Memorial: Juanita Gipson

Message

Open: Read Psalm 116:1-15

Psalm 116:1–15 CSB

1 I love the Lord because he has heard my appeal for mercy. 2 Because he has turned his ear to me, I will call out to him as long as I live. 3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!” 5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord guards the inexperienced; I was helpless, and he saved me. 7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 8 For you, Lord, rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed, even when I said, “I am severely oppressed.” 11 In my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.” 12 How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? 13 I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 The death of his faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight.

Prayer

Again, on behalf of the family, thank you for being here this morning to remember and celebrate the life of a wonderful, dear lady.

I suppose that I could say that I have known Juanita Gipson for as long as I’ve been a member of the church. I can’t be certain, but I believe she attended my wedding. She patiently put up with the fact that I was notoriously inconsistent in bringing my Sunday School attendance down when I was just a Bible study leader, a failing that didn’t get really any better once I became the youth pastor. As far as I know, she was there when I was voted in to that position. She was always just a little bit stern with me when my negligence forced her to climb the stairs to the youth room and poke her head into my class. The truth is that I deserved it. We had a great relationship otherwise.

But after Juanita retired from being the Sunday School secretary, that’s when our relationship got a little bit sweeter. Juanita always sat halfway up in the center section, right on the end of the pew. There wasn’t a time in my recollection that I would come from the front up that aisle before service for some reason that she didn’t reach out to give me a hug, and always with a smile. When we would have a moment to speak, she would always encourage me, telling me that she appreciated my ministry.

The last time I had the blessing of seeing Juanita was on her 100th birthday. The staff all hopped in the car and drove over to her house and sat with her and talked for a bit. We also had a wonderful time of prayer together. Juanita was, and is still, such a dear lady to this church staff and family. She is missed, but we celebrate her life and actually in way, we rejoice with her in her death.

And that might seem to some like a strange thing to say. There are some statements in Scripture which, if taken out of context, might seem contrary to human thinking, and the biblical concept of death might be an example of one. To most of us death is equated with sorrow and tears. This event is understood by society as a time of great anxiety. The fear of death is commonly so great that we anticipate it and all of its emotion long before it actually occurs.

Most of us instinctively avoid even the discussion of death, for within every heart lurks the fear of death and dying. We prefer not to talk about it. We do not like to think about it. Deep within us, death appears to be the ultimate defeat.

God, however, takes a decidedly different view of death. In His Word God says that death can be precious. The particular verse upon which we have focused our attention is taken from the context of thanksgiving. As we read the psalm, we can envision one who had come to the Temple to offer a vow and a sacrifice. It is obvious that at some point he had suffered affliction and in his hour of need he had taken a vow that if the Lord delivered him, he would make a pilgrimage to the Temple and offer appropriate sacrifices. We do not know the nature of his affliction, only that it was serious, and that God had in fact delivered him from them.

In keeping his vows, the psalmist had done more than just offer a temporary sacrifice. There is declared in the psalm the willingness of the psalmist to submit himself totally to God. He prayed and desired deliverance, but he rendered his own will to that of God to the point that death may be seen as within God’s precious and loving arms.

In the submission of his own will to that of God, the psalmist’s concept of death took on a quality that was and continues to be inconceivable by the secular world. He is joyful in God’s delivering his soul from death, but totally at peace with death as well, for all takes place within the sight of the Lord.

Yet the fact must be acknowledged that only a person of saintly character could offer this kind of vow. Only one who has lived a life close to God can approach death from this different perspective.

For the saints of God, death is one of those areas where there is a distinct advantage over those who have never exercised that faith. Through the eyes of our faith, death takes on an unusual quality. God says that death can be valuable, or precious, and more so than just relieving pain.

