A Celebration of the Life of Luella Caulder

We have come together today for one reason—to celebrate; to celebrate the life of Mrs. Luella Caulder; to celebrate the life of one who lived life well. The Bible says in Psalm 116:15 (NKJV), Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

The Holman Christian Standard Bible, The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight.

The Message - When they arrive at the gates of death, God welcomes those who love him.

I’m sure there was a celebration that occurred the moment our Lord Jesus Christ welcomed Mrs. Luella to the portals of glory the other day. And while our hearts are saddened to let her go from us, we honor her life and memory this afternoon by celebrating the life she lived and the life she now has in Heaven!

Proverbs 31:31 says, Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

So that is exactly what we are going to do this morning. Using Mrs. Luella’s personal Bible we are going to celebrate her life.

I. CELEBRATE MRS. LUELLA’S FAITH

Luella Caulder was a remarkable woman, in part because of her remarkable faith. Few people outside of her family and a few of her fellow church members really knew just how much Luella loved Jesus and Jesus loved her.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) 7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

John 3:16-17 (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

John 10:27-29 (NKJV) 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

II. CELEBRATE MRS. LUELLA’S FAMILY

It is impossible to think of Luella without thinking of her family. Luella wouldn’t let you forget about her family. She loved her family. She was so very proud of her children and the achievements in life they each have accomplished. And she loved, loved, loved her grandchildren. Nothing seemed to bring more joy to her than when she had opportunities to spend time with her grandkids. Whether that meant picking them up from school, buying them something to eat or having them drop by to help her around the house or simply to spend time with them.

And her husband, she loved her husband. I never met Ray Caulder but to listen to Luella talk about him he must have been the wisest, the strongest and the best-looking husband ever!

The Bible speaks often of the importance of the family. For example, one of the Ten Commandments tells us to….

Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy of his family…

2 Timothy 1:3-7 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you

Mrs. Luella came from a generation that knew and lived the basic values that many are neglecting today. She was a faithful and honorable wife. She was devoted to her husband for a long and faithful marriage. Therefore, she had a husband who safely trusts in her.

Like Eunice, she was a loving mother who understood the value of prayer and church attendance. She raised her children in the nuture and admonition of the Lord. Therefore, her children rise up and call her blessed.

And like Lois, Mrs. Luella was a godly grandmother who set the course for her family to follow.

III. CELEBRATE MRS. LUELLA’S FELLOWSHIP

Mrs. Luella love her church and her church family at Northgate Baptist Church. One of the first things I did after her death was to pull up how long she had been a faithful member of Northgate. She had been an active member of our church since October 9, 1977, 45 years!

She loved her Sunday School class and the study of God’s word. She loved her little desk in her Sunday School classroom and her role as Class secretary. And she loved music. She especially enjoyed being a part of our church choir.

Psalm 119:97-101 (NKJV) 97 Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts. 101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.

Psalm 42:1–4 (ESV) 1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.

This was true of Luella because she loved God’s word and God’s church!

CONCLUSION:

As I close this message I want to use a devotional clipping I found in Luella’s bible. It’s based on John 10:10 where Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The first few paragraphs speak of the things we may no longer be able to do as we grow older in life, like playing football for the Green Bay Packers or climbing Mount Denali in Alaska.

But it closes with the wonderful discovery that there are certain things that actually improve in the second half of life. The author then closes his devotional with the following thoughts about last years and final days of life.

He says, “there is one more thing about the last half (of life) that should encourage all of us who are taking a breather on the bench before going in for the final push. Think of the field in the first seconds after the Super Bowl, or the basketball court following the NCAA championship, or the baseball field after the final out of the World Series. What do you remember? Pandemonium and rejoicing!

When the whistle blows or the last out is recorded, the celebration begins!

As we remember the life Mrs. Luella lived and the life she now enjoys in Heaven, let the celebration begin!

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