Service of Witness to the Resurrection – Melissa Q. Espiritu (1 of 5) from Rex Espiritu on Vimeo.
Service of Witness to the Resurrection – Melissa Q. Espiritu (2 of 5) from Rex Espiritu on Vimeo.
Service of Witness to the Resurrection – Melissa Q. Espiritu (3 of 5) from Rex Espiritu on Vimeo.
Service of Witness to the Resurrection – Melissa Q. Espiritu (4 of 5) from Rex Espiritu on Vimeo.
This is not at all… how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you’ve gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but …
We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
‘Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
‘Cause we believe with hope
There’s a place where we’ll see your face again
We’ll see your face again
And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God’s plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father’s smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
‘Cause now you’re home
And now you’re free, and …
We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
‘Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
‘Cause we believe with hope
There’s a place where we’ll see your face again
We’ll see your face again
We’ll see your face again
We have this hope as an anchor
‘Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true, so …
We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
‘Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
‘Cause we believe with hope
There’s a place by God’s grace
There’s a place where we’ll see your face again
We’ll see your face again
We cry with hope, say goodbye with hope
We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope
(by Steven Curtis Chapman)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 / Hebrews 6:9, 10:23
Dawn’s promising skies
Petals from a pool drifting
Imagine these in one pair of eyes
And this was my beloved
Strange spice from the south
Honey through the comb sifting
Imagine these on one eager mouth
And this was my beloved
And when she spoke and when she talked to me
Music! Mystery!
And when she moved And when she walked with me
Paradise came suddenly near
All that could stir All that could stun
All ’twas for my heart’s lifting, now aching…
Imagine these in one perfect one
And this was my beloved
Now this is my beloved
(adapted from the musical “Kismet” by Robert Wright and George Forrest)
In and through these last three months of my beloved wife and sweetheart Melissa’s journey of now ultimate healing in eternity, we listened and reflected many times together with the songs of Steven Curtis Chapman, as we have done through much of our 22 years of marriage together in the Lord. As a couple in Christ, we have been so blessed to share with each other the deep love of Jesus and the profound grace of Christ our Lord.
On a recent album, lyrics from the title track resonated with certain themes in our devotions….
Out of these ashes… beauty will rise
and we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of this darkness… new life will shine…
and we’ll know the joy is coming in the morning…
in the morning…beauty will rise!
I can hear it in the distance
and it’s not too far away.
It’s the music and the laughter
of a wedding and a feast.
I can almost feel the hand of God
reaching for my face
to wipe the tears away, and say,
“It’s time to make everything new.”
(from “Beauty Will Rise” by Steven Curtis Chapman)
I am envisioning today’s service of witness to the resurrection and the life as a celebration, in part, in memory of my bride, but more part of the festive tribute of the Bride of Christ, looking forward to that Day of Christ Jesus when we, together with all the saints throughout time and space, will celebrate at the Great Wedding Banquet Table in eternity. Soli Deo Gloria!
Looking forward to worshiping our Awesome God on this awe-filled day that the Lord has made for us to rejoice and be glad in, I am
Persevering in the Grip of Grace,
Rex
Worthy is the Lamb!
