Emphasis Preaching Journal

At the funeral service the pastor said, "We shall remember Emily as a steadfast Christian." For many years Emily had been a steady member of the altar guild, quietly doing her work of preparing for Holy Communion.

" 'Steadfastness' comes from the Hebrew word chesed," the pastor explained. "It's a word often used for God. Emily isn't going to heaven because she was steadfast. We go to heaven by grace as a gift. But Emily received that grace and reflected it in her life here at the church."