worship here at New Covenant from 1991 to 1995. When one of our Elders or Deacons finish their term of service, we acknowledge them by giving them this framed Timothy Botts print at our spring retreat. It’s a beautiful print of Colossians 1:28. Denny and Karen had this print hanging in the bed room.

But the thing that makes this print valuable is the words that are written on the back. All of the other Elders, Deacons and staff write words of thanks and appreciation. I would like to read a few of the remarks on the back of Denny’s print.

Today we grieve the passing of a husband, brother, father, grandfather, family member, and friend. But our loss is Denny’s gain. Today Denny is in his Saviors presence, with a new song on his lips, a smile on his face, serving His Jesus forever.