Marie Matherly

I would like to read a couple of texts as we begin this evening. The first is from Jesus and is found in John 14. Jesus was speaking to his disciples on the night he was arrested. He knew they would be distressed and fearful so Jesus spoke these words of encouragement.

1Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going. (John 14:1-4)

The second passage comes from 2 Timothy. Like Jesus, Paul knew the end of his life was drawing near and so he wrote to encourage Timothy, his son in the faith.

6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

PRAY

I remember first meeting Howard and Marie. We had just moved to Elizabethton. I was the new youth minister at West Side. The church had a pounding for us. I remember meeting Howard and Marie that evening in the church’s fellowship hall. Our son Jacob, two years old at the time, took right up with Howard.

I remember visiting in their home and the many stories Marie told of her time working at the factory. While she may have been the secretary, there’s no doubt from those stories who was the boss. I can just picture her working. I can imagine she would have been very precise.

I heard a story about her recently that she didn’t tell me, a story about her evading a police car when she was caught speeding. It sounds like there was also a wild streak in there as well.

Marie loved Howard and missed him very much these last two months. I know she was especially distraught at not being able to be with him at home when he died. She so wanted to be able to go home, and now she is.

On Sunday Marie made an interesting comment to Jama. Jama had asked her if she’d had any visitors. Marie didn’t remember having any visitors though there was evidence of visitors in her room. But then Marie, “Tomorrow I will see lots of people.”

Sunday, that statement didn’t make a lot of sense. If you’d heard Marie make that comment on Sunday afternoon you’d have wondered what she was talking about. But this evening you have to wonder if it wasn’t prophetic. Less than twenty-four hours later Marie took her last breath and entered into glory. Monday morning Marie left this temporary earthly tent and entered that eternal home prepared for her by her Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Marie may not have remembered seeing anyone on Sunday, but on Monday she joined what the writer of Hebrews calls that “great cloud of witnesses.” He writes at the beginning of Hebrews 12:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. . . . (Hebrews 12:1a)

Picture with me the scene the author of Hebrews lays out for us. The setting is a great stadium filled to capacity. Generally, stadiums are filled with what some refer to as armchair quarterbacks. These are those who would like to be out on the field but aren’t qualified to do so. They would like to be a part of the game taking place before them, but like me, aren’t skilled enough to play at that level, so they buy tickets and watch. And then many of them will critique what’s happening on the field believing if they were out there they would do a much better job. That’s what most stadiums look like, but not this stadium.

This stadium is filled with those who have already been out on the field. This crowd is composed of those who have already competed. They have finished their competing and now sit in the stands not criticize how those still competing are doing, but to encourage them and cheer them on.

In the previous chapter he listed some of those who make up this cloud of witnesses.

There’s Able who offered a sacrifice in the attitude of faith which pleased God

Enoch is with them who simply walked so close to God that one day God simply took home to be him

Noah is there, who having heard the command of God obeyed even though building a boat seemed ridiculous to his neighbors

Then there’s Abraham with his wife Sarah who believed the promise of God to give them children in their old age

You can see Isaac, Jacob and Joseph who have completed their races

You can be certain Moses catches everyone’s attention

And the list goes on: Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Sampson, Samuel, David, and too many to be listed

And then, just a few days ago, the name of another saint was added to that list: Marie Garrison Matherly who you can guess will be sitting next to Howard.

And just what is this great cloud of witnesses doing? They are cheering for us. They are encouraging us in our race even as the author of Hebrews does when he writes:

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

In this text, Christians are represented as runners competing for a prize. Runners may not run anywhere, but must pursue the course marked out for them. Beginning at the starting point they must pursue the definite course until they reach the goal. In this Christian race we all do not start at the same time, some might start when they are young, some when they are older, but everyone should have the same desire of completing the race. Marie ran, and completed her race on Monday.

In this Christian life the race is set before us and it is marked out by the word of God and by the examples of the faithful servants of God who have finished their course. These faithful servants now make up that cloud of witnesses.

In order to run this race successfully there are certain things we must do, we must lay aside every weight that slows us down, especially sin that so easily hinders our progress. And then we must run with endurance the race that God has set before us.

There will be a need for patience to encounter the difficulties that lie in our way, and there must be perseverance until the goal is reached. We know of some of the physical hindrances Marie faced the last few years of her race. I’m sure there were times when she grew a little impatient and wondered why she had to endure them, but she continued her race and finished her course.

In this Christian race our example is Jesus, and we are called upon to look to him. Jesus is called the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. In the long procession of heroes celebrated for their faith our Jesus stands at the head. Therefore, we are called upon to look to him as our great example. The course our Lord had to run was one of extreme difficulty, full of danger and suffering, and so we are called upon to look to him. He overcame and finished his course with joy, and so we are called upon to look to him. In seasons of despondency, when faith is weak, and your spirit sinks within you, when there is nobody around to help you, you are called upon to look to Jesus. In times of exhaustion and weariness, when you faint because of the difficulties of the way, you are called upon to look to Jesus. When your loved one has been taken away, and there is a void that cannot be filled, you are still called upon to look to Jesus, because Jesus understands.

To all of you here today, I want you to know that there is no friend like Jesus. All of us here today, are in a race, and our destination is dependent upon how we run our race. If we live for the Lord, then our destination will be heaven when we come to the end of our journey. On the other hand if we don’t live for the Lord, when we come to the end of our journey we will be away from the presence of the Lord.

If you are in this race today, but you find yourself going in the wrong direction, I would encourage you to change lanes, turn around, and start heading in the right direction. It’s a fact we are all on a journey. It’s a fact that in order to be a success on our journey we have to cast aside any hindrances that would be stumbling-block on the journey, and run with patience the race that is set before us. As we journey, we are called upon to keep our eyes on Jesus, to look to him, the one who is the author and finisher of our faith.

We all grieve at Marie’s passing. She was one we all dearly love. She has run her race, she has finished her course, and now she is with her Lord. She has no more pain and no more suffering; she now has a brand new body.

How are you running your race? Where are you headed as you approach the finish line? Are you looking to Jesus for help and for guidance? Jesus is the friend you need.