A Precious Lady, Funeral Eulogy for Virgie Young

Miss Virgie’s Eulogy

First Baptist Church of Icard

Pastor Bobby Earls

December 8, 1999

“ A Precious Lady”

A Word of Appreciation to and from the family:

For the prayers, love and support many of you have given to the family, and

For your visits and expressions of concern over the past few days.

To the family for allowing me the priceless privilege of standing before you today to share a few moments, a few words over a godly woman whose life could literally fill volumes of books and hours of time.

The Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

Psalm 116:15, KJV.

Miss Virgie was precious not because of the length of her life, but because of

the love she displayed in her life. She was precious not because of the quantity of her years, but because of the quality of her life.

I may very well get in trouble for saying this, but many of you have heard me say this in the past. Pastors are not supposed to play favorites, but we do. Please don’t misunderstand, I love all my older adult members. But Miss Virgie was my favorite.

I’ve thought what a privilege it has been to be her pastor over the past ten years. Then I thought, what a joy it must have been to be able to call this great lady, “mother,” or “grandmother,” “great-grandmother,” or “sister.”

What made Miss Virgie so precious to all of us? A couple of things stand out.

1. HER LOVE FOR HER LORD JESUS

Miss Virgie could not get over her love relationship she had with Jesus. She loved others, but more than anyone else, she loved Jesus.

There were certain things she always seemed to want to talk about with me, and one of them was how awed she was that Jesus loved her so much that he would die for her on “that old cross.” She would say things like, “don’t you know that those nails they used to nail Jesus to cross must have hurt?” Or she might say, “and that crown of thorns, you know that had to hurt when they placed it on His head.” “And He did all that for me,” she would say.

A few years ago, our Minister of Music sent Miss Virgie a Christmas Card that she loved so much. She would frequently bring it up in our conversations. It was the verse inside the card that spoke to her heart so much.

It simply said of Jesus, “He paid a debt He did not owe because I owed a debt I could not pay.”

Often I would ask, “Miss Virgie, tell me when you got saved.” She would tell me about the time as a young girl, maybe 11 or 12 years old, when their church was having a revival. She didn’t go forward then, but her daddy noticed that she was “troubled,” and talked to her about Jesus, and he helped her to pray to trust Jesus as her Savior.

Miss Virgie never got over that experience and her love for Jesus. As late as this past Saturday morning, the only time recently that I saw alert, we prayed together. And knowing Miss Virgie’s love for Jesus and His love for her, I started my prayer this way. “Dear Jesus, this is your child. And I know that you love Miss Virgie and Miss Virgie loves you…” and I continued my prayer. As I prayed, you could tell she was praying along, agreeing with me as we asked for God’s will be done in her life. When I finished, although it was difficult to fully understand what she was trying to say, those of us around her were convinced that she said, “I love Jesus.”

Psalm 103:1-4

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Miss Virgie was a precious lady not only because she loved Jesus, and Jesus loved her, but Miss Virgie was precious because she loved God’s word, the Bible.

2. HER LOVE FOR THE WORD OF GOD

Miss Virgie still held a love for the word of God that so many Christians, especially in our generation, have lost. Long ago she learned the value of memorizing God’s word. She knew God’s word.

If you ever had the experience of hearing Miss Virgie quote whole passages of Scripture from the Bible, you knew she loved God’s word.

The last time Miss Virgie was able to be in church several years ago, on Mother’s Day, I had her stand here with me and quote from God’s word. She chose to quote from John 3:

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:1-18, KJV

I could tell you other reasons why Miss Virgie was a precious lady, because she loved her church, she was our oldest living member at 99 years of age, or that she was a precious lady because she loved her family, but you already know that. But let me close my remarks by telling you that she was a precious lady to me because she loved her pastor.

3. HER LOVE FOR HER PASTOR

I knew very early in my pastorate here which began in 1990 that Miss Virgie Young was a special saint of God. How did I know that? Simply by the way she respected and revered and honored the office of the pastor of her church.

She didn’t even know me, but I knew, there was a special connection of two kindred spirits when we first met that told me she loved her pastor. And she said so. Every time we were together.

And I’m sure her love for her pastor extended to every man of God who occupied this sacred pulpit and place as brother Hefner may tell us.

She was always positive, always complimentary, always encouraging to her pastor. There are some things Miss Virgie shared with her pastor that were meant just for me. Those precious memories will forevermore be stored in this pastor’s heart.

Miss Virgie was precious because she knew how to love her pastor.

Just a few other scripture passages Miss Virgie loved and quoted which I think fits well here.

John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (KJV)

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

PASTORAL PRAYER