Memorial Service for Louise King Baldwin Day

Music Playing... You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You Well good morning to you, thank you for being here We've come together to celebrate the life of Luis day and You're here I know because you knew her personally She was dear to you or you know someone that she was dear to or you're a church member so thank you for being here the Bible encourages us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep sorrow with those who sorrow and So there is a measure of sorrow because we've been separated from a loved one Yet we sorrow the Bible says not as those who have no hope I'd like to read the words of a hymn that has ministered to me it's a contemporary hymn written by Keith Getty and people that work with him and It's entitled Christ our hope in life and death it asks questions and then makes statements of affirmation that we as believers can rejoice in What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone Christ alone. What is our only? confidence That our souls belong to him Who holds our days within his hand? what comes apart from his command and What will keep us to the end? the love of Christ in which we stand What truth can calm the troubled soul That's a good question, isn't it? Well the hymn says God is good.

God is good Where is his grace and goodness known? In our great Redeemer's blood Who holds our faith when fears arise who stands above the stormy trial Who sends the waves that bring us nigh unto the shore the Rock of Christ? Third stanza unto the grave.

What shall we sing? Christ he lives Christ he lives and what reward will heaven bring Everlasting life with him There we will rise to meet the Lord then sin and death will be destroyed and We will feast in endless joy when Christ is ours forevermore and Then there is the stanza Oh sing Hallelujah, our hope springs eternal Oh sing Hallelujah now and ever we confess Christ our hope in life and death Bow with me as we ask the Lord to minister to us during these moments our father and our God how glad we are that we can come to you through the merits of your dear son the Lord Jesus Christ and We confess as believers Christ our hope in life and death Lord thank you for taking this dear precious one unto yourself Thank you that we have the consolation that she's free from every human hindrance and frailty That she is basking in the presence of the Savior. She longed to see while she was on this earth We confess that we feel acutely this earthly separation She is missed Because she was loved God by the ministry of your spirit, would you come to us today?

bind up our wounds Minister to our sorrowing hearts fill our hearts with gospel. Hope Thank you Lord That you have made provision for your children not only in this life But in the life to come Lead and direct and guide and have your will and way in this memorial service for Louise King Baldwin day whom We love And how we long to be where she is and if we are resting in the Savior one day we will indeed be where she is We pray in Jesus name Amen, yes First of all on behalf of my family. I want to say thank you for being here with us today We appreciate the care and the love shown to our family, especially to my mom We see your deeds and fill your prayers.

So thank you. I Will be reading tributes on behalf of my uncle Rick crystal and myself My uncle Rick is of course my grandma loose son He and my aunt now live in Oregon and could not be here with us today to celebrate but they are certainly with us here in spirit These first words are from him for my mammy This is something I found that hit him if roses grow in heaven Lord pick a bunch for me Place them in my mother's arms and tell her they're from me Tell her I love her and miss her and when she turns to smile Place a kiss on her cheek and hold her for a while Because remembering her is easy. I do it every day, but there's an ache in my heart that will never go away Love you my mammy And this is from crystal It's hard to put into words and accurately express feelings and memories of someone that was such a huge part an influencer in my life The way I do so many things is because of her and how she did them Applying makeup swallowing pills with yogurt Washing grapes the list could go on and on Grandma Lou was an encourager in my life She was quick to help in any way she could and it wasn't only in the lives of her family She actively seeked out ways to help and encourage anyone that needed it She was the hands and feet of Jesus in many people's lives. You're painting a house. She's there You're walking on the side of the road. She picked you up.

You're homeless and hungry. She'd take you to get a meal Struggling financially. She'd slip you some cash Need some clothes. She'd buy you some Mention that you've been looking for something and all of a sudden you may have multiple of that item. That's very true She didn't talk about it or make a big show of it.

She just did it. She worked hard and she loved us big as Hard as it was to watch Alzheimer's take pieces of her for over eight years. It was also beautiful To see her continued commitment Contentment and joy it didn't take her humor or her ability to give me those knowing looks That was God's grace evident in her life. I Will feel the loss of her with us the rest of my life, but I'm confident She heard well done my good and faithful servant and I will see her again first Timothy 6 6 But godliness with contentment is great game And this is from me her grandchildren knew her as grandma Lou and Ma Lou and her great-grand's as a moo-moo Although Alzheimer's took her memory. It could never take away her genuinely kind and loving spirit Throughout her life. She remained as sweet as ever She was quick to give a compliment and a gentle bless you bless you to all she came in contact with She adored her family She had a contagious laugh a generous spirit and a heart that leaned towards others Never in a hurry and never too busy to spend time with us Whether that was playing cards hemming our clothes or making us an afternoon snack The memories from our childhood are so fond because she was such an integral part of our upbringing One of my fond memories is sitting with her in church Which always felt like such a treat her trying to quietly unwrap a mint and place it in my hand and me Resting my head on her shoulders and sometimes taking a short nap Molly was our safe place and she loved us all so well Life will not be the same without her here telling us how sweet smart and pretty we are But we all take comfort in knowing that she is at perfect Peace her mind was stayed on him and I am confident. We will see her again Good morning.

