All Buttoned Up—a Short Sermon in Memory of Myrna Jean Tubman

By on July 18, 2021.

Source: GENEralities
All Buttoned Up—a Short Sermon in Memory of Myrna Jean Tubman
 Jesus is The One in whose Name we lay Myrna to rest and worship the God and Father who created he——after all, not only was he Myrna’s hope, Lord and Saviour——Jesus is also The One who, as we heard in the passage from John’s gospel Pastor John read to us, rose from the dead and went on ahead to prepare a place for Myrna in his Father’s house—and to prepare places for you and me, too, if we want one. Jesus is also the one——predicted and foreshadowed in Carol’s reading from Prophet Isaiah——upon whom rested, perfectly and in full power, the Spirit of the Lord God——by which he was anointed to preach good tidings, to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives. That Jesus. And The One, as we prayed together in Psalm 121, from where our help comes, who watches over us, preserves us from evil and keeps a watchful eye on our going out and coming in from this time forth for evermore. We can all use some of that Jesus, I think you will agree, at times like this. And because of that Jesus, even as we grieve Myrna’s death, we need not sorrow as others which have no hope. For if we believe as Myrna did and as Douglas read in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, that Jesus died and rose again——then, when the Lord himself descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God——those who believe will be “caught up together with them (and Myrna!) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thes4.17) living large in one of those mansions in the Father’s house that Jesus promised. And won’t that be a day!!! Woo-Hoo! Heaven on a Saturday night!! (from Jim Tubman’s tribute). But what do we do in the meantime? While we’re waiting? When our hearts are troubled. When we have to deal with people we love dying and leaving us behind? First, as Jesus said in the gospel, we must believe. Believe in God and believe in me, he said. Okay. I can do that. Jesus, I believe you lived and died on the cross and rose again. Like Thomas in the gospel I have some questions about details and there are some things I’d like to be different and some of the people you’ve put in my life can get up my nose from time to time, but, Yes. I believe. Please prepare and reserve one of those mansions in your Father’s house for me, too. (We took a moment to say Yes——to confirm your reservation.) Strictly speaking, that’s all there is. But the thing is to really believe is to put that belief in action while we’re waiting. How might we do that? Perhaps there’s something we can learn from Myrna. The impression I got from Myrna and from Slater and their family is that Myrna lived her life and loved God and her family to the full. A BIG life Jim, her son, said in his tribute. To me, her button art is a sign of that. They’re made with ordinary down-to-earth buttons just like the ones on our pants and tops and coats yet they’re beautiful and whimsical and fun and, I believe, an outward and visible sign of a rich inner life blessed by the presence and love of Jesus. I wonder what would happen if the way we live our lives and relationships were more like Myrna’s button art——winsome and gentle and brightly coloured and down-to-earth and a little quirky——and I wonder if then perhaps the Spirit of the LORD would be upon us ordinary, down-to-earthy folk more often, too——bringing good tidings, binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, freedom to them that are bound, and we’d be ready, buttons all done up, for the Lord’s descent from heaven and to be caught up into the clouds to meet him in the air and to take up residence in one of those Mansions Jesus promised. And what a great way it would be to honour and remember our dear sister, Myrna Jean Tubman, and The One who loves and redeemed her so well. Jesus.

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