Toen Tang Funeral Service
August 13, 2004, 11:00 AM
Sunset View Mortuary, El Cerrito
Prelude
Welcome
The Psalmist said, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my prayer trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (Ps. 28:6-7)
On behalf of the Tang Family, I welcome you here today for a time of celebration and the giving of respect to Mr. Toen Tang and his life. I am Pastor Don Ng from the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco. We have come seeking comfort for the lost of a loved one who has been dear to us. We have also come to affirm the truth that in God’s house, there are many rooms. So believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ and do not let your hearts be troubled. We pray that by your presence here, you would bring consolation to one another and God will look favorably on you.
Let us pray.
Creator and Ruler God, as pilgrims longed for the holy city of Jerusalem so we long for the heavenly Jerusalem, the eternal home of all whom, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, will spend eternity in your presence. We praise you for the splendor, the joy, the love which awaits us. Although we mourn the loss of our loved one, Toen Tang, we believe that it is to his gain. Confirm us in this blessed assurance, for we pray in the name of your divine Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Scripture Readings Psalm 23 Romans 8:31-35, 37-39
Biography
Message Traveling Through the Valley
The 23rd Psalm is a reading that brings comfort to many people. In the poetic words of the psalmist, we hear about the valley of the shadow of death—at the time, a real place where people traveled to go to or return from Jerusalem. The valley was well-known for theft and murder. The psalmist is telling us that God led travelers through the valley even at the most dangerous times.
In Psalm 23, we see that there is something more than deliverance, there is promise. The words “surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of God forever” is the promise, for us and for Mr. Toen Tang today. John 14 tells us that the valley of the shadow of death is not the end of the road—“I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (vs. 3) Christ himself awaits those who pass through into the new place, a place full of light and good health and the presence of God. God will not leave anyone alone in this life or in the next; he says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” In Christ, we know how to come home to God.
Although Toen Tang was born in China, he lived a third of his life in China, a third in Taiwan and the final third in the United States. One of his hobbies was to travel; sometimes just to go outside of his home. He would go to the Bay Area’s museums with his wife. When he was unable to actually travel physically, he would study a map as if he was already there. And like a typical Chinese man, he would pack his snacks with him as he traveled: chan pei muis and peanuts. Since he loved American food, wherever he was traveling in the U.S. was one of his greatest joys.
In one sense as human beings, we are always traveling and sometimes traveling as if we did not know where we are going. We are reminded of the poem by Robert Frost,
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Mr. Tang didn’t take the easy or familiar road of life. He lived and traveled in different countries so that he might provide for his family. We can all learn that when we take the road less traveled, we may also discover how God’s love can make a difference in our lives. Sometimes the road of life we travel is full of darkness and danger, but when we are blessed by God’s grace, sooner or later, we will arrive home dwelling in the light of God.
I am reminded of the story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. God’s people have gotten used to serving Pharaoh and the Egyptians as slaves. They didn’t want to leave their familiar surroundings so God called upon Moses to lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. God always provides a way through the valley of death and promises us that “goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord our whole lives long.”
When Mr. Tang received baptism, we believe God’s mercy and love made evident in Jesus Christ has pointed him in the right direction of eternal life. It doesn’t matter we are at the beginning of life or toward the end of it, God promises to deliver us from the dangers and darkness of life with goodness and mercy.
I heard that Toen Tang spoke not only Mandarin, but French and English quite well. He was kind and friendly to everyone. When we travel through life, we will need to speak different languages of love and caring. By being friendly to others, we develop partners and fellow travelers to sometimes walk through the darkest valley together. And in our faith in Jesus Christ, we know that we don’t fear any evil for God is with us; his rod and staff, they comfort us. God’s promise is that “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”
Let us pray.
Creator and Provider God, at this time of all times, we thank you for the precious gift of life and the choices that we make in choosing the different roads of life. We thank you for health—and for the skill and compassion of those who care for us when our health falters and fails. We thank you for home: for the roof over our heads and the place where we stretch out to renew our strength in sleep; and for loved ones who make that roof and that resting place and all the rest into a true home.
And we thank you for hope: hope for the pursuit of the next stage of our journey in life until we reach our destination; hope for recovery from our grief and sorrow; and hope at the last, when all hope seems lost, except for the one shining hope set before us in your raising of our Lord Jesus Christ from death. Amen.
Words of Appreciation
Announcements
Immediately following this service, we will proceed to the committal service here at Sunset View. You are invited to attend. There will be a memorial lunch at the Little Hong Kong Restaurant at 10443 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito at 2:00 PM.
The Tang Family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the El Cerrito Chinese Christian Church or the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
We thank you for your gifts in memory of Mr. Tang as well as prayers and support during this time of grief and loss. And again, on behalf of the family, we thank you for your presence today and wish you peace and the prosperity of good life.
Benediction
I challenge you now, beloved in the Lord, to face the journey which our friend, Toen Tang has completed, having arrived safely in God’s kingdom.
Journey on, without the fear of failing, without any pretense about your true state as a sinner in need of God’s saving grace.
Journey on, with tender memories of Toen Tang and so many others who have gone before you, secure in the hope that, when our times come, the love of God will be sufficient for you, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand without any fear in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power and authority, before all time and now and forevermore. Amen.
Committal Service
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we commend to God’s merciful care our brother, Toen Tang; and we commit his body to this final resting place, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Let us pray.
God, our Maker, you have made our brother, Toen Tang in your own image; you set his feet on our sojourners road; you watched over him along the way. As you lovingly received and welcomed him to the ranks of the redeemed, we pray that you would continue to guide our sojourner steps so that, at the appointed time, we might join Toen Tang in the communion of the saints—forgiven, transformed, and fit for our new life with the Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Benediction
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.