Amen. Good morning.
As I mentioned before the meeting, we are doing something different. I was supposed to share the third message on the testimony of God today, but we will not be sharing that. Since our brother Dennis went to be with the Lord, we thought it more appropriate to share encouragement from His Word and perhaps some lessons from Dennis’s life—things that we saw which could encourage us to walk more faithfully.
Dennis was in Group E, and I cannot promise that I can do this without emotion. I think we are here a little confused, perhaps a little questioning. You know, we do that sometimes. We are not perfect. We do not see all things as He sees, and we wonder, “How could this happen?”
Some have shared those questions with me, and I would like to share some comfort from the Word. Dennis was in a fatal motorcycle accident early Friday afternoon. The conditions were perfect. Here was a fellow with hundreds of thousands of miles on motorcycles—a veteran. Perhaps this is my coming-out time: I have a Harley as well. Many of you may not know that, and I certainly probably do not look like that. But I respected his riding ability tremendously.
On a perfect day, with perfect weather, at an intersection he had gone through hundreds and hundreds of times near his home, with a fellow rider behind him, he simply did not see a stop sign. That is amazing to me. I talked to the brother who was behind him and said, “Why didn’t he see it? He knew it.” The answer was simply, “We do not know.”
Riders are always thinking ahead about what might be dangerous. Dennis had been through that intersection so many times. They saw him touch his brakes at the last moment, probably realizing that the stop sign he knew so well was there. Then he entered the intersection and was broadsided by a very large truck with a trailer.
His injuries were tremendous. His whole left side was crushed, and there was internal bleeding. His heart was so bruised that, in the end, they could not keep it going. Our dear sister Cecilia, a little Irish nurse, probably said it well: it is the Lord’s mercy, that accident having happened, in such an unlikely place and to such an unlikely person, that the Lord took him home.
He would have had a very long and terrible recovery with those injuries. But our comfort comes from the Word of God.
I remember years ago struggling with the untimely death of a dear brother whom we loved. It may have been John Street; I cannot remember. It was in the 1980s. Brother Stephen, one evening, as we were doing this same sort of soul-searching and sharing, gave us these wonderful words from Romans 14:7-9.
For none of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord;
and whether we die, we die unto the Lord.
Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
That is it. He knows all things. I cannot imagine that accident happening when I think with this limited natural brain, but the Lord knows all things. Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; whether we die, we die unto the Lord, because we are not people of this world. In the end, the great comfort is simply this: we are the Lord’s.
That is what we say about Dennis. We knew he was the Lord’s. Thank the Lord for His mercy. Thank the Lord that we know the One who controls life, and we know the One who controls death. We can struggle and ask why the Lord did not quicken his mortal body, but He who knows all things is perfect.
Listen to Revelation 1:17-18. When John received that great revelation of the Lord Himself, he fell at His feet as dead.
And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, Fear not;
I am the first and the last,
and the Living One; and I became dead,
and behold, I am alive for evermore,
and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
Aren’t you thankful? As we look at the unexplainable, we can say: He alone has the keys of death. That is our comfort.
It was the untimely death of Lazarus. You all know the sadness in John 11—the pain of that family. They thought, “How could this happen? He whom the Lord loved—how is it possible that this happened?” The Lord came to that grieving family.
Jesus said to a bereaved Martha in John 11:23-26:
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Martha saith unto Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth on Me, though he die, yet shall he live;
and whosoever liveth and believeth on Me shall never die.
Believest thou this?
Listen to these words, brothers and sisters. This is the encouragement from the Word of God. “He that believeth on Me”—that is you, that is me, that is Dennis—“though he die, yet shall he live.” And everyone who lives and believes on Him shall never die. Do we believe that?
Dennis is asleep. He took his last ride. He would not have wanted to be anywhere else but on that motorcycle; I know that. He had three of them. Linda will not let me have but one, and she wants me to get rid of that one.
Think of that: “He that believeth on Me shall never die.” You will never die. If you know the Lord Jesus, you will never taste death. Thank the Lord for that. These are the words that encourage us. Notice the emphasis: everyone who lives and believes on Him shall never die.
