Anna Lee Cole
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The Joy of a Mother and Wife
The Joy of a Mother and Wife
My friends, I can only tell you today that my heart is broken with you during these days. I told Jack Sunday evening these are the days we know will come, we just do not think they will come today....
Without a doubt, you know Anna Lee was a precious, precious wife, mother and friend.
When I came by the house Sunday evening I was talking outside for a moment with Vicki and Chris. and I was telling them that suddenly I was thinking about all those words that would describe her
Loving, kind, giving, caring, stubborn, a little mean at times, faithful and a true friend.
She called me just a few days ago, I indeed told that as precious. She wanted to chat with me, see how I was doing, how my kids were doing and of course my wife Marci. She told me she was trying to listen to Jack and take care of herself.
She talked about missing her church and Sunday school, she asked me about friends like Lois. It was a good call, I guess she talked to me for about 40 minutes.. I am thankful we had the chance to talk.
I want to tell you today… I do not need to preach her funeral today. She has lived her life for Jesus, she lived her faith and her life has been seen by all. She was faithful.
So I am going to spend a little time today sharing a few things with you...
Without a doubt Anna Lee lived a good life with Jack, they raised a good family, had many, many friends near and far. But the best thing is she knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior.
When I think of Anna Lee I honestly think of Proverbs 31:10
10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
That describes Anna Lee, to a “Tee” if you will. She took care of her home, Jack served the Army and she kept the home, working at times, helping many, many people, helping raise up her children and serving her church.
I cannot tell you all she did for her family, I know she labored, I know she made the many of the dresses her girls wanted to wear to special events. I know she cooked and cleaned and tried her best to keep Jack inline...
The traveled, they shared a great deal of love with many, many folks..
I was thinking of all the decorations she made, all the wreaths, flowers and wall hangings she made for her church.
She made so many over the past few years for all the different seasons and holidays that we just swap them out as the days come and go..
And I know in recent years she always didn’t always feel good, but that didn’t stop her. She was stubborn, if she had decided to do it, she was going to get it done. Even getting her own she-shed here in the last couple of years…
Her faithful life speaks to the very fact that Anna Lee was an excellent wife, just as Solomon wrote about in the book, She is more precious than jewels. Anna Lee was more precious than all the wealth of the world… Her family and her friends would testify to that over and over again.
I believe I could tell you Proverbs 31, verse 28 is true...
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
These kids and grand kids loved her, and so did Jack.
I could continue to tell you many, many things about Anna Lee, but today as we remember her, our focus has to be on Jesus as well.
You see it is the hope of Jesus that gives us peace in the midst of storms like this… Some might say, Pastor, are you sure?
Yes I am sure, I have walked through death in my own family near and far and I have walked this road with many of my friends and parishioners close to 40 years now..
I want to remind of what Jesus told His disciples the night before his crucifixion
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
You see its hard, its hard not to be troubled, to be sad and heartbroken when we walk these roads… But Jesus reminds us, Our hope being in God, place your hope in Jesus as well.
Why.... because of what awaits all those in Christ… Heaven, the country of our citizenship....
There Jesus says in my Father’s house are many mansions or rooms, and Jesus says, if it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you. He told us because there is a place there for us. A home!
This body isn’t who Anna Lee is, no not at all, it is just that which we knew her by, it grew tired, it served the purposes of God for her, but she is now Home.
One of the Early Church Fathers, Augustine of Hippo said - The City of God, on the other hand, is stable, eternal, and the source of ultimate consolation. It is the city under God's command, and hence the city that will ultimately come to triumph.
In triumph that all the saints of God will receive entrance into that city.
Anna Lee secured her entrance when she accepted Jesus so many years ago…
As the long train of her life left the station the other night she made that journey and in just a moment, the twinkling of an eye she disembarked on the eastern shore and made her way into that city and to the place of the King… her Jesus.
Jesus went to the cross, to prepare that place, to make the way ready for us. So that where He is, we can be also..
Remember Paul reminds us to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord!
My sweet friends, let your hope be found completely in Him, why … He is the way!
I want to share one more passage with you today… I am not going to keep you here a long time, I feel like Anna Lee wouldn’t want you all here mourning for her, instead celebrating that She is more alive than she has ever been
The writer of Hebrews says this...
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
This is a command here, “Let us Hold fast”…the meaning there is to hold without wavering....without end to what?
Our confession… Our confession is the essence of our Christian faith.
The confession is the action of our belief in the one who is the son of God, Jesus.
Anna Lee believed and followed the Lord Jesus, you see there was a point in time in her life when she bowed her head and said Lord Jesus I believe, I confess to you I am a sinner and I need you in my life, please save me and give me eternal life..
And when she made that confession, Jesus did...
She held onto that truth, that was where confession and her faith… And Jesus has kept His promise, He is faithful...
And you my friends, you are commanded to hold onto your confession as well, do not allow anything sway you, steal you away because Jesus is faithful and what He has promised is true!
And if you my friends, do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, make your confession because these days will continue to visit us and our families until Jesus comes again.
But my friends this day is not the end… There is hope for all of those who are in Christ and we will see Jesus and all those in Christ again on that great day of the Lord.
Jesus is coming again… we will talk more about that tomorrow, but I want to leave you with the testify of the angels..
Acts 1:11 as Jesus ascended into heaven and the disciples watched Him leave them, two angels appears and said this
11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Jesus is coming again, that is our future hope. Because of Jesus, Heaven will be real for all those who have put their faith in Him and died, but for those who are alive when he makes His return to this earth.
My friends, today we have hope, it is Jesus. We will see Him, and Anna lee and so many others again.
I love you all,
Lets pray