No Medium on Her Dial
Eulogy Delia Thomas • Sermon • Submitted
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10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Mt
15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
Dee was not the usual. There was nothing usual or common or average about her. If I had to say what was unique about Dee Thomas, I would say she loved serving others and seeing them enjoy it. It brought her great satisfaction to give to others freely, fully and faithfully.
As I reