Two Funerals

 

                                             Photo credit: Istock/Marek Stefunko

Last Sunday I watched most of Charlie Kirk’s funeral which was several hours long. It was an unusual event, but Charlie was an unusual man. It seemed to be part political rally, part revival service. Several contemporary Christian artists honored the Lord in music. Speaker after speaker addressed the audience, and several explained the gospel. One even invited people to stand if they wanted to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Charlie’s wife, Erika, voiced forgiveness towards her husband’s murderer. Thousands of people attended in person with thousands more attending virtually. I have never seen anything like it.

Then, the next day, on Monday, I attended the funeral of a godly woman, Linda Ludington, who used to be my supervisor at the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes when I was very young. Linda taught me so many things about social work! She was a joy! She was funny and smart – like genius smart. She knew just what to say to people when difficult topics had to be discussed. She spoke up when it was needed but also listened well. She had dementia when she died and had been ill for quite a while. I suppose maybe she was “out of circulation” because only about 25 people attended her funeral. I found her funeral to be a beautiful tribute as well as inspiring. Linda’s niece invited us to join her in singing several praise songs to honor Linda’s Savior as she strummed her guitar. While competing with noisy geese from a nearby duck pond, her witty nephew presented the gospel and honored Linda for the faithful, godly life she had lived.

Reflecting on and comparing these two funerals, I considered how one was extremely large while the other quite small. One person’s circle of influence was much larger than the other’s. One was very public, while the other private. But both funerals glorified God. People praised His Name. People at both funerals spoke clearly of Christ’s sacrifice for our sin. Both deceased honored God with their lives.

We little people have hope. We don’t have to be famous or wealthy or powerful. The smallest among us can honor God with our lives. Everyone has a circle of influence. It might be small, but if that’s what God has called you to, shine brightly in that role. Be a light – you don’t have to be a blinding spotlight. The light of a match can still illuminate a room.

 

“This little light of mine…”

 

joyce hague

 

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/hixson-tn/linda-ludington-12521419

 

Emboldened by the Spirit

 

Chapters 3 and 4 of Acts tell a fascinating story. Peter speaks words of healing to a lame man lying at an entrance to the temple court known as Beautiful Gate. This poor man hasn’t even asked for healing; he’s simply asking for money. Yet Peter speaks healing in the name of Jesus, and the man gets up, leaping and praising God. The watching crowd is filled with amazement. Peter takes this opportunity to explain to the crowd that this man has been healed not by his power, but by the same Jesus whom they disowned and killed. He calls the crowd to repent so that “times of refreshing” will come. He speaks of Jesus’s return when the final restoration will take place.

In response to this miracle and message, Peter and John are arrested and brought before the Jewish council led by Annas, the former high priest, and Caiaphas, the current high priest. Here is where the story gets especially interesting, considering that this Jewish council consists of the same men before whom Jesus had stood in the hours before His crucifixion not many months before. Annas and Caiaphas are also mentioned by name the night of Jesus’s betrayal as Christ was led before each of them, and Caiaphas sent him on to Pilate. And we all know what Peter was doing during those early morning hours while Jesus stood trial before these men. He was adamantly denying having ever known Jesus. In fact, he was so afraid of being associated with Jesus that he lied about his connection with Christ to a lowly servant girl.

Now, fast forward once again to this story in Acts – this is the same city, the same high priest, and the same council that had condemned Jesus. Yet this is not the same Peter who had denied Christ. While he is the same man in a physical sense, he has undergone a transformation, a change. The one who had cowered before a servant girl now stands with boldness before the council who can very well seek to put him to death as they did Christ. Referring to the healing of the lame man, the council asks Peter, “By what power did you do this miracle?”  And this time, Peter does not shirk the question. He boldly speaks of Christ, the cornerstone, whom they’d rejected and even killed.  The council is now stuck between a rock and a hard place. They can’t deny that a miracle has occurred, but they don’t want to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. They also fear the crowd who saw the miracle take place, so they decide to just tell Peter and John to keep quiet about Jesus. And here is the apostles’ response: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Peter and John will no longer deny Christ; they are willing to die for Him. They will not be silenced.

As we look at this story, we may ask: what made the difference? For one, they had seen the resurrected Christ. They now understood more fully what they had not understood while Jesus lived among them. But there is another important part to this that affects us profoundly. Acts 4:8 tells us that as Peter stood before the council, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. As a result of the indwelling Spirit, Peter was emboldened and spoke words of truth regarding Christ.

            Sisters, we have the same Holy Spirit in us. We can experience that same boldness in sharing our faith and in speaking of Christ and His Word. In Luke 21:12-15, Jesus told his disciples not to worry ahead of time about what to say when they stood before those who would throw them in prison or persecute them. He would give them the wisdom and the words to say when that time came. Peter and John experienced the truth of this help that day before the council. Though we will most likely not stand before councils or persecutors, surely the same Holy Spirit can give us words and wisdom when we stand before neighbors and co-workers. May we too, as those filled with the Holy Spirit, be bold and look for opportunities to talk of our Savior.

--Amy O'Rear

God's Eternal Word

 

A couple of different conversations have me thinking about grief this week. Certainly there are so many upsetting events in the world, we might all be grieving to some degree. But it’s the very specific and personal griefs that can be especially hard to deal with—even to talk about.

My slow journey through Psalms brought me to Psalm 119 this summer. As I reviewed my notes recently, I saw that I had starred related ideas in a couple of passages. In verses 17-24, the psalmist feels alienated and lonely. He feels he doesn’t belong and that others hold him in contempt. His antidote for this near-despair is to seek God’s favor and to find refuge in his word. His prayer in these verses is for the LORD to reveal the word to him so that he may find guidance and comfort.

The next section of Psalm 119, verses 25-32, continue the pattern. In verse 25, the speaker says his soul “cleaves to the dust.” He is in despair as we may all be from time to time. Sometimes we can’t help feeling sad or discouraged. But then his prayer to God is for the word to make a change in his life: “Revive me according to thy word.” God answers his request through the truth and beauty of scripture.

When the speaker’s “soul weeps because of grief,” he chooses to turn to God in prayer and to look to his word for strength. In verse 30, he says, “I have chosen the faithful way.” He has acted by placing God’s law before his eyes. Then in verse 31, instead of dust, he is cleaving to God’s word, his testimonies. He is then confident that God will “enlarge [his] heart”—give him capacity to withstand his circumstances and maybe even be better for his struggle.

 The human condition is universal across time and space. Everyone has times of despair and loneliness brought on by a variety of circumstances, but God’s truth is the universal cure for our ills. Of course, there are many factors that affect our feelings or attitudes, and I am not suggesting that merely reading a Bible verse will make everything better.  But there is no problem that cannot be eased to some degree by trusting God’s word. My goal—and, I hope, yours—is to take time each day to both read and meditate on scripture. We need to not just read a quick verse and a short commentary, although that might be a place to start. We need to sit with the truth and let it change us, memorize some passages that we can ponder in quiet moments.

Earlier this summer, Psalm 103 got me through some dental work without panicking, and there have been numerous nights I have drifted off to sleep with precious phrases on replay in my head. I don’t know what grief or pain is troubling you, but I pray you find comfort and rest in God’s eternal word.

 

--Sherry Poff 

Image Bearers

 

On Friday I had the opportunity to attend The Chattanooga Autism Conference with some others from Grace. We sat through sessions learning about autism from the perspective of teachers, parents and those who have autism themselves. There were about 700 people there and many different presenters. I’m grateful to have been able to spend the day thinking about the unique and special ways God has created these people and to learn more about how to come alongside and connect with people with autism.

As I have walked this role as Elementary Director the past few years at Grace Baptist Church I have both been dragged along and have also sat back and watched God orchestrate our Image Bearers (special needs) ministry. I say this both ways because there have been some days when I have felt so far in over my head that I have pushed back against what God had in store for us. This was when He graciously just dragged me along. There was no stopping the growth and learning and family He had planned.

But I have also sat back in awe as God has kick started a desire and passion and heart for the kids that come through the church doors to belong, be loved, be welcomed, and have a safe place. I have watched countless of our church members who work with children learn alongside myself. Cheryl Winget and Donna Patrick organized a whole training a year and a half ago on children with learning support needs. Other teachers have brainstormed and planned on how to include families with kids who are so very special and just need some extra support.

We have several amazing families who are a part of our church family and have children on the autism spectrum. We have kids who come to Awana and VBS who are outside of our immediate church family and are a part of our community who are beginning to trust us to care for their kids with special needs. Do we have it all figured out? Absolutely not. But has God been so evidently leading us this whole time? Yes and Amen.

At the conference, there was so much information to take in. Tips and supports shared. One piece that really stuck with me was the importance of and desire for connection. A man who wasn’t diagnosed with autism until he was in his 40s talked about the difficulties of the lack of support he had as a child. An audience member asked him, when looking back, what help and support did he wish he had received (particularly from teachers). His answer was, “I wish they took the time to get to know me.”

Don’t we all want that? We have a desire to be known! God built into us a need for relationship. And while we may think, communicate, and see the world differently, what an impact of love we can make on someone’s life just to take the time to know them. It is so fulfilling and a gift of hope when we think about how known we are by our Creator God. We can point others to Him when we show an offering of care in someone else’s life.

Tonight at Awana, one of our Image Bearer kids was having a hard time entering his classroom. I walked outside the room with him with this reminder to find out what it was that he wanted to communicate and what was important to him. Crayons. It was crayons. He wanted black and grey ones specifically. So we got him situated so that he could color and listen to his teacher at the same time. And when I tell you the art that came out of that little boy… talk about being a creative image bearer.

As I express my joy in seeing where God has led us the past few years and offer the hope of things still to come, I leave you with this challenge: What offering of connection have you made recently? Who have you shown your desire to know? How have you listened to the desires and interests of someone’s heart? You may be amazed how God uses that encouragement in their life. You may also be amazed at how He uses it in your own.

-Sandy Gromacki