John Wayne Mercure Celebration of Life

Class Outline:

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Let's celebrate how John Wayne Mercure Lived

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good afternoon!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Let’s begin our celebration in prayer…

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of celebrating one of your servants…John Wayne Mercure…

 

…thank you for gathering us together today, whether we are here in person or whether we are celebrating on recorded video…thank you for reminding us, with the death of a person who is Your precious possessions, that we will all close our eyes in this life for a final time one day…thank you for helping us to live life to the fullest in the meantime, with your guiding hand to direct us, even when we don’t know you…even when we don’t invest any of our time in spiritual things…

 

…help us call to mind our fond memories of John today as we celebrate him…tell him we all say hello and we’re a little bit envious he has begun his eternal journey with You, and without us…help us live as John lived…sucking all the marrow out of life and living life all in…

 

We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE

January 8, 1943 - February 16, 2023

 

We’re here today to celebrate a person…John Wayne Mercure…and there could be nothing more fitting than to celebrate him, because John was a walking celebration!

 

He left us at eighty years young…and those of us who loved him will definitely miss him.  Mostly, we’ll miss the bigness of his presence.  I got to know John a bit over the last five years, and I found him to be a person with a personality that is larger than life.  Every time he saw me his mouth was filled with encouragement, and I loved being in the same room with him.

 

His daughter Terrie said her father was always fighting for others and was really intolerant of bullies.  He certainly had the predisposition to step up for other people.

 

John’s granddaughter Andrea Corona described him perfectly…“You definitely knew when he was in the room.”

 

My son Zachary was working with John on the weekends to record his sonnets, and when he heard of John’s death, it knocked him for an emotional loop for three days.  That’s the affect John had on people.

 

John was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and one of my favorite things when

interacting with him was hearing about how much he loved the Lord.  The Lord loved John as well…Psalm 116, Verse 15 says…

 

PSALM 116:15

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.

 

A godly one is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because John was a believer in Christ…there is no real need for us to grieve today…First Thessalonians, Chapter 4, Verse 13 says…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 4:13

…we do not want you to be uninformed…believers in Christ…about those who are asleep (the physically dead) … so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

 

For unbelievers, the fear is that they may never see their loved ones again…the fear is the unknown… “What will happen to me when I close my eyes in this life?”  For believers in Christ, we have complete confidence in the promises of the Lord concerning what happens when we move on from here into eternity…and we KNOW…with absolute certainty…that we will see our loved ones again who are in heaven.

 

The Lord promised John, and all of His believers, a home for all eternity…and he comforts those of us who are staying behind in John, Chapter 14, Verses 1 to 3…

 

JOHN 14:1

“Do not let your heart be troubled…believe in God the Father…believe also in Me.”

 

JOHN 14:2

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places (mansions)…if it were not so I would have told you…but it is so…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) go to prepare a place for you.”

 

JOHN 14:3b

“…I will come again…and I will receive you to Myself…that where I am…there you may be also.”

 

The Lord Jesus Christ gave John a personal escort into heaven. Psalm 23, Verses 1 and 4…

 

PSALM 23:1

The Lord is the One who keeps on shepherding me…therefore I can’t lack anything!

 

PSALM 23:4

Even though I walk through my very own death shadowed valley…I cannot fear…You, Lord, with me!

 

What is heaven like?  The Lord tells us in Revelation, Chapter 21, Verse 4…

 

REVELATION 21:4

…and the Lord Jesus Christ will wipe away every tear from their eyes…and there will no longer be any death…there will no longer be any mourning…or crying…or pain…the first things (the tribulations from our lives on earth) have passed away.”

 

Any of the things that were weighing John down while he was here on earth are no longer a problem for him.

 

One of my favorite presidents was John F. Kennedy.  Like John, he had a magnetic personality and loads of charisma.  When his brother, Senator Edward Kennedy eulogized him, he said words that have stuck in my head for six decades.  He said…

 

EDWARD KENNEDY EULOGY FOR BROTHER JOHN

 

“My brother need not be idealized…nor enlarged in death beyond what he was in life…but simply be remembered as a good and decent man…”

 

The same thing can be said about John.  He had a magnetic personality…loads of charisma…and he was a good and decent man.

 

Let’s take a moment to reflect on our relationship with John as we listen to a song…it’s what all of us will feel one day…I FEEL LIKE GOING ON by The Five Heartbeats.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

 

I FEEL LIKE GOING ON

The Five Heartbeats

 

Here’s what we’ll enjoy in today’s celebration…

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

Memories:  Reflections of Those Who Loved Him

Michael Sloan

Andrea Corona

You (If you’re Feeling Daring!)

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

His Favorite Music

Bagpipes

Amazing Grace

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

His Favorite Music

The Four Tops

Sugar Pie Honey Bunch

 

Paul Lombard and His Orchestra

Somewhere Beyond the Stars

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

His Favorite Music

Natalie Cole

Our Love

 

The Platters

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

His Favorite Music

Robbie Williams

Beyond the Sea

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

The Gospel Message

Your Chance to Know What It Takes to Join John in Heaven

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

Memorial Video

 

God has two attitudes toward us…MERCY…and GRACE.  In mercy, He doesn’t give us what we deserve.  He offers everyone eternal life instead of eternal condemnation…if you want it.  God is not in the habit of forcing His gifts on you.  In grace, God gives you all the things you don’t deserve.  One word that can be used to describe His grace is AMAZING.  Let’s hear the song AMAZING

GRACE.