New Living Translation (NLT)
7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.[a] This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204:7-12&version=NLT
 |
||
| Monday, March 15, 2010 Melissa Q. Espiritu Monday, March 15, 2010 Melissa Q. Espiritu, 49, of New Castle, went on to be with the Lord on Saturday, March 13, 2010. She was born July 10, 1960 in Rochester, NY, a daughter of Hiram and Donna (Hamilton) Quine. Born and raised in New York state, Melissa attended James Madison High School in Rochester, NY, graduating as class valedictorian in 1978. She also graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Physical Therapy in 1982. As a young physical therapist, she served and ministered care for the health and wholeness of patients at Mount Vernon Hospital, New York and Westchester County Medical Center, Valhalla, NY in the oncology and trauma units. An avid swimmer, she loved to cheer for swimming and other sports teams very enthusiastically. Melissa was an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), was a living example of faith, dedicated wife and mother, loved her husband into wholeness and prayed him into power for ministry. She was involved in the children’s ministry at PCUSA churches in Pittsburgh, PA, Medford, NJ, and at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in partnership with First Presbyterian Church in New Castle, where she was also a VBS leader and nurturer. Melissa was a mentor to young mothers as she had been mentored as a young mom. Whether at the grocery store or the library, she befriended many, praying for their well-being. With the joy of the Lord as her strength, she imparted a heart for worship and missions to others with the compassion and love of Jesus Christ. She loved lighthouses, bed & breakfasts, and walking alongside the ocean. She leaves to cherish her memory, her husband, the Reverend Rex Espiritu, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of New Castle, whom she married at Mt. Vernon First Presbyterian Church on August 1, 1987; six daughters, Christina, a student at Huntington University, Hannah, L. Grace, Tabitha, Priscilla, and Sara Espiritu, all at home; her parents, Hiram and Donna Quine, who both reside in the Rochester Presbyterian Home in Rochester, NY; a sister, Marcia Snoberger of Fort Ashby, West Virginia; her mother-in-law, Natividad Espiritu of New Castle; nieces and nephews including, Uriah, Aaron, and Hayley Snoberger, Sarah Love, Rachel and Adam Kohlmeier; several aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by a sister, Tracey Kohlmeier, and her father-in-law, Mariano G. Espiritu. A Service of Witness to the Resurrection in Celebration of the life of Melissa will be at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at the First Presbyterian Church in New Castle officiated by the Reverend Dr. Robert Maravalli, Pastor of Congregational Life Ministries at Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. Friends may call from 6-9 p.m. Monday, March 15, 2010 and 9-11 a.m. Tuesday at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle. Memorial contributions may be given to Compassion International, Colordo Springs, CO 80997, or United Marriage Encounter, P.O. Box 209, Muscatine, IA 52761-0209, with envelopes available at the funeral home. Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.hinsey-brown.com March 13, 2010 . |
||
| Content © 2010 the Courier-Times |
||
| Software © 1998-2010 1up! Software, All Rights Reserved | ||
Inserted from <http://thecouriertimes.com/print.asp?ArticleID=247304&SectionID=9&SubSectionID=24>
in the peace bubble… onto eternity with the Lord at 3:00 p.m. EST 13 March 2010 rest well my beloved sweet Melissa in the everlasting arms
—
Melissa Q. Espiritu, of New Castle, went onto eternity to be with the Lord Saturday afternoon, March 13, 2010 at her residence. Arrangements are pending at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle.
http://hinsey-brown.com/pages/details.cfm?obituaryID=547
Viewing at Hinsey-Brown on Monday, March 15 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
and Tuesday, March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Service of Celebration in Witness to the Resurrection and the Life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, New Castle, Indiana on Tuesday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m.
in the peace bubble… onto eternity with the Lord at 3:00 p.m. EST 13 March 2010 rest well my beloved sweet Melissa in the everlasting arms
—
Melissa Q. Espiritu, of New Castle, went onto eternity to be with the Lord Saturday afternoon, March 13, 2010 at her residence. Arrangements are pending at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle.
http://hinsey-brown.com/pages/details.cfm?obituaryID=547
Viewing at Hinsey-Brown on Monday, March 15 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
and Tuesday, March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Service of Celebration in Witness to the Resurrection and the Life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, New Castle, Indiana on Tuesday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m.
To love another
in life
with the love of the Lord
and be brought to a profound sense
of the great love of God
for you together
is….
too deep
for words to say,
too rich
for sighs to convey,
too much
for a broken heart to bear,
too vast
for an ocean of tears to fill…
And yet the love of God is greater still….
I love you, with the love of the Lord, my sweet Melissa….
For always, yours
antonpayne
hannahespiritu
lgraceespiritu
prayersForMelissa
rexespiritu
Melissa Espiritu
Sara Espiritu
Prayers For Melissa 
Comments