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A Faithful Christian

Proverbs 31:10

"Servant of God, well done!
Rest from thy loved employ:
The battles fought, the victory won,
Enter thy Master's joy.

The pains of death are past
Labour and sorrow cease
And life's long warfare closed at last
Thy souls found in peace."
-- Source Unknown

In the last chapter of the book of Proverbs there is the question,
"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." (Verse 10)

We are blessed indeed that we can point to such a woman.

Someone once said, "We hear about every other kind of women --
beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career women,
talented women, but so seldom do we hear of a godly woman."

(Name) was a godly woman.

Few have been as faithful to her church as (name).
The after-glow of her faithful and loyal life will ever remain with us.

(Name) made many friends through the years of her life.
She was happily married to a dedicated Christian husband who has preceded her to Heaven.
Now, after these years of separation, they are reunited in Heaven.
She is absent from the body; she is present with the Lord.

To one, as (name), who had suffered so much and faced with the potential of even more suffering and uncertainty,
death came as a welcome friend.

All of us will acknowledge that we would not wish (name) to endure the long days and nights of intense suffering,
which she would face, and neither will we questioned the fact that God has called her home.

(Name) was well prepared for that life above.
What we call death is not the end, but the great new beginning.
It is triumph, not tragedy.
For the child of God death is not an experience to be dreaded.
It is to be anticipated.
To the desperate, the deceased, the aged, the fearful and the incurable, death surely comes as an angel of mercy.

God can comfort our hearts today because this faithful Christian is with Jesus.

"And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth... and I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God:
And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain, any more; the first things are passed away." (Revelation 21: 1-4)

So (name) thoughts could be expressed in the words of the poet:

"I go to life and not to death
From darkness to life's native sky;
I go from sick and from pain
To health and in mortality.

Let our farewell, then, be tearless
Since I bid farewell to tears;
Write this day of my departure
Festive in your coming years."
-- Source Unknown

It is so appropriate that this child of the heavenly Father goes home -- and is now at home.

"Day before yesterda morning
God was looking down from His great, high heaven,
Looking down on all his children,
And His eye fell on Sister (name)
Tossing on her bed of pain.
And God's great heart was touched with pity,
With the everlasting pity.

And God sat back on His throne
And He commanded that tall, bright angel standing at his right hand:

'Call me, Death!'

And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice
That broke like a clap of thunder:
'Call death! Call death!'

And God said: 'Go down, Death, go down,
Go down to West Palm Beach, Florida,
Down in Palm Beach County
And find Sister (name).
She's borne the burden and heat of the day
She's labored long in my vineyard,
And she's tired --
She's weary --
Go down, Death, and bring her to Me.'

And death came like a falling star.
But death didn't frighten Sister (name);
He looked to her like a welcome friend.

And death took her up like a baby,
And she lay in his icy arms,
But she didn't feel no chill.

And death began to ride again --
Up beyond the evening star,
Out beyond the morning star,
Into the glittering light of glory,
On to the Great White Throne.
And there he laid Sister (name)
On the loving breast of Jesus.

And Jesus took His own hand and wiped away her tears,
And He smoothed the furrows from her face,
And the angels signing a little song,
And Jesus rocked her in His arms,
And kept a-saying: 'Take your rest, take your rest, take your rest.'

Weep not -- weep not,
She's not dead;
She's resting in the bosom of Jesus."
-- Adapted from God's Trombones by James Johnson Weldon

Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White
Email Dr. White at hleewhite@AOL.com