Celebrating the life of Gary Warkentin

Devotional

Day 1: Dessert Plates and Eternal Portions

The sweetness of a life well-lived lingers like the last bite of pie shared between kindred spirits. Just as dessert completes a meal, so hope completes the Christian’s story. A life poured out for others leaves a legacy richer than any momentary pleasure. True satisfaction comes not from what we take but what we leave behind – love that points to the eternal feast awaiting believers. This hope transforms grief into anticipation, knowing the best is yet to come. [34:03]

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, ESV)

Reflection: What “dessert plate” comparisons distract you from eternal investments? How might shifting your focus from earthly portions to heavenly legacy change your relationships this week?

Day 2: Bedsides and Blueprints

Death’s bedside becomes life’s blueprint when viewed through resurrection eyes. The quiet courage of a faith-filled finish testifies more powerfully than any sermon. A life anchored in Christ’s promise turns final breaths into launchpads for eternal dawns. Those who die well teach us how to live well – not avoiding grief’s reality, but facing it with hope’s certainty. [34:56]

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26, ESV)

Reflection: When you imagine your final moments, what fears or hopes surface? How does Jesus’ claim to be resurrection itself reshape your view of life’s hardest goodbyes?

Day 3: Wasting Shells and Renewing Cores

Cancer attacks the body but cannot touch the soul. Like a walnut shell cracking to release its fruit, our decaying bodies will give way to eternal glory. Present sufferings become apprenticeships in hope, teaching us to weigh momentary pain against everlasting joy. The Christian’s eyes learn to see through tears to the coming morning. [38:44]

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What “wasting away” in your life feels heaviest today? How might God be using it to strengthen your eternal perspective?

Day 4: Stolen Sweets and Eternal Feasts

Childish comparisons of dessert portions fade beside heaven’s banquet table. The God who notices secret ice cream rivalries prepares a feast where all receive overflowing joy. Earthly sweetness hints at divine generosity – not a crumb wasted, not a tear uncollected. Our present cravings train us to hunger for Christ, the bread that truly satisfies. [34:03]

“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly “sweetness” competes with your appetite for Christ? How might embracing life’s bittersweet moments deepen your taste for eternal joy?

Day 5: Finish Lines and Crowned Beginnings

The race ends where the reward begins. Faithful plodders become victorious sprinters as they cross into eternity. Every chemo session, every sleepless night, every whispered prayer becomes part of the victory lap. The finish line isn’t an end but a exchange – battered faith for gleaming crown, weary legs for resurrection wings. [39:56]

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: What daily “race markers” remind you of eternity’s finish line? How might viewing your struggles as training for glory change your perseverance today?

Sermon Summary

Gary’s life stands before family, friends, and church family as a life lived well, full of kindness, consistency, humor, strength, and love. The memory of his sweet tooth, his glance at someone else’s plate to compare the scoop of ice cream or slice of pie, gives a small but fitting picture of the warmth he brought into ordinary moments. The comfort offered here is meant to warm the soul the way dessert finishes a great meal, not by pretending death is easy, but by pointing to the hope that held Gary steady.

The love that marked Gary’s life came from being first loved by God. The Bible teaches that God’s love enables a person to love others, and that source shaped Gary’s care for his family, friends, and church family. Gary’s faith began when he was young, and he never left that path. A long life of following the Lord produced that rare and beautiful depth that can be seen in someone who has walked with Jesus for decades.

Jesus’ words in John 14 answer troubled hearts with more than sentiment. Christ tells his disciples to believe in God and believe also in him, because the Father’s house has many rooms and he goes to prepare a place for his people. Christ does not offer vague comfort. Christ promises presence, a prepared place, and a return, saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

Jesus’ words in John 11 make the hope even plainer. Christ tells Martha, whose brother had died, “I am the resurrection and the life.” The resurrection is not only a future doctrine. The resurrection stands in the person of Jesus himself. Because Jesus rose from the dead, Christian grief is different from grief without faith. Sorrow remains real, but despair does not get the final word.

Gary’s hope has now become sight. The cancer, the pills he hated, the doctor’s appointments, the hospital visits, the weakness, pain, suffering, and sorrow have all given way to a better day. Second Corinthians says the outer self wastes away, but the inner self is renewed day by day, and even affliction is not worth comparing with the eternal weight of glory God prepares. The things seen are transient, but the unseen things are eternal.

Paul’s words fit Gary’s finished race: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” The comfort of eternity does not erase the ache of missing his voice, his presence, or a shared cup of coffee. God’s nearness meets that ache with peace, and the hope of seeing him again rests in Jesus Christ.