I think of another word of comfort from Scripture: Revelation 2:10, written to the church in Smyrna. These were words to a suffering church that went through inexplicable things. Some believe that we are never to suffer, never to be sick, perhaps never to die. I do not see that in the Word of God. I see the One who is with us through every one of those circumstances.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.
Dennis today is wearing a crown of life. He traded that old Harley skullcap in for a crown of life. How much better?
I hope these lessons will be for our edification. Dennis came here in the 1980s. When the Lord brought Dennis and Ruth—this Harley couple—it was quite a shock to us. They were newly saved and full of the joy of the Lord. Mike Woods and I married Dennis and Ruth at Edith Moseley’s house.
Dennis had apparently never worn a tie in his life, so Mike and I had to tie his tie for him. As far as we understood, we had only ever seen Ruth in jeans, and the sisters had to dress her for the wedding. But Dennis and Ruth were with us for years, and Dennis was with us right to the end. Praise the Lord for the joy of the Lord we saw in him.
Dennis was like a child. I do not mean that wrongly. Dennis was a simple brother, and please do not take that derogatorily. I mean it as the highest compliment. I would that we were all so innocent and childlike that we could simply trust in the Lord, no matter what. I think that was his living testimony.
Most of us are probably like the apostles, sitting there arguing about who is greatest. But the Lord has a different idea. In Matthew 18:1-4, the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
And Jesus, having called to Him a little child, set him in the midst of them,
and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,
the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I think that was Dennis. He was childlike—tremendously childlike—very simple. What a blessed lesson we could learn. Perhaps we argue too much about our ministry, our gift, who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and what we should be doing, instead of simply loving the Lord with childlike faith.
A second lesson is that Dennis was faithful in small things. Group E was our group. We were with Dennis for years, and we are going to greatly miss him. Even though he is in the Lord’s presence, enjoying His glory and seeing with unveiled face, we are going to miss him. It is the truth.
In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Paul writes:
Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
That is the one thing: faithfulness. And I think we all know the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 25:21:
Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will set thee over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
Notice that it does not say, “You were faithful in great things.” That is the lesson of Dennis’s life. He was faithful in a few things, and the reward outstripped the service in untold magnitude. “I will set thee over many things.” It all matters.
In our group, we have often come to our Saturday morning time to prepare for Sunday, and I have said, as others have said, “I am sorry; I do not have anything to share before the Lord in the opening.” Dennis Dahmer never once said that. Every Saturday morning, this faithful brother always said, “Well, I have a word.” He came with his Bible open, and he always had a word.
He was always prepared and always faithful. Group E will terribly miss him.
Dennis was also very humble. Apologetically, he would speak of what the Lord meant to him, though he had so much to share. He made sure the brothers in Group E were assigned their places at the table. He never let that go out of his sight. Nobody else did it; he did it.
He would say, “Now, brother, would you be able to take this spot? Brother, would you be able to take that spot? Would you be able to watch over this or that?” He made sure there was order at the table.
He also always made sure the lights were on. You may never have thought about the lights, but every Saturday he was here for our group. He walked around checking the lights in every room. If he could not find lights, he would go buy lights. Faithful in small things.
Friday night was another example. He loved Friday night. He loved when we opened the Word in Bible fellowship. At the end of our time, we always have a snack because we like to eat like the Chinese. Dennis always brought the same snack every other Friday night: his jalapeño cheese dip and Frito-Lay Scoops.
Every time we said, “This is good.” And it was good. Dennis would say, with his hands, “It’s so good, isn’t it?” I said, “Dennis, it’s so good. It’s my dinner. It’s very good.”
The last thing about Dennis—perhaps the lesson we should learn—is that Dennis loved the Lord. Brother Stephen used that phrase often when I was a new believer. He would characterize a person, a believer, with this simple phrase: “They love the Lord.”
How important that is. How simple that is. How profound a lesson that is. That we could simply be like Dennis and love the Lord.
When he prayed before the meeting, brothers, how often did you hear him pray the words of Deuteronomy 6:5?
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul,
and with all thy might.
Those are the three things I think about Dennis: he was childlike, trusting his Lord; he was faithful in small things; and he loved the Lord. I cannot think of anything more important.