It is morning, right? I'm Larry Hunter Guitar player ever learns is don't step on the power cord. It will jerk it out of the guitar and make all kinds of funny sounds I I first met Louise about 40 years ago when I first came to Beacon. She was going to church here then and Learned to like her an awful lot over the years, although we did not have you know in her Family relations or anything like that but Linda asked me If I would Ahead of myself. I play music for homes around old folks homes. They enjoy the music and Really seems to bring back some memories to them and always start off with old music that goes back to the 60s and things like that and then break into hymns and then speak a message from the Word of God and they always appreciate all of this and And It's interesting to note that a lot of these people can't remember their own names and a lot of them have Digressed to where they don't know their own family But if you play a song that they know in their youth They'll sing every word. It's amazing and I'm I'm playing and I'm watching them and their mouth is is singing the words to these songs and For that reason Linda has picked a couple out that she wanted me to do and One is a Christian song and one is not but the first one you are my sunshine one is a Children's song so to speak at least I grew up singing it but it It goes with you when you get into older years So although it's a children's song it still belongs to these folks that are that were like Louise And it's interesting to note that when we would come in to play Louise would pinch my wife on the cheek and say God pretty pretty pretty and she look at me and say And that's what I got I Don't know if she didn't like me or what But Anyway, it wasn't any pretty pretty pretty But I'm gonna sing a part of this song I'm not gonna sing it all but some of it you're my sunshine if you want to sing along feel free You are my sunshine My only sunshine You make me happy When skies are gray You never know dear how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away The other night as I lay sleeping I dreamt I held you in my arms When I hold you I was mistaken Mistaken So I hung my head and I cried You are my sunshine My only sunshine You make me happy When skies are gray You never know dear how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away I have the opportunity of sharing some remarks and memories that some folks at New Louise well Sent to the church and sent to the family. I hesitated to share this one that is personal, but I'm going to go ahead Candice did a wonderful job sharing family reflections. I visited Louise once or twice a week when she was at the cottage and The comment was made that she had a sense of humor. I would have known that necessarily interacting with her at church You know you I usually talk back to be with the teens when I was here We would exchange pleasantries. I always admired her and thought highly of her but when I visited her at the cottage one time there was this lady sitting next to her and I walked in to talk with Louise and the lady Just took the liberty to insert comments whenever she wanted to she was kind of forward and I tried to be polite and Louise certainly was polite.

Well we finished the conversation. I prayed I left the next week I came back and as I walked into the place The same lady was by the way, so I didn't know what to expect well. She bellows out like a bull moose. There's my man Well folks you had to see Louise's face. I got all over her and I I always will remember that just to hear that lady say that and set me back But then to look over and Louise is going you know making a face that spoke a thousand words. I Could read all of Proverbs 31, and it would be applicable for Louise But I have selected just a few verses that stand out to me Because of what I saw and I think it was alluded to in the comments made By some family members that as Louise digressed, and she did as she grew older.

She was still herself You could look at the veneer or past the veneer of her growing older and Louise was there Kind and lyric no offense, but I did get a pretty pretty pretty one time. I Think she had her glasses off But let me read some verses from Proverbs 31 that I think especially pertain to her who can find a Virtuous wife and that means a wife of valor in the sense of all forms of excellence who can find an excellent wife For worth his far above rubies verse 20. She extends her hand to the poor Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy that was commented Verse 26 on her tongue is the law of kindness Her tongue was guided by kindness Verse 28 her children and I would say grandchildren rise up and call her blessed It says her husband also and he praises her and that it ends charm is deceitful and beauty is passing But a woman who fears the Lord she should be praised Is give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works Praise her in the gates and I think one of the works that praises Louise in the gates is their own family Mary Shaw knew Louise From interacting with her beacon and I want to simply read what Mary has to say I have about four or five that will read Mary Shaw I said somewhere back in 1982 my family and I came to Beacon Baptist Church One of the first folks I met was Linda and Iwanis and her sweet mother Lou Soon after Lou's husband Hassel also became good friends with our family and the Lord eventually led Hassel to join beacon They were so good to provide for me over the years and small and also very significant ways One Wednesday night after contribution had been made by Lou to help with a specific need I wrote a long prayer of thanks and send it to Lou This is a small portion of that letter as I was talking with the Lord This was written back in 1991 She writes well Lord this special prayer meeting is going to have to come to a close Maybe I should call Lou. No, I don't think words can express how either of us feels tonight Love provided this gift and love will in turn provide just the right acknowledgement Thank you Lord for the gift of love. I know you led us to Beacon I know you led me to Linda which ultimately enabled our families to become friends Your word says that you're a friend who sticks closer than a brother. So, you know how important friendships are Thank you for godly friendships Thank you for Lou So on this Wednesday night Lord, I thank you for meeting my spiritual physical and emotional needs You're my salvation. You are my strength. You are my sufficiency So why should we worry and doubt your word?