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Key Takeaways

1. Love finishes life well The end of Gary’s life made clear that a life invested in people is a life not wasted. Love did not appear as a performance or a last minute effort, but as the steady fruit of years spent caring for family, friends, and church family. A person’s final witness often reveals what has been quietly growing all along. [34:35]
2. God’s love becomes human love The love that marked Gary did not begin with personality alone. The Bible’s claim is deeper: being first loved by God enables real love for others. Christian love is not self-generated kindness, but a received mercy that slowly takes shape in ordinary faithfulness. [35:21]
3. Jesus answers troubled hearts John 14 does not treat death as a small thing, but Christ speaks directly into fear with a promise. The Father’s house, the prepared place, and the return of Jesus make comfort concrete rather than sentimental. The hope rests not in wishful thinking, but in the trustworthiness of the One who says he is the way, the truth, and the life. [35:51]
4. Grief changes under resurrection hope Christian grief still feels the loss deeply, but it is not the same as grief with no horizon. Because Jesus rose from the dead, his promises about raising his people stand with authority. Sorrow can be honest while hope remains firm, because death has been answered by the risen Christ. [37:27]
5. The unseen weight is eternal Second Corinthians names suffering honestly while refusing to give it final authority. Cancer, weakness, pills, appointments, and pain belong to what is seen and transient, but glory belongs to what is unseen and eternal. Faith learns to look beyond the wasting outer self toward the God who is renewing and preparing what cannot be compared.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[33:34] - Comfort at a Celebration of Life
[34:03] - Sweet Memories and a Sweet Tooth
[34:35] - A Life Invested in People
[35:21] - First Loved by God
[35:51] - John 14 and Troubled Hearts
[36:49] - Jesus, Resurrection and Life
[37:27] - Grieving With Resurrection Hope
[38:02] - The Better Day Beyond Pain
[38:24] - Eternal Weight of Glory
[39:17] - Salvation and Eternal Life
[39:35] - Finished Race, Kept Faith
[40:15] - Prayer for Comfort and Peace
[41:36] - Gratitude for a Life Well Lived
[42:56] - Hope of Reunion in Eternity

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 14:1-6
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going. Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” [36:05]

John 11:25-26
“Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'” [36:59]

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” [38:31]

2 Timothy 4:7-8
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” [39:49]

Observation questions

In John 14, what specific things does Jesus give troubled hearts: a command, a promise, and a description of himself?
In John 11:25-26, what does Jesus say will happen to the person who believes in him, even though that person dies? [37:02]
In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, what contrast does Paul make between the outer self and the inner self, and between what is seen and unseen? [38:38]
What were some of the very ordinary and painful parts of suffering that were named, and what “better day” were those things set against? [37:51]

Interpretation questions

Jesus does not say merely that he shows the way, but that he is “the way, and the truth, and the life.” What does that suggest about where Christian comfort is actually found in the face of death? [36:31]
Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” How does that make resurrection more than just a future event or doctrine? [36:59]
Paul says present affliction is “light” and “momentary” compared to an eternal weight of glory. How can those words be understood honestly without minimizing real pain, weakness, and sorrow? [38:46]
A life shaped by being first loved by God becomes a life of steady love for others. What does that suggest about the connection between faith in Christ and long-term faithfulness in everyday relationships? [35:16]

Application questions

Many people want to finish life knowing they truly loved the people God placed around them. When this group thinks about family, friends, and church family, where does love need to become more visible and consistent right now? [34:33]
Being first loved by God enables love for others. When it is hardest to love someone patiently, what helps a believer remember that love is first received before it is given? [35:21]
Jesus speaks to troubled hearts, not trouble-free lives. What tends to trouble the heart most in seasons of grief, fear, or uncertainty, and how might trust in Christ meet that trouble in a concrete way this week? [36:05]
Christian grief is real, but it is not the same as grief without hope. When facing loss, what does hopeless grief look like, and what does hopeful grief look like in daily life, conversations, or prayer? [37:27]
The things that are seen are transient, but the unseen things are eternal. What “seen” burdens have been filling the mind lately, and what practices help lift the eyes toward what is eternal? [38:55]
“I have fought the good fight… I have kept the faith” describes a life that stayed with Jesus over time. What would “keeping the faith” look like in this season of life in very practical terms? [39:49]
The ache of missing someone includes missing their voice, presence, and even simple moments like sharing coffee. How can believers bring that very personal kind of sorrow to God instead of hiding it or rushing past it? [41:27]

Sermon Clips

40s

“``A Christian has their eyes set on something beyond this life. God sent his own son, Jesus, to Earth with a message for humanity, a bold message, a message of salvation for all who would receive it. A salvation from death that is in this world because of sin. And not only that, but an invitation to experience eternal life. We have our hope in the things that God has spoken. Gary's hope is now sight.”

35s

“Jesus was adamant that there's life after death. Gary believed this. He believed that there would be life after this one. And the bible reminds us that we who are Christians don't grieve the same way as those who are not believers. Simply because we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and therefore, we believe the things that he said, that he would raise us in the same way.”

50s

“And the bible reminds us that we who are Christians don't grieve the same way as those who are not believers. Simply because we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and therefore, we believe the things that he said, that he would raise us in the same way. Gary believed that a better day was on the horizon. He knew that the pain of cancer would be erased. No more pills, which he hated. No more doctor's appointments. No more hospital visits. No more weakness. No more pain. No more suffering. No more sorrow. And I believe that Gary is experiencing that better day right now.”

33s

“God sent his own son, Jesus, to Earth with a message for humanity, a bold message, a message of salvation for all who would receive it. A salvation from death that is in this world because of sin. And not only that, but an invitation to experience eternal life. We have our hope in the things that God has spoken. Gary's hope is now sight.”

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