Graveside Farewell

Memories of Grandma by Solomon John

Memories of Grandma by Twila Dawn

by her son, John Wilson Riffe

“The hour has come that
the Son of Man CRESSA PHILLENE DAUM RIFFE
should be glorified.
Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground
and dies,
it remains alone;
but if it dies,
it produces much grain.”
(John 12:23–24 NKJV)

“Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.”
(Psalm 126:5–6, NKJV)

SONG
Bringing in the Sheaves

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness
Sowing in the noontide, and the dewy eve
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master
Though the loss sustained, our spirit often grieves
When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. …

THE APOSTLES THEMSELVES EACH NEEDED A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE RISEN JESUS TO BELIEVE THAT HE ACTUALLY CAME BACK TO LIFE AS THE SCRIPTURES SAID.

YOU SEE, IT IS THE PERSONAL MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST TO CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT HE TRULY IS ALIVE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD.

CRESSA DAUM HAD SUCH AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS IN A DREAM WHEN HE ENCOURAGED HER CONCERNING THE RAISING OF HER TWO CHILDREN.

12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. …

JESUS CHRIST DEMONSTRATED THAT RESURRECTION IS AVAILABLE TO ALL OF US

20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. …

HOPE FOR AN AFTERLIFE LIKE WHAT JESUS HIMSELF NOW ENJOYS =PERSONAL RESURRECTION= IS WHAT MOTIVATES THE CHRISTIAN TO MAKE THE PAINFUL SACRIFICES OF OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST IN THIS LIFE. WITHOUT A REWARDING AFTERLIFE, THE SACRIFICIAL OBEDIENCE OF THIS PRESENT CHRISTIAN LIFE IS POINTLESS.

29 If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized …? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again? 30 And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? 31 For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. 32 And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.

HOW ARE THE DEAD RAISED?  LIKE A SEED THAT SPROUTS A NEW PLANT

35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” … When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. … 42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the man returning from heaven.

50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when … those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
(1 Corinthians 15:1–58, NLT)

 

TESTIMONY
Mom’s final expression of saving faith in Christ and previous expressions of faith in Christ, picture of Jesus on her wall, her insistence that we experience Christianity -that informed consent to follow Jesus be made available to us- with the Seventh Day Adventist Church for a year in Bisbee, AZ.

 

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” … the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8–13, NKJV)

 

PRAYER

May God give to
CRESSA PHILLENE DAUM RIFFE,
and to everyone present today
and to everyone hearing this message,
a grand entrance
into the eternal Kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:11, NLT)

Now,
To Him who is able to keep you each one of us from stumbling,
And to present you us faultless
Before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.

(Jude 24–25, NKJV)

 

REFRAIN

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves”

 

FINAL BENEDICTION

This twentieth day of August, 2025,
old and full of days,
having completed over eighty-six years of life
in her natural body,
in this seed before us,
watered by our tears of love for her,
We commend
CRESSA PHILLENE DAUM RIFFE
to the Shepherd
and Overseer
of our souls,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
trusting that she receive from Him,
a spiritual body such as His own.

Amen.

 

AFTERTHOUGHT
Walking alone from my mother’s house Monday, pondering how people are visited in one way or another by a recently passed away loved one, this thought crossed my mind:

I’ll be around for a little while,
but I’ve got better things to do.”