Graveside Service for Johnny Chase, 12/27/05 Pastor Bill Lepley


Psalm 62:5-8,11-12 5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge… 11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.


And so, as a deliberate choice of faith in God here is what we do…


  1. We trust in God at all times… The good times and the bad times.


  1. We pour out our hearts to him… He understands and invites us to share the burden of our lives with him.


  1. We remain unshakably confident in His promises to us… When our faith in God is sure, even the tragedies of life are not enough to shake His firm grip on us.


The Act of Committal…

We choose to cherish the memories of Johnny that will always be sacred to us. We delight in the sustaining strength of our faith, because it is stronger than what we now face. We will be comforted by the hope we have in eternal life, a hope that now fills our hearts. And so with confidence in our faithful God we commit all that is mortal of our loved one to this resting place. Because we believe in the resurrection to follow and the reunion we will one day have in heaven.



I'm Free
Don't grieve for me for now I'm free
I'm following the path God laid for me
I took his hand when I heard him call
I turned my back and left it all
I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play
Tasks left undone must stay that way
I found that place at the close of day

If my parting, has left a void
Then fill it with remembered joy
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Ah yes, these things, I too will miss
Be not burdened with times of sorrow
I wish you sunshine for tomorrow
My life's been full, I've savored much
Good friends, good times, a loved ones touch
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief
Lift up your heart and share with me
God wanted me now
He set me free
- Author Unknown