Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Friday June 8, 2007

Wednesday past I conducted the memorial service or as it is increasingly called, "Life Celebration" for one of our dear saints, Alice Cecil. To say that Alice was one of the unusual people life sends your way would be and is an inadequate attempt to convey the power of this woman of slight build and gigantic character.

From a photo of Alice when she was young, you observe she was a real head turner. Christ came to her and over the years her beauty turned inward which is a wonder to behold as this metamorphosis is rare in today's world. Her husband has been blind for years and then with diabetes, the loss of one of his legs, the load became mountainous for Alice, yet she bore it with deep love and a winsome smile, again a rare scene in the "Me World" of the 21st Century. Most everyone thought for sure she would survive Jim, but, the Lord in his way came and gathered Alice to Himself first.

The entire family came from across the country for the celebration of the life of Alice. Her daughter, Peggy, showed me the Bible Alice had used for almost three decades. It was published by Thomas Nelson, and is the well worn study version, produced especially for PTL and was signed by Jim Bakker. She was proud of her Bible and never became ashamed to pray for Jim. She told me one time, "Jesus doesn't throw people away and I'm not throwing Jim or this Bible away." Due to my own need for 1John 1:9, I rejoiced in the heart set of Alice.

Alice carried the Bible in a leather case common for the older Christians, most of the younger ones do not carry Bibles as most places they attend do not use the Bible so much as homilies from Freud and Jung, and a little dab of Schuler. I took the Bible home with me and used it to prepare the sermon for the Life Celebration on Wednesday. Hardly a page was unstained, many with the clear marks of tears that had flowed along her cheeks from a breaking heart for children and grand children and others in the little neighborhood. Entire passages were underlined and I commented on a few.

Over forty five years I have preached many funeral sermons, trying to be kind and warn the survivors of hell to shun and heaven to gain through Christ, all the while knowing that not one person in the building could believe for the swiftest moment that the person of honor at the funeral was anywhere near heaven. Many of my fellow clergyman are like the confused preacher conducting the service for the town rascal, was heard muttering his prayer, "Lord, we hope he ain't where we think he is."

In her own hand Alice had written the following:

"My faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ to remove all my sins. This is very important because we are all sinners and need a savior. My faith guides me everyday knowing that God knows all and sees all. So we can trust in a loving God to do what is best for all who trust in Him. The Easter celebration brings to remembrance that Jesus went to the cross to be our sacrifice for sin and rose on the third say to be our go between to God. Thank you Jesus."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit

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