There are a few people around here who mention the word overcomer a lot—present company included. We may have just had an overcomer in our midst. What is more important than being childlike in our faith? What is more important than being faithful? What is more important than loving the Lord with all our heart?
Perhaps our definition of an overcomer needs to change. Not he who does great things for the Lord, but he who does a few things well before the Lord.
Last week Dennis shared a testimony during the open time. I am grateful, Noah, that you sent that YouTube email out again. I hope some of you looked at it again. He was full of life, humorous, profound, and deeply moving as he shared.
I will tell you the background. On Saturday, the day before, I looked at Dennis and said, “Dennis, you have a testimony that the brethren need. You have retired from your earthly labor, but you cannot retire from serving the Lord. The saints need to hear that.”
He said, “You think so?” I said, “Yes.” And our brother went ahead and shared that testimony—one testimony I will never forget.
He said, “I’m retired now, but you never retire from serving the Lord. The Lord is showing me so much.” He was delighted to say, “Now I can come to every Wednesday night. Now I can come to Friday nights and not fall asleep. Now I can be here Sunday. I’m learning so much from the Lord.”
Then he said, “After you retire, what’s next?” After a pause, he said, “After you retire, you meet the Lord, I guess.”
Prophetic words were never more truly spoken. He is now in the presence of the Lord. We rejoice that we had the privilege to serve with one like that. We saw something of the living Christ in one like that, and we would do well to emulate one like that.
If those characteristics are found in us, perhaps at the end we will hear the same words he has already heard:
Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
For the remainder of the time, we are going to ask brothers and sisters to share their memories. We are not yet sure what the arrangements will be, but when we know, we will tell you. We have offered to help in any way we can. Adam, Dennis’s son, is here and is taking care of those arrangements with others.
This may be our opportunity for a memorial service. If you have a testimony, please share some reflection. We will hold to the same limits and rules.
That was a good summary, Kenny. I think it was a wonderful emphasis on Dennis’s life.
I love Dennis. As I thought about it more, I realized that I love Dennis because I love the Lord’s life in him. When I heard the news Friday afternoon, as we were receiving reports, I thought, “I can’t believe it.” But I woke up Saturday morning and thought, “Praise the Lord. The Lord called Dennis home.” It is wonderful.
Dennis and I talked about motorcycles and cars. We were both gearheads and loved machines. I have something for Linda and Jessica: my father was in his early eighties when his daughter-in-law took his car away from him, and he never quite understood where his car went. I think motorcycle age in the eighties is about sixty-five, Linda. If you need any help stealing the motorcycle, let me know. I will arrange it for you.
Dennis and I talked a lot about retirement, because I have been retired and he was looking forward to it. Dennis’s simple faith was so powerful. He did not necessarily have an easy time. In his last years, he drove a tandem tractor-trailer to Winston-Salem and back every night, mainly in the dark, with hazardous loads. He was glad to be out of that.
Kenny married Dennis and Ruth, and Ruth left him. Dennis did not understand that, but he did not take offense. He was not offended. When we are challenged by such things, we can get bitter or we can get better. Dennis chose to seek the Lord. That is a good lesson.
We sat next to each other at the old man’s table. Dennis had a problem with portion control. He brought gargantuan platefuls—platefuls of whatever we had, and probably one refill. Except when we had chicken casserole. He would ask, “What are we having today?” I would say, “Chicken casserole.” He would say, “I hate chicken.” Every time. But I think he ate it anyway.
We also sat together at the Lord’s table. He would move around sometimes because someone kicking his chair drove him nuts. He would move to a quiet spot and then fall asleep. But he often had a song and came with a verse. When he shared something at the table, he did not make it up on the fly. He had something to share.
What I loved about Dennis was his simple faith in Christ. He was given to the Lord. I say I love Dennis, but I love the Lord’s life in Dennis and his unashamed testimony of the Lord’s life. We often talk about the testimony of Jesus. Dennis had the testimony of Jesus.
Spiritual leadership is not first the message, but the man. Dennis was the man. He was a living stone in the house of God.
