May the words of my mouth and the
meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our
redeemer!! AMEN!!
Let us pray! Gracious Heavenly Father, we come together
today mourning the loss of Beulah with her entrance into the Church
Triumphant. Just as she celebrated Your
entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday may we remember that death no longer has
dominion over us. For through her
baptism into Your life, death and resurrection You have set her free from death
and now she rests in Your loving and caring arms. Though the veil of death separates us today
from Beulah, may we be comforted by Your Gospel and hear clearly the promise of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the message of salvation offered by Jesus Christ
for all the saints of Beulah’s family as well as all the saints gathered here
at Emmanuel to say goodbye. AMEN.
If one could ever define impossible
odds it would most likely be a 7-10 split.
For some the 7-10 split in bowling is one of the toughest in the game to
beat, but with the right speed, spin, efficiency and practice one can master
this nearly impossible completion of a spare.
This morning we come to mourn a woman who not only learned how to beat
the hardest split in the game, but has now beat an even more cunning opponent
than two pins on opposite sides of the lane.
The opponent we celebrate victory over today is Satan and the finality
of death that has taken Beulah from our presence here on earth.
When we hear the 23rd
Psalm in the well known King James Version we have heard clearly the story of
the Shepherd and the promises made to Beulah on the day of her baptism and to
us today. God made to Beulah in her
baptism and makes a promise to us today that He is our shepherd and we are His
people and as our shepherd God will continue to lead us, prepare for us and
anoint us with oil.
Throughout Beulah’s life she was
not a follower, but a leader in the community and emulated this aspect of the
shepherd as leader. Whether it was
working with the Hospital Auxillary, at Wal-Mart as a greeter, in the Bowling
League and at nationals with the prestige of being the oldest bowler, Beulah
emulated what a leader was meant to be and do.
She learned that leadership was purposeful and Jesus Christ was the
greatest model for her. Since she was
baptized in the Waters of Holy Baptism and signed, sealed and delivered by the
Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, God had instilled in her the
desire to be a doer and leader not only in the community but also and
especially in the home.
Beulah’s greatest legacy hasn’t
been the activities she was a part of in the community but the clear
preparation she made in and with her children.
Not only bringing them for Holy Baptism, but also instilling in them a
clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong, nursing them
when they were sick and needed her most, but also Beulah taught them how to
respect one another and instilled in them the good work ethics of independence
and self-confidence. But it didn’t stop with what people saw, but continued
with what was a family thing the importance of family and playing cards
together or camping.
Just as a good farmer prepares the
soil, God instilled in Beulah the clear idea of preparation not only of the
importance of family, but also preparation of her soul. While Beulah was in both Wheat Ridge and Good
Samaritan she would attend worship, hear and read in her room the Word of God
and come and receive the precious Body and Blood of her Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Just as David alluded in the
preparation of the table in Psalm 23, Beulah came to God’s table being prepared
for the feast she now will enjoy for all eternity in her Father’s Kingdom.
And as she is now in the presence
of her Lord and Savior, God anoints her head with oil. This imagery not only is relevant for King
David who was anointed with oil as the King of Israel, but also of Jesus Christ
and how as the King was anointed before His burial with oil. We to in, through and by our baptism have
been anointed with the oil of gladness of the promises of our baptism into
Jesus Christ life, death and especially His resurrection. These are the promises that we lay claim to
today and hold onto with sure and certain faith and hope in what Jesus Christ
did for Beulah and all of us on the Cross of Calvary.
One of the clearest memories I have
of Beulah is the celebration she was a part of that was included in our latest congregational
directory. While living at Wheat Ridge
the residents would gather for fellowship and the Lord’s Supper on a monthly
basis in one of the residents rooms. In
our directory we included a picture of all of the residents including Beulah
holding up Palm Branches as they celebrated Jesus triumphant entry into
Jerusalem. This image of triumph better
than making the 7-10 split is what God wants us to remember this morning. God through His Son and our Savior Jesus
Christ has overcome sin, death, the devil, hell and damnation for all of
mankind, but especially for Beulah and this is the promise that God has made to
and for her and we are reminded of with the last verse from the 23rd
Psalm. David sums up for us today what the
promise is for Beulah this morning that she “will dwell in the house of the
LORD for ever.” God has made this
promise and now fulfills it in our hearing.
For nothing can separate us from the love of God found in Jesus Christ
Who offers us the gift of salvation for all of mankind, but especially for all
of the saints of Beulah’s family and friends gathered here to say goodbye. AMEN.
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