We have no reason to fear. You've said your arm is not too short nor your ear too heavy to hear Help us to take our cares to you and the attitude of love Knowing every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above Thank you Lord for every good and perfect gift. You've bestowed on me. Thank you Lord for Lou and Francis Easley another ditto Geese of a feather flock together She says sweetest Linda and family I've just learned at the passing of dear Louise. I'm so very very sorry She was one of the sweetest people I've ever known Everybody loved her one of those rare beautiful people sweet and kind and loved by everybody. She will be missed We can best honor her by trying to follow her example towards others She was one of those rare people who had a gift for making others feel welcomed We were all made better for having known her She called me sweet Francis and I will miss her till the day that we'll be together again. She was the sweet one praying for you and your loved ones, Francis Easley and Then this last week Dolly Banish and I were talking in the office About this service coming up and Dolly volunteered the following memory that she has of Louise when they were in Meals on wheels together and this is typical of Louise Dolly said they delivered meals to an elderly gentleman who lived alone and had serious health issues Because of these health issues. He was unable to keep his house in good repair Things were in complete disarray and needed some serious attention Louise sprang into action displaying her servant's heart She went back to the house without fanfare and cleaned it entirely for the gentleman These last two are from Marty and pastor. They're in Maine visiting Bethany or they would be here the first from Marty She says I first met Louise when she began attending my Sunday school class so long ago We were meeting in the pastor's study when it was a small room off the main hallway.

I Believe it was before a chair was born. So around 1977 She became so much more to me than just another member of the class She was a dear friend before very long and I remember her bringing Linda and a brand new baby crystals to proudly show them off. I Understood that pride for my children were still babies What a delight that was and how dear that Linda and her family became special friends as well Louise also became one of those women on whom I counted to give me strength as I taught each week I always looked from the choir out on the congregation to pick out Louise and Francis easily Both easily recognizable by their beautiful silver hair These older women were 100% supportive of me for many years And I felt their support as I taught and missed it when they were not there I've missed Louise keenly in the year since she was able to sit in a regular spot in the front row of the class I look forward to our reunion someday Linda. Your mother was an exceptional woman From pastor Bartman the Lord directed Louise day to beacon in the very early years and she quickly became a cherished member of our congregation She was one of those wonderful people who are nothing but a delight to their pastors and a cherished joy to the entire church Louise was remarkable for her sweet spirit Compassionate heart and practical expressions of love Louise was an encourager and her absence is greatly missed May God multiply her impact through the lives of the many who were touched by her Christian fellowship I'll try to keep off the cord this time One of the hymns that Louise liked was one I'm about to sing, precious Lord take my hand and some of you older people, as I see a couple of these out here, might remember that this is one Elvis Presley had on his religious album, but it's a really beautiful song, precious Lord take my hand It's a really beautiful song, precious Lord take my hand Come to the light, take my hand, precious Lord lead me home And when the darkness appears and the night draws near And the day is past and gone At the river I stand, guide my feet, hold my hand, take my hand, precious Lord lead me home I'm thankful for the family for planning this memorial service, this celebration of life of Louise Day It's been easy to have said, you know what, we've had to face the emotional trauma of this initially and we've had the graveside service, let's just not do anything more That didn't seem right, did it? This just seems so appropriate and the things that have been said have been so encouraging and a reflection of a life worth celebrating As I think of Louise, I like to take the letters of her name and just try to attach a word or phrase to it And this is what I've done, this is just before I bring a message, but as I think of Louise, she's a lover She loved the Lord, she loved her church, she loved her family, she was a lover When I think of the O, I think of Louise as an outgoing person She was outgoing in her personality, the U, unselfish, just an unselfish person And that's not natural to us, naturally we're selfish, it was one of the fruits of God's work in her life that she was such an unselfish person The I to me speaks of Louise as a person of initiative She'd see a visitor at church, she would take initiative, make a beeline to them, maybe sit beside them just to make them feel welcome We've heard testimony of that in many ways, she took initiative, she was not passive I think of the S, the word that comes to my mind is sweet, just a sweet, sweet person Who didn't like her? Who didn't love her? She just is sweet And then the E, I think of an encourager, just an encourager in every way So, in the face of death, is it appropriate to celebrate?

