Job Rent His Garment … The Lord Giveth … Bishop Alfred Reid …

Religious Focus

Quebecker Laid To Rest In Style

A Communion setting was held at the Thanksgiving Service amidst glowing tributes.

Sermon

Delivering the Sermon at the Thanksgiving Service of Jason Scott (Scotty) Clarke, on March 8, 2018 at St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Stony Hill, Jamaica W.I. The 13 th Anglican Lord Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands exhorted his listeners to take note of Job as portrayed in the bible.

Why Funerals?

“Why we have funerals is because we look to God for hope.  The old testament figure of Job. Jason is still a child … always his mother’s baby. Job arose, rent his robe, a sign of mourning. He fell on the ground and said “The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away”  Job was grieving. Our God is an ever loving God.  He gave His only begotten son. Let us thank the Lord our ever loving God for giving us His son.  The Lord gave and continue to give.  When the grief has worked its way out He will continue to bless us with joy, honesty, a smile and other attributes.”

The first lesson …  “forty plus years is a relatively short time.  God gives forty trillion more blessings.  The Lord gives and the Lord taketh.  God’s sustaining presence, Psalm 46 the God of whole is with us.  It is in this context we can appreciate Jobs statement … he has taken away.  God transfigured the act of evil men by an act of God. On Calvary the unspeakable tragedy that led to Him being placed on a cross.  Our own death, all of us here will come to that day when we die. Will that be a dead end … or a giving him back. George Matheson, a blind poet,  in his poem “I give back the life I owe”

Other works of Matheson include a hymn he said he wrote “in five minutes … without any editing” written when his sister got married.  He (Matheson) was broken hearted as his fiancee dumped him when she learned he was going blind … she refused to marry him on that ground …. his sister cared for him. This hymn was written to celebrate his sister’s marriage.
“O love that wilt not let me go”

John’s Gospel “I am gone to prepare a place for you.”  No more death if you live in Christ”.

James Montgomery, Poet said: “By death, I shall escape from death and life eternal gain, death stay away. If the Lord takes away our loved ones but not from us … we have not necessarily lost him we gained him for forty odd years.”

Prayer of William Penn “We gave back to to God a child … death is an horizon …. you have told us you have prepared for us a place.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.  There is a new religion that only talks about prosperity, how strong you are. There is nothing you can do to separate us from the love of God. It is in times like these that we worship God in truth . In time of death we can say blessed be the name of the Lord. Glorify thy name.”

Background

Life & Times

Jason is the late son of Rev. Peter D. Clarke, retired Rector of St. James Anglican Church,  Black River and wife Patricia, an educator at Mico University, Ja. W.I. Jason Scott (Scotty) Clarke, September 21-1972 to February 5,  2018 – 45+. He resided in Quebec, Canada where he died. His ashes were taken to Jamaica and a Thanksgiving Service held at St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Stony Hill, March 8, 2018. Jason was eulogized as being “creative and had bright dreams ” for the future. His Thanksgiving Service was well attended from near and far.

Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie is Senior International Correspondent & Photojournalist for Vision Newspaper Canada.