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

Music

Bagpipes

Amazing Grace

 

Next, let’s welcome up one of John’s lifelong friends…Michael Sloan.

 

LIFELONG FRIEND

 

Michael Sloan

Stories About John’s Life

 

Another lifelong friend was not able to be here today…

 

LIFELONG FRIEND

 

Terry Gibbs

 

Terry is the third of the three musketeers…John, Michael, and Terry…and Terry is in our prayers for good health and happiness every day.

 

Love…intense love for those he cared about…was a theme in John’s life…let’s listen to one of his favorite songs…I CAN’T HELP MYSELF (SUGAR PIE HONEY BUNCH) by THE FOUR TOPS.

 

MUSIC

 

I CAN’T HELP MYSELF
(SUGAR PIE HONEY BUNCH)

The Four Tops

 

Next up is John’s loving granddaughter and caretaker…Andrea Corona.

 

LOVING GRANDDAUGHTER

 

Andrea Corona

 

John’s new home?  It’s SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE STARS.

 

MUSIC

 

Paul Lombard and His Orchestra

Somewhere Beyond the Stars

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race

 

John is not dead…he’s just no longer here on earth.  The soul once born never dies.  Each of us gets to choose where we spend eternity.  So in the closing moments of this celebration, I know John would want you to get yourself ready to meet him in heaven at a future time.  How do you get to heaven?

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

You are one of God’s creatures!  If you choose, you can be a child of God.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 12 says…

 

JOHN 1:12

But as many as received the invitation from Jesus to be saved…to them He gave the right to become children of God the Father…even to those who believe in Jesus’ name…

 

The problem is you may think the Lord is like our human parents…emotional, arbitrary, and sentimental.  Our parents tell us what to do…we do the opposite… and they let us off the hook.  Your Divine Parent, the Lord Jesus Christ, does not operate that way.  Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 24 to 27…

 

MATTHEW 24:24

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

 

MATTHEW 24:25

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

 

 

 

MATTHEW 24:26

“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”

 

MATTHEW 24:27

“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

 

God is inviting you to be saved.  He tells you EXACTLY what you must do to be saved.  God says there is ONE WAY to heaven in John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said…“I am the way (to salvation)…and I am the truth (through the gospel message in the Word of God)…and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”

 

God has a plan for your salvation.  In Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 21, the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 7:21

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven... but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

 

What IS the will of God the Father for your salvation?  It’s simple…Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

It takes about thirty seconds of your time to be saved.  You simply turn to the God who saves you and ask for salvation.  You can do it right this minute.  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God… that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

If you ignore God’s offer of salvation, there are consequences…Revelation, Chapter 21, Verse 8…

 

REVELATION 21:8

But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars (all references to unbelievers) … their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

There’s spiritual death and there is the second death in the Lake of Fire…the eternal home of those who reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We encourage you to accept the invitation and heed the warning of John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

When you believe, you simply take God’s word for it concerning what it takes to be saved!  Do it right now and you’ll be saved for all time!

 

We celebrate John Wayne Mercure today…a man who was many things…a believer in Christ…a man of faith…a protector…a martial artist…a son who loved his parents and would do anything they asked of him…a loving and devoted husband…a father…a grandfather…a great grandfather…a teacher…a historian… a friend…a man who ate well…who enjoyed living…a man who loved deeply…a man who was physically fit…a fisherman…a basketballer…a swimmer…a skilled craftsman with textures…a generous person, giving of his time, talent and treasure…a man who loved his family.

 

This is a celebration because we get to enjoy a victory…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 53 to 57…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:53

For this perishable (our physical bodies) must put on the imperishable (a perfect resurrection body) … and this mortal (our life on earth) must put on immortality (our life in heaven).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:54

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory (death’s power is removed).”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:55

“O physical death, where is your victory? O physical death, where is your sting?”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:56

The sting of physical death is sin…and the power of sin is the law…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:57

…but thanks be to God the Father, who gives us believers in Christ the victory through our Lord…Jesus…the Christ.

 

John would want to say farewell for now for those friends and family who have yet to depart from the earth…your names are written on his heart.

 

From all the members of Barah Ministries, we pass on to John’s family members our heartfelt condolences…you loved John and we did, too…this is a sad day for us and a happy eternity for John.  Let’s close with a video to help us remember the special parts of his life.

 

JOHN WAYNE MERCURE CELEBRATION

 

Memorial Video

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Father, You chose to bring every one of us to earth in eternity past…and You knew that our dilemma in this life would be our attitude toward having a relationship with Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…You sent Your Son to earth to solve the sin problem which kept us out of relationship with You…You made it simple to be saved…no beliefs necessary…no religious rituals necessary…no phoniness necessary...just a simple choice to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ at a single moment in time…like right now…

 

…make that simplicity clear to everyone who hears this celebration message… make us eager to join John and You in heaven at a future time…and bless us with Your spiritual wisdom while we are here on earth…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?

 

Ask the Pastor

pastor@barahministries.com

 

KEEP ON CELEBRATING LIFE!

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com