Until Friday afternoon, I had lost two very close friends to tragedy. When I was a sophomore in high school, a close friend whom I had known from first through sixth grade was killed as a passenger in a vehicle driven by a drunk person. At his funeral, the pastor said that Johnny was either saved from something in his life much worse than death, or the Lord needed him in the heavenlies.
The next loss was on the Fourth of July after I graduated from high school. Another very close friend drowned at the dam while we were playing in the summer. Both of those boys had some church in their background, and I can only trust the Lord that, at the time of death, they asked the Lord to save their souls.
On Friday, I lost a close friend in the Lord. But I know without a doubt that he is with the Lord. Folks, be encouraged. Tragedies are all around us. Our only hope is Christ.
Dennis would come to me often and say, “I got in front of a chair kicker.” I would say, “Brother, why do you think I sit on the back row?” He did not understand why they did it. One time I told him, “Brother, it comes down to this: are we going to prefer others above ourselves?”
He said, “That’s right. I can’t be angry with them. They don’t know.” We need the testimony of Dennis. We need to prefer others above ourselves. That brother did that. That is not a mean lesson; that is a lesson in victory. I give thanks that I knew Dennis, and I rejoice that he is in the heavenlies today.
Dennis was a living stone among us. The Lord is at work in our midst. Dennis was an overcomer. I am sure he has heard the words we all want to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
What I remember most about Dennis was his sweet prayers concerning the children here. I will read a few verses from a song that I think testified to our brother’s life:
My feet stand on level ground.
He carries me up on the heights.
The winds howl and the rains pound.
My eyes stay fixed and do not lose sight.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire,
and He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Today I have made you a fortified city,
an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land.
They will fight against you, but will not overcome you,
for I am with you and I will rescue you.
Be encouraged, saints, that the Lord is at work here.
I loved to talk to Dennis. Many times he had a joke to share with me—the kind of joke where you had to know the answer, and I seldom did. About two months ago, I had a sense that I should give Dennis a hug. The next Sunday, he was sitting eating, so I sat beside him and talked with him. The following week, he was standing up, and I gave him a hug.
I am so glad we did that. I am also glad that he was the first one we applauded. Usually we do not give applause, but we applauded Dennis. And do we all know why we sang so many songs this morning?
As Kenny spoke about the joy in Dennis’s life, I thought of the mornings. Many of us come to pray because we are fulfilling an obligation sometimes, but there was always joy when Dennis walked into that room. You could see it in his face—the joy of being there.
In serving at the conference, Dennis had small tasks that most would not notice. But he had a heart for the conference and for being together with the saints. One year, when the conference was moved from before the Fourth of July to the week of the Fourth, Dennis missed the notice and missed conference. It may have been the only time you saw Dennis unhappy. But he was still happy, because he knew the Lord had something in it.
May we learn from Dennis to have the joy of the Lord and to cherish the assembling together of the saints—whether here on Sunday morning, regardless of what we have been through during the week, or during the busy week of conference. It is our opportunity to serve the saints and worship the Lord.
When I think of Dennis, I think of simplicity and transparency. There was not a mean bone in his body. If you did not know what he was thinking, just ask him, and he would tell you. Often, though, you knew exactly what was on his mind.
When we are faced with these emotions after somebody passes, there is a heaviness of heart. But I could not get beyond that. There was no further sadness, no further depression. You cannot help but be joyful—and perhaps a little jealous—because he is in a better place. We are the ones still here.
If someone who did not know the Lord had come in last Sunday and known Dennis’s history here, they might have said, “What a coincidence that Dennis got up here days before the Lord took him home.” But obviously that was not a coincidence. The Lord knew.
Someone who did not know the Lord might say, “He testified that he had just retired, and now he is gone. What a shame.” But what did we hear from Dennis last week? “I’m retired, and now I can serve the Lord.” It is almost as if the Lord heard that and said, “All right. It’s time to come home.” He was ready.
What a dear brother. Praise the Lord for the life and faithfulness of our brother, for His timing, for what He did in Dennis, and for what He will hopefully do through us in this.
Dennis was one of the first people I met when I came to the fellowship. One word that comes to mind is that he was real. He was so real. The Lord used him to convict me and show me some things when I was not really walking with the Lord.
