Watch the full service: https://youtu.be/wIt-v5KoHPM
On May 1, 2019, my father, Keith Burton, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. My family and I loved my dad deeply. He was a funny, servant-hearted, 6’5” giant of a man who baked the best banana bread and had a lot of swag.
In the midst of sudden loss and the pain it brings, my family and I have been genuinely overwhelmed by the manifestation of God’s grace through his Spirit and his body. From the very moment of my father’s passing––indeed, even while we stood by his hospital bed in his final moments––we have felt supernaturally sustained by the presence of Jesus.
We were amazed to have some 600 people attend my father's celebration of life service, and we thank the Lord for the opportunity to both honour my dad and point people to the hope of Jesus in the gospel.
I can honestly say that the reality of the resurrection, the defeat of death, and the Lordship of Jesus Christ have never been more tangible to me than they are right now.
When I stood over my father’s casket, suspended over his grave, I could not help but feel an enormous sense of victory. It was as though I was attending death's burial, not my father’s. I remember staring into the grave and thinking “Really? Is this the best you can do?” Death seemed to me a weak, pitiable, defeated foe.
There is an incredible freedom that comes when your enemy strikes their greatest blow and you're still standing. It’s like realizing that you're invincible––that, in fact, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ and that he has really made us more than conquerors.
To God be the Glory.