Those things don't seem to go together, do they? And yet we can celebrate because death doesn't have the final word It's not the end This dear sister is right now in the presence of the Lord, and if that's not worth celebrating, nothing's worth celebrating Psalm 116 verse 15 says, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints When I'm around families that are grieving and their loved one has passed, I try and have an ear to hear what's being said within the family And try and take a cue from that, and I've heard different ones use this verse in reference to Louise's home going Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints So let me make a couple of observations and then make some personal applications Observation number one, death is to be viewed as precious for the saint of God and no one else Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints There's nothing precious about death for one who's not a saint of God And I probably need to say something about what qualifies a person to be a saint. Who's a saint?

Somebody who lives a noble life, someone who stands above us in their exemplary living? No Every person whom God saves is a saint. They belong to him Precious in the sight of the Lord are the death of his saints They're ones that God has set his affections on, ones that God has redeemed, ones God has made part of his family So it's only for those who are saints that we can say it's precious Because death is an enemy, death is a result of sin, the wages of sin is death, the soul that sinneth it shall die It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment So if a person is not a saint of God they have every reason not to view death as precious It's anything but precious, it's a horrible thing to die outside of Christ But for the saint of God it's precious Observation number two, death is to be viewed as precious from God's vantage point Precious in the sight of the Lord Because again our first thought in thinking of death is we don't think it's precious But as believers we have the privilege of thinking God's thoughts after him and being instructed by God that if this is how he views death For his saints then we should view it the way he's viewing it So we need an eternal perspective, we need a reliable source of information to base our response to death upon Because without it we're overwhelmed with sorrow and loss But precious indeed in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints So it's a wonderful thing to have the capacity to see what God sees and say amen to what God says So here are some reasons that the death of Louise Day should be viewed as precious Number one, Louise's death is precious because the purpose for which Christ died is realized Peter chapter 3 and verse 18 says for Christ also suffered once for sins the just for the unjust That he might bring us to God Christ died in order to reconcile sinners to God and to bring us into the presence of God And when a believer dies they are ushered into the presence of the Lord Precious is the death of God's saints, it's precious because it's the purpose for which Christ died and it's been realized Jesus said to his disciples who were full of fear and worry about his departure He says that where I am there ye may be also, he was going away but where I am you may be also So it's a wonderful thing to be in the presence of the Lord Precious number two because for Louise Day faith has given way to sight God granted her faith to trust on the Lord Jesus Christ She lived by faith believing the promises of God But she's now in a place where faith is not necessary because faith has given way to sight She now sees her redeemer And that's one of the things we forget We have a savior who is seated at the right hand of God in heaven and he is seated there in his glorified humanity Jesus is there as the God man, he's God yes because he's enthroned but he's also a man We need to get our mind around that, that she is able to see the Lord Jesus Christ Faith has given way to sight What prospect there is for all of us Precious number three because death for the saints of God puts an end to earthly sorrow, suffering and pain How kind it was of God to In the midst of the deterioration in her mind to preserve that part of Louise that we resonated with and loved and appreciated But all the limitations, all the things that hindered her and robbed her of who she was toward the end It's gone, she's been delivered from it all Earthly sorrow is gone, suffering is gone, pain is gone, limitations of mind are gone That's cause for saying precious, right? Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints Precious number four is the death of the saints in that it gives increased opportunity for faith For the manifestation of faith You know, you really don't know whether you believe something until you're up against it Do I really believe what I've said I believed about life after death, the hope of the resurrection It's easy to say I believe that in the hypothetical but when you're facing death, stark old death in the face It tests whether we believe what we say we believe And that's why I, this is going to sound a bit strange to you probably But it's why I very much appreciate the graveside service Because it's there that the reality of death smacks you in the face There's a casket, there's a hole in the ground This person you loved is going in the ground And we're faced with will we ever see this person again Is this the end? And it's only a child of God that says in the face of that, no this is not the end Death doesn't have the final word, God has the final word Oh death where is thy victory, oh death where is thy sting No, there's hope in Jesus, victory over the grave So it gives increased opportunity for faith And I think we feel our faith being stretched and tested at this time And for those who perhaps would be here and don't have the faith that others have It's a stark reminder that