These are the notes for my message at the funeral of Johnny Moore, on March 7, 2023, in Cleveland, Mississippi.
“Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or shall we look for someone else?’ 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.’” - Matthew 11:2-6
Before I knew Johnny Moore as a brother-in-law, I knew him as a brother in Christ. He was one of the first people I met as I moved to Cleveland to serve as Campus and Youth Minister, he helped move my belongings from Ruleville to Cleveland. We served together on the board of Sardis Lake Christian Camp. He was active in the church, always mindful that his girls were involved. I watched him take care of Miss Antonia and serve other elderly people.
But then I knew Johnny as a brother-in-law, and he was a presence at our family gatherings. I remember him and Dick Willingham having some great conversations. Johnny even recorded Dick telling some of the tales he was known for. For many years now I have known Johnny to be very much a part of this family - much as I have been - having married into a wonderful family.
The accident that stole his mobility 18 years ago changed his life drastically, and by default changed the lives of everyone around him. Especially Carol. I doubt that any of us knows fully what this has meant for her, and the difficult path it set in front of her.
It is probably easy to characterize his life by those years of being confined to a body characterized by paralysis. But there was much more to him than that. I am grateful for his faith in the Lord and the enduring interest he had in church.
This brings me back to the verses I read a minute ago.
John the Baptist was in prison, not far from being executed.
“Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, Are You the One who is to come, or shall we look for someone else?’”
Many have characterized his question as a moment of doubt. In one way I find that difficult - they certainly knew one another. John had identified Jesus as the Lamb of God. He baptized Jesus and witnessed the dove from heaven come and heard the voice of the Father. But in prison, isolated and in pain, things look different.
Suffering raises questions that we cannot adequately answer. Enough books have been written to fill libraries with questions about why bad things happen to good people. Disease, accidents, and death are a part of the broken world in which we live. Chaos and unpredictable events are a part of our experience. God has the plan to address this, but it will be in his own way and his own time. So he sent word to John:
“Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up…”
Pulling from the prophets Malachi and Isaiah, Jesus reminds John of the ancient promises of God to be fulfilled in the Messiah. And in the ministry of Jesus were the blind who could see, the lame who could walk, lepers healed, and the deaf who could hear. Even the dead were raised. All of these realities were part of the contemporary ministry of Jesus, but they also represent the eternal promises of God to a broken world.
This is why we gather here today. If Johnny was gone, and there were no other promises, we would have no reason to sing, no need to pray, it would just be the end of the story.
“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” - 1 Corinthians 15:19
But it is not the end of the story at all. If we believe anything about heaven at all, we believe that Johnny is healed, happy, and with those who have passed on before.
Every one of us has experienced the pain and sorrows of life. We have unhealed hurts and broken places in our hearts. That’s not the end of your story either. When we put our faith in the Risen Savior, we have hope beyond this life.
“…and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
The blessing is for those who hear the Good News of Jesus and do not turn away from Him. Johnny was a man of faith - not a perfect man - he would never have claimed that. None of us are perfect. None of us have shining works of faith to bring to God in order to earn our hope in heaven! We find that we are acceptable to God because of the death of Christ on the cross, and the grace He supplies to save us.
Without the Gospel of Christ, I have no comforting words to offer, just a reflection of what was. But I love Jesus’ response to John because it teaches me three things.
1. Hope is a crucial element for each day’s troubles. We know that John is not far from dying at the hands of Herod. He needed hope for that moment, and Jesus provided it.
2. Faith is not a guaranteed removal of troubles. We know that John was not rescued from the painful situation he was in, yet he continued to believe. God never promises to make our life pain-free, but He does promise to walk with us through the darkest of valleys. I’m grateful to know that when we hurt, we are not alone - and it is not an indication of God’s absence.
3. Love is the character of God who addresses our greatest need. We know that the promises of Jesus extend to beyond the grave and give us insight into the joy, celebration, healing, and hope of heaven.
It is not just a message of hope for that day, but of hope for days to come. That the Messiah wasn’t only healing and helping people at the moment, but for eternity.
As we close this service with a song, we look around and see family and friends gathered not only in memory of what was, but in the truth of what is, and in the hope of what will be.
I’d like to end with the words of the Apostle Paul:
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on the incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But when this corruptible puts on the incorruptible, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the word that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Saying Goodbye For Now
Excellent thoughts. I'm sorry for your loss.
What a beautiful tribute. My heart is with you and the rest of his family, John.