I came here playing church, thinking I had to look the church part—put on a shirt and tie and everything. Then I met Dennis in his leather jacket. I had the exact same leather jacket, though I was not a motorcycle guy; it was from my rebellious punk days. I still have it at home as a reminder of what I was.
I am not advocating that we should dress a certain way. But I saw that Dennis was real, and the Lord convicted me that this is a heart issue, not an outward issue. In Dennis I saw transparency and freedom in Christ—not outward freedom, but inward freedom—that we can be who we are in the Lord Jesus.
I was in Kenny’s group in the early days. Dennis was always an encouragement, and I saw his faithfulness in little things. One time we went to Mississippi, or somewhere in that area, with the youth group after a hurricane. I drove the bus. We were enjoying fellowship in the back, while Dennis faithfully kept driving. That is a long way. He did not seek anything in return; he just faithfully did it, and there was always joy in his heart.
I am thankful that he is with the Lord, but I am going to miss him too. We are all going to miss him. The Lord used him from the beginning when I came here.
I was also in Dennis’s Bible fellowship group. When I first got here, Enoch Wei used to invite us out to lunch after our Saturday times, and Dennis was always included. I got to know Dennis well. One of the best pictures in my mind is seeing Dennis and Dr. Enoch Wei together—two peas in a pod, able to fellowship in Christ.
Dennis often prayed for the children in our times before the meeting. At the table, he would sometimes say, “Oh, you young people, please pray right now.” His heart was so big. He loved to hear a younger believer pray and was joyful whenever they did.
On Saturday mornings, Dennis always came prepared. He did not always share the opening because there could be eight or ten people prepared. But I remember times when he shared on resurrection, saying, “He’s risen. He’s risen,” with joy and excitement. Another time he shared on victory, with verse after verse about how Christ is the victory. We were all blessed, edified, encouraged, and the joy was there.
This last Saturday, he had prepared an opening that was not shared. It was from John 15:3:
Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.
He connected that with John 13, when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus told Peter that he was already clean; it was only his feet that needed washing. Dennis was not focusing on condemnation. He was captivated by the revelation that Jesus said, “You are already clean.”
He said it almost as though it were something completely new: “How are we clean? It says we are already clean.” Then he said, “I’m clean. I’m already clean. It says here we are already clean, and I know I’m already clean.” It was very touching.
It is good this morning to cry together, remember the joy in the Lord with our brother, and remember his example and faithfulness. I appreciate how the Lord spoke through this vessel of His.
One of my first memories of Dennis was when we used to teach the children. Dennis was so faithful always to have a class. I do not know how many of you young people remember Dennis as a teacher, but he was so burdened that the young people would truly know the Lord.
Dennis probably brought Fritos for the children at every snack. We would share the Lord with the children, and Dennis always prayed, “Lord, help the children to see You.” Most of the teachers were parents, but Dennis’s son did not go here and was not in those classes. Yet Dennis labored over those classes so that the children would see the Lord.
Dennis was also faithful about where we would be on Sunday morning. I would come in, sometimes standing because of my bad back, and Dennis would say, “Mr. Glenn, have you got the piano side? That’s yours. I want you to do that.” He always made sure that side was covered.
I believe it was Wednesday night that Dennis told me at the prayer meeting, “You know, I just can’t wait to be with the Lord.” We cry and weep for our brother because we are going to miss him. But when Marcia and I heard the news, I had joy in my heart.
O death, where is thy sting?
With our brother, we know he entered the joy of the Lord. Amen.
I want to testify to the Lord’s grace in giving us Dennis’s word last week—for stirring Kenny’s heart and stirring Dennis’s heart to come up and give us his testimony, so that we would have that to hold on to now that Dennis has gone. The Lord knew last Sunday that Dennis would not be here this Sunday.
Let us hold an image of Dennis in our minds: I will bet Dennis’s face is smiling. Dennis was, I think, the most joyful and sweetest man I knew. For over twenty years, the basis of our relationship was exchanging jokes and riddles—not deep, thoughtful jokes, but the silliest, lamest jokes you could imagine.
Here is the last riddle Dennis shared with me a couple of weeks ago. It is a seasonal joke: “Where does the polar bear keep his money?” In a snowbank.
Dennis was also faithful in driving the truck. In the last couple of years, I had the opportunity to give Dennis a ride after he took the truck back, and it was a joy. Whenever we needed a truck for any reason, Dennis was the go-to man. He handled the contracting, the paying, and everything related to making sure that if a truck was needed, it would be there with a driver.
Dennis made a commitment to me last Wednesday night. He committed to drive his truck and help move Cindy Parish. Dennis, your excuse. Precious brother.
Brother Stephen shared a thought with me many years ago after a tragic death that I was wrestling with. He said, “Jerry, in situations like this, when you really cannot understand, just go to the Lord and worship the Lord.” I would encourage us all: let us worship our Savior.
This is not my comfort zone, but when I think of Dennis, the verse that comes to me is about the purity and simplicity of devotion to Christ. He had a simple devotion to Christ. I will miss his smiling face, but I think he is smiling wherever he is.
Dennis used to offer me a ride on his motorcycle years ago, and I always said, “Maybe next week.” I let that go. But he was so faithful. I picture him with his crash helmet in his hand, and I nearly feel as though he was snatched away.
That night I was saying, “Lord, it is so amazing that he shared last week and now he is with You.” I opened Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening, which I do not use very often, and the verse at the top was, “Whereas the Lord was there.”
The Lord was there when it happened. It did not take Him by surprise. The reading said that if the Lord is with us through life, we need not fear when we die, for when we come to die, we shall find that the Lord is there.
I work with death a lot. I am a hospice nurse, but most of the people I see do not go this way. I was walking when I received the call that Dennis was gone, and the breath was taken from me. Afterwards, I thought, “What will it be when the Lord’s people are snatched away?” Dennis was simply taken out, and now he is with the Lord forever.
May we be faithful, and may He return us to the purity and simplicity of devotion to Christ.
I want to add a couple of examples of Dennis’s faithfulness in serving the brethren. Who was going to bring the ice for our group? Dennis always brought the ice. I never had to say, “Dennis, will you get the ice?” He knew exactly where to put it for our buckets of tea, water, and lemonade.
He was also the only one who would chop onions. I refuse to chop onions. Whenever there were onions, he would say, “Sister, we need to cut fresh onions,” and he always did it.
He was always faithful with the truck as well. He was a shining example of faithfulness in service in the small things. Kenny has the ministry of trash; Dennis had the ministry of ice and light bulbs. What a blessing.
I cannot sit after having known a man like Dennis. Two words come to mind: humility and simplicity. Yes, he was and is an overcomer. Thank You, Lord, for giving us such a living example.
Dennis was also generous. I had many sons, and when each came to driving age, getting a car for them was quite a challenge. My oldest son was given a clunker whose engine was not worth having. I bought an engine, and Dennis allowed me to use his garage and many of his tools. My son was blessed with a car because Dennis was a generous man.
He brought us tomatoes. Dennis was a generous man. And if there were ever a eulogy fitting for Dennis, I think it would be 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge;
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
Dennis was a man of love.
I am sorry for those who did not get to share. Please be free to share by sending an email or a text. An email will probably get around to people more easily. Let us have a word of prayer, and then let us all take from Dennis’s example—help set up, prepare, clean up, and work together as one group and one body.
Lord, we are so thankful for these reflections, that we can consider the work that You can do in a human life. He may be one unnoticed by the world, but he is not unnoticed by You.
We think of Enoch, how he walked with God, and he was not, because the Lord took him. We thank You for the lessons You shared with us today, for the encouragement from the brothers and sisters, and for the encouragement in Your Word.
We pray that You would seal these things up, and that we too would be found childlike; that we too would be faithful in the small things; and that we too would love the Lord with all our heart and love the brethren.
May You be exalted. Surely You who know all things do all things well. We rejoice that we had these years together, and we commit him still, who is in the presence of the Lord, to the glory of the Lord. We eagerly await seeing what he sees.
May You be glorified. In Jesus’ name, amen.