you're not seeing things the way other people are seeing things To be blind is spiritual realities and to see other people having faith in something you don't have faith in It can cause a person to become cynical Or it can cause a person to be humbled and say you know I want what those people have I want to believe like they believe, I want to trust like they are trusting And that's what God used in my life to bring me initially to faith in Jesus Christ I was invited to a Bible study sitting in a home with Carly was there and there were six or eight other people there And in the course of that evening as they carried on a Bible study and prayed I left that house that night and I said I want what these people have They have something that I don't have and I want it Now at the time I didn't know what was going on in my life But what was going on was that the Spirit of God was making Jesus irresistible to me I wanted what they had and perhaps that might be true of some here today You've seen and watched his family up close or maybe from a distance and said you know I'm envious, I admire that and my heart is full of fear about death, I'm getting older, I'm going to die someday And they have such a peace, they have such a calm, they're celebrating today? So may God use that to grant to you faith that you might believe And view death the way God views it as precious And then finally, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints because Louise Day is finally home I know where she lived before she was moved to Blakely Hall And I just associated that even though long after she sold the house and wasn't there anymore I'd drive by there and I'd say oh that's where Louise lived, but she's finally home She's home through what many dangers, toils and snares we have already come Tis grace that leads us safely home So she's with the Lord and we're rejoicing in that and today it's right For us to have this memorial service and celebrate her life Because as we're celebrating her life we're celebrating a God who's kind and gracious to sinners Who saves sinners and is with them all their days on the earth and then calls them away And she's with the Lord and will be with the Lord forever and ever and ever So thank you for being here today, nobody's here by accident God has moved in providence and everyone's here that God wanted to be here And there are some who are not physically here who are participating via live stream So I don't want you to think of yourself being out of the realm of the things that have been said God has directed you to gather around a computer screen and hear these things And may God use it in all of our lives to minister to our needs And our needs are varied aren't they? Some are still hurting As I was thinking about this service I thought you know maybe this will be easier than it typically is Because usually a service like this is conducted a few days after the person has died And our emotions are raw and our hearts are full of sorrow and we're feeling very acutely that separation And it really makes it hard initially So I thought well maybe in the passing of time the emotions have healed a bit But as I talked to some family members they said no it's not like that at all It's like being brought up face to face with it again But God is a faithful God, His grace is sufficient for all of our needs So I commit you to the Lord and isn't it good to be able to talk about a mother, a grandmother, a church member, a friend In the way we've been able to talk about her today And nobody is sitting there going you're talking about somebody I don't know We've all been to services and the person up here is talking about this person and we know who they really were And we hear these things being said and we go no wait a minute you're telling us lies here You're not being honest What you've heard today is true This is who she is, this is who God made her That's why we're feeling her loss so acutely So let's pray and ask the Lord to be with us and to help us as we bring this service to a conclusion Father how we thank you that you are indeed a very present help in time of trouble And death is an enemy, it's not the believers friend to celebrate with but it's the believers enemy to triumph over in Jesus Christ And we say oh death where is your victory, oh death where is your sting The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Father thank you for Louise Day Thank you that right now she is enjoying you in a way that she only could hope and anticipate when she was on this earth Thank you that she's free of every human hindrance and frailty Thank you that she is not conscious of time Thank you that she's rejoicing in the glories of heaven Thank you that you've made provision not just for her but for everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ and has believing faith in him So Lord would you comfort our hearts, fill our hearts with peace and consolation Help us to fasten our hope on the resurrection And when we speak of hope we do not speak of hope in the way the world speaks of hope that oh I hope it doesn't rain today or tomorrow And we really have no certainty at all that it will or will not But to have a biblical hope is to have a certain, absolutely certain confidence in a certain future reality So our hope is fixed on you, our hope is fixed on the resurrection of the dead That day in which you will come in power and great glory And you will reunite every saint of yours, their spirit and their body again with a glorified body Oh Father, eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that you have prepared for those who love you Thank you Father for this morning and this time together where we have tried to view death through the lens of scripture How we've tried to view death as precious as you see it Dismiss us with your great benediction of blessing that maketh rich and addeth no sorrow we pray in Jesus' name, Amen Hallelujah! You Thank you.