When we last visited with Juanita on her birthday, she actually expressed that she was ready to go, in her words. She had, as Paul wrote, “fought the good fight,… finished the race,...kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7). She knew that the “time of [her] departure [was] close,” (2 Tim 4:6), and that waiting for her on the other side was, “the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give...to all those who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim 4:8) She was just at peace, and her sweet smile and spirit remained. But that doesn’t change that we might wonder how and to whom her death might be valuable or precious.

These are inevitable questions which people might ask concerning the scriptural assertion that death can be a precious thing. To whom is it precious? The text indicates that it is precious to God.

Death is not a precious thing to the physician. To a degree it indicates defeat because medical science could not change the inevitable. Death is also not particularly precious to those left behind. The pain of separation is real. Yet to the saints of God, death is but a natural completion of a journey begun long ago.

Death is a way of allowing God to exercise His wisdom and love. His thoughts are above us, and His ways are beyond us. The saints have learned the secret of happiness by letting God be God, even in regard to the taking of our own lives and the lives of our loved ones.

Yet death is precious to God only in the lives of certain people. One can assume that not every life represents a successful molding process. Not everyone walks the road with God. Death becomes a terrifying experience for those who have never seen the light of the cross.

These words do not suggest that death is some kind of game which our Lord plays to occupy His time. Neither is death a means of meeting His own divine needs. The text, instead, suggests that God takes our lives seriously. There is not one single aspect of our lives which is omitted from God’s care. Life is a gift, and, therefore, one’s death is a valued concern of God. Truly precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Why is this true? Because death marks the completion of something God began long ago. Not one life is an accident. He sends every life into the world for the purpose of molding that life until ready for eternal life with God. For the saint, death marks the completion of that process. Death may be seen as God now considering the life ready for even greater things. In this way, death can suddenly become a time of celebration. God’s work in that life, like Juanita’s, has been completed.

Does this Scripture not provide a backdrop for our gathering today? Juanita’s life was no accident. She was a part of God’s plan. The beauty of her experience may be found in the fact that successful molding has taken place. God has tapped this good lady on the shoulder and said that she has done a good job. Essentially, we are here to celebrate a job well done. That is a cause for joy, not sadness.

This is a time for thanksgiving—not for what has been taken but for what has been given. Consider the gifts that are left behind as an inheritance.

First, Juanita has left a good name. There is no shame for you here. We have sometimes made pride seem shameful. Yet there is a kind of pride that is special: a good name. You could say that she was a pillar of Eastern Hills. She was known and loved by many.

Second, Juanita has left behind a good example. She was as human as the rest of us, but let’s face it—some just have a better grip on life’s realities than others do. There was no question as to the priorities in her life. She loved and cared for her husband Ruben for 50 years. She loved her family well. She served her Lord through her service to this church family for over 50 years, and she did so faithfully, diligently, and lovingly.

Third, Juanita has left you the assurance of being loved. You, family and friends as well, have an advantage over many people. Many people live a lifetime without experiencing the love you have received from her. I mean, how many daughters would define their relationship with their mothers by calling her their “best friend.” And yet, that’s what Sherry said when we talked in preparation for today.

Fourth, Juanita has left behind her testimony of faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She understood her need for a Savior, and through her surrender to Jesus Christ in faith, she was saved, and is saved, and will always be saved. That testimony of her faith continues to speak, even today. You too can have that testimony through surrendering your life to the Lordship of Jesus.

In a kind of emotional reversal, Juanita’s death becomes a way of your claiming these gifts, and because of that inheritance you discover that her passing has become a precious thing for you as well.

We come back to the words of the psalmist. He had submitted his entire life to the will of God. Therefore, every phase of life had significance. Most especially was this true concerning death. Death is not the ultimate defeat for the believer. Instead, it is the successful completion of a project begun long ago. Death is not the revoking of life but the gentle touch of the Creator who says, “Come with me, and let’s celebrate a job well done.”

The statement really is true: "The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight.” (v. 15). God bless you all as you reflect on this truth and celebrate Juanita’s life.

Prayer