As requested by some here is the text of the sermon used at the funeral: Nothing, not death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. There are moments, not always obvious to us, where we might glimpse something of the fullness, the depth and the breadth of God’s love and grace. Moments where it is as if heaven touches earth. You may have experienced it yourself: the birth of a child, or an act of reconciliation, or when peace is declared, or when the hungry are fed, and the naked are clothed. It was in the stillness and the quiet of the early hours of Wednesday morning 2 weeks ago that I was able to experience the presence of God, as mum peacefully slept and finally drew her last breath. During the hours preceding I knew deep within my soul that she was surrounded and immersed in God’s perfect love and perfect peace, that we were not alone, but surrounded by the angels of God, and her soul was at peace, a peace that filled the room. It has often been my experience, to discover God not in churches or cathedrals, not in deeds and doctrines, but to find God in the reality of our lives, in the everyday, in our hopes and dreams and in our fears and our doubts. God is very present in the mess, complexity and trials of our lives, and God was present not just that morning, but every step of Sue’s life through the highs and especially through the lows, sometimes walking or even running alongside, sometimes carrying her. Just as God walks with each of us whether we realise it or not. Alongside that sense of God’s presence that morning was also hope and joy. For Sue, she was no longer limited by the trials and tribulations of the previous couple of years, she was being set free, something she had prayed and waited for. Hope and joy because she had come to understand that death is not the end, but ‘up there’ as she described it would be rest, peace and love. Jesus words in John’s gospel tell us to not be troubled. I could almost picture her soul being fitted with a new body with which she could run and leap for joy, surrounded by those who had gone before her. Over the last couple of years she had time to focus on her own spirituality and reflect on her own faith journey. Those who cared for her and visited knew that she held this angel. It symbolised the trust that she had in something higher than ourselves and had to learnt to put her trust in God. A few months ago she shared an experience. Whilst she was being cared for in the hospice she felt physically lifted from her bed, she said it wasn’t a dream, but that she felt held and loved either by an angel or the hands of God. We too can find joy. Joy because Sue’s discomfort is no longer, joy as we remember and reminisce over all the special memories and moments that each of us shared with her. Joy because each of us had the privilege of having her in our life and for all that she was to each of us. She will always be a part of those lives that she touched and will always live on in our memories. Sue is no longer affected by the hurts and disappointments of this world, no longer has the frustrations of this life, but peace, peace that God promises and that Jesus breathes on all of us. My peace I give to you, Jesus says. We sometimes wonder why people have to die. But the question for today is, why do people live. And the answer to the question, “why did Sue live”, lies within each of us – the answer is in our memories and in all we learned from knowing her and relating to her. Our challenge is to transform all that she has been into a living memorial, passing on the goodness, keeping the memories alive. The celebration of Sue’s life is not confined just to this service. We can continue to celebrate her life through our relationships, our acts of loving service and our dreams. There is of course sadness as we will miss her presence with us, but in the midst of our tears may we find hints of treasured memories and new joyful experiences that will bubble up to live in harmony with our sadness. I pray that the peace, love and hope that Sue was able to experience fill all our emptiness and all our days. May Sue continue to rest in God’s perfect peace. Amen