I am thankful to Tommy for leading Brandt's funeral last Sunday. His thoughts are worth sharing as I feel they can be helpful to so many others in our country that are hurting right now.
We are
gathered today to say our good byes to Brandt Ray Wilks.
On behalf of the family, I want to say thank you to those who are here to share in this suffering. Your prayers, thoughts, and acts of kindness are so very much appreciated.
Brandt was born December, 2 1982 in Bryan, Texas and died in Toyah, Texas at the age of 30 on May 11, 2013.
Father God….I pray that you would be here with us today and the days to follow. I ask for a special portion of your spirit, your comforter. I pray for your protection—that your spirit would envelope and surround our hearts.
I pray for your spirit’s guidance. I pray that you would draw us to you, that you would draw us away from our sadness, from our regrets, from our anger, from our questions, from the past—draw us father to you. Father I pray against Satan’s influence. Give us wisdom and vision to recognize Satan’s attacks in our own lives….open our eyes to see your angels of mercy around us. I thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for your power to restore and to redeem—for your power over death. For your desire to rescue and to resurrect.
I thank you for Brandt and for the gift of his life—for the time we had with him. I thank you for the love that he had for each of us, for his sweet smile. In Jesus name, Amen.
Over the past few weeks we have had a chance to see tragedy upon tragedy. Tornadoes destroy homes and lives, bombers wreak havoc on innocent victims, kidnappers hold victims hostage for years, and for those of us here, the loss of Brandt’s life. As I reflected on all the tragedy of the past few weeks, I was reminded that this world we live in is really a war zone. It is a true battleground—with casualties all around.
As we look at the last year of Brandt’s life we are reminded that Brandt himself was in the middle of this battleground.--the physical pain with his back, the emotional pain of the loss of his brother Aaron.
Life is hard!
Ephesians 6:12tells us…..
On behalf of the family, I want to say thank you to those who are here to share in this suffering. Your prayers, thoughts, and acts of kindness are so very much appreciated.
Brandt was born December, 2 1982 in Bryan, Texas and died in Toyah, Texas at the age of 30 on May 11, 2013.
Father God….I pray that you would be here with us today and the days to follow. I ask for a special portion of your spirit, your comforter. I pray for your protection—that your spirit would envelope and surround our hearts.
I pray for your spirit’s guidance. I pray that you would draw us to you, that you would draw us away from our sadness, from our regrets, from our anger, from our questions, from the past—draw us father to you. Father I pray against Satan’s influence. Give us wisdom and vision to recognize Satan’s attacks in our own lives….open our eyes to see your angels of mercy around us. I thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for your power to restore and to redeem—for your power over death. For your desire to rescue and to resurrect.
I thank you for Brandt and for the gift of his life—for the time we had with him. I thank you for the love that he had for each of us, for his sweet smile. In Jesus name, Amen.
Over the past few weeks we have had a chance to see tragedy upon tragedy. Tornadoes destroy homes and lives, bombers wreak havoc on innocent victims, kidnappers hold victims hostage for years, and for those of us here, the loss of Brandt’s life. As I reflected on all the tragedy of the past few weeks, I was reminded that this world we live in is really a war zone. It is a true battleground—with casualties all around.
As we look at the last year of Brandt’s life we are reminded that Brandt himself was in the middle of this battleground.--the physical pain with his back, the emotional pain of the loss of his brother Aaron.
Life is hard!
Ephesians 6:12tells us…..
….our struggle
is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Sounds like a war to me. A war many times we don’t want to acknowledge.
For many here, the hardness of life may bring us to a point of numbness. A numbness that helps us survive the pain buried inside. Times such as today may allow us to purge those emotions-to release the pain we keep trapped inside. Sometimes that pain is released with the sobbing in our closets or bedrooms. Grieving itself just plan hurts.
Brandt’s death for those closest to him is tragedy upon tragedy. I have no answers—no explanation. I have no ability to take away the difficult days ahead.
I would suggest to you that two gifts from God can keep us going—hope and purpose. Satan would have us believe today that hope is lost. Our God tells us there is hope in the midst of suffering…
The God of the Israelites…held captive for hundreds of years
Sounds like a war to me. A war many times we don’t want to acknowledge.
For many here, the hardness of life may bring us to a point of numbness. A numbness that helps us survive the pain buried inside. Times such as today may allow us to purge those emotions-to release the pain we keep trapped inside. Sometimes that pain is released with the sobbing in our closets or bedrooms. Grieving itself just plan hurts.
Brandt’s death for those closest to him is tragedy upon tragedy. I have no answers—no explanation. I have no ability to take away the difficult days ahead.
I would suggest to you that two gifts from God can keep us going—hope and purpose. Satan would have us believe today that hope is lost. Our God tells us there is hope in the midst of suffering…
The God of the Israelites…held captive for hundreds of years
·
The God of Daniel thrown in the lion’s den
·
The God of Joseph in a well and in prison
·
The God of Noah trapped on a boat in the midst of a flood
·
The God of Moses wandering in the wilderness
·
The God of Paul stoned, imprisoned, beaten
·
The God of Jesus-betrayed, hanging on a cross, buried in a tomb
·
That same God—well aware of suffering wants us to hope in him.
Hope that there will be a day when sorrow is no more.
Hope for the day when all of our mistakes and shortcomings no longer bear consequences
Hope that there will be a day when sorrow is no more.
Hope for the day when all of our mistakes and shortcomings no longer bear consequences
Hope for a tomorrow that can be less painful than today.
In addition to hope, we all need a sense of purpose in our lives.
Brandt’s death causes me to have a heightened sense of purpose for me to be a better uncle to a niece who has lost two brothers—a better Uncle to Jamie than I was to Brandt. Jamie recently posted a picture of Brandt on Facebook holding his new nephew. When I see that picture, I see purpose. Aaron Jenkins and his cousins and their parents provide purpose. They have needs. They deserve what all of us can offer. They deserve us to be family to them.
We will not find purpose in the past. We can find purpose as we look to the future.
In Phillipians 4, Paul says…
This
one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Not a single one of us should leave today without a sense of purpose. I pray that we would all accept it.
One of my favorite country western videos of all time is set to a Garth Brooks song, The Dance. Lines of the song read:
I’m glad I didn’t know,
Not a single one of us should leave today without a sense of purpose. I pray that we would all accept it.
One of my favorite country western videos of all time is set to a Garth Brooks song, The Dance. Lines of the song read:
I’m glad I didn’t know,
The way it all would end
the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
In the song we are reminded that when we embark on this journey of life--this dance with friends and family—brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, cousins, and spouses-- we could avoid a lot of pain, but to do so would come at a high cost. We would miss the joy that comes from relationships.
But I'd of had to miss the dance
In the song we are reminded that when we embark on this journey of life--this dance with friends and family—brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, cousins, and spouses-- we could avoid a lot of pain, but to do so would come at a high cost. We would miss the joy that comes from relationships.
So conjure up your fondest memories of Brandt….happy times or funny times, embrace those memories, hold those memories in your mind:
Playing catch, fishing, hunting, playing video games, hanging out, giving him a bottle, rocking him to sleep, opening Christmas presents, seeing the smile that would light up his eyes.
Enjoy those memories, rejoice in those memories, dance with those memories, keep hold of them and carry them with you….be thankful for those memories. They are truly a gift.
If you would, please stand as we close with prayer.
Father we again thank you for Brandt and for the opportunity to dance the dance of life with him. We ask for your comfort, your peace, your grace. Fill the voids in our hearts with your holy presence. Remind us of our hope and purpose in you. Restore our souls Father. In Jesus name, Amen.
Sweetness as I read this and think of your family. My heart is heavy with your hearts and I pray peace and healing to fall on all of you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gloria, Love you so much.
ReplyDelete