The Dash
“And
having shod your feet with the preparation of the
gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15)
One of the hardest
things in my life was last weekend, leading the
memorial service in honor of my mother, Adele Nilson
Beckham. Originally, Pastor Carl was to lead the
service, or in his absence, two others could have
done it – they all knew her, which was important.
But Pastor Carl’s god-son suddenly died in
Sacramento, and he went to perform that very
difficult service. Both of the others were
unavailable, also. I was the one who knew her and
was on hand for the service. I didn’t really know
if I would even be able to talk during the service,
but began to prepare.
I believe in
THOROUGH preparation for sermons, memorials and the
various church services, partly because I’m
convinced that it is possible to stand up before a
group of people and suddenly not know what to say.
Also, I’ve noticed that the Holy Spirit seems to be
there in the writing and editing just as much as He
is in the delivery. The service for my mother was
definitely a time that I needed the words on paper,
and so my wife and I prepared for it with everything
we had.
It wasn’t a big
emphasis in the service, but a month or so before,
someone sent us an email called “The
Dash,” about the funeral service of someone
they knew. The life of my mother extended from 1915
– 2005, and the written dash (“–”)
between those dates was her LIFE. I mentioned the
email at the beginning of her service – we would
tell about the “dash,”
the life of Adele Nilson Beckham.
Pastor Carl
arrived back in Los Angeles at midnight the night
before. He was exhausted, but he added wonderful
comments, sharing the Gospel (good news) with the
sixty or seventy who were in attendance. Pastor
Marc, who was on vacation, also came, sharing
memories of Adele – and the Gospel as well. Pastor
Carl’s wife, Gloria, was fatigued from the trip to
Sacramento, but she sang “His
Eye is on the Sparrow” and blessed us all.
My mother was (and
no doubt still is) an accomplished musician. Like
Pastor Carl, she played the organ and piano all her
life. The service concluded with these words:
“Adele
began to have a lot of trouble hearing in the last
year or so. The telephone would ring right next to
her and she could not hear it. Ludwig Von Beethoven
was a wonderful composer and Adele could play his
music very well. He went deaf, but kept right on
composing music – he could hear it in his head and
in his heart. Adele could, too. Beethoven said
this about his hearing: ‘I will HEAR in heaven.’ He
can hear right now, and so can Adele. She is
‘walking and leaping and praising God.’ She no
longer needs a wheelchair and is not in pain. Her
vision is perfect and so is everything else. She is
with the Lord.” The “dash”
(“–”) of her life
brought her to where she is now – with the Lord.
How do we know she
is with Him? - Because approximately ten years ago
she prayed a simple prayer, receiving Jesus Christ
as her Savior. She was always a very nice lady and
did kind things for people, but the point for her
right now (as it is for us all) is whether we are
ready to meet the Lord. Some are nicer than others,
some are more faithful in giving, and there are
those who are adept at keeping the rituals, rites
and other observances that are considered important
in a religious setting. But to be right with the
Lord is something more than religion – you are to
love Him as He loves you.
It’s like
marriage. The written contract of marriage is
important, but without the love of two hearts that
beat as one, it’s just a piece of paper. The
marriage service is vital and it can be beautiful,
but marriage is about the two that become one in the
love that God has given them. It’s the same in our
relationship with God. We may have a certificate of
baptism, we may have been confirmed, we might be
ordained, but the reality is the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus, and our response in return for
His love.
Here are some
Scriptures that help us to understand where Adele
Nilson Beckham is right now, because of what God has
done and Adele’s response in the “dash”
of her life:
-
“God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
(Romans 5:8)
-
“Our
old man was crucified with Him, that the body of
sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6)
-
“The
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 6:23)
-
“There
is therefore now no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according
to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”
(Romans 8:1)
-
“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” (Romans
10:9)
Adele had a
mentor, and her mentor’s name was Mary Thomas, who
lived three doors away for over thirty years. Mary
would call her and say things like, “Adele,
Dr. Charles Stanley is on channel
(such-and-such) in
15-minutes...” Adele would watch as Mary
encouraged her, and they read the Bible together.
Adele “grew” in the Lord. That’s what our Scripture
for today is all about. Paul, the human writer of
the Book of the Ephesians, tells us that we are in a
war, “against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”
(Ephesians 6:12), and he then describes the
“equipment” we as soldiers of the Lord must have,
which he compares to the uniform of a Roman
soldier. Included is, “having
shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of
peace” (Ephesians 6:15).
There can be
“rough terrain” in those “heavenly
places” and you need the “preparation”
that is only found in God’s Word, the Bible. You
will find as Adele did, that when you take the step
of giving yourself to Him who was given to us, you
will fall in love – not only with Him, but with His
Word, also. And if you think you don’t have the
faith for any of this, look at these words: “Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”
(Romans 10:17). Reading about the Lord, accepting
this “preparation of the
gospel of peace” as a way of life, you will
receive the faith needed to walk – and complete –
your heavenly journey. You need the Bible in the “dash”
of your life. Let’s pray:
Father, I see that
You love me so much that You sent me Your Son. With
the faith I have, I trust in Him now. Please enable
me understand Your Word, that I may trust in Him
more. Let the “dash”
which is my life, be Yours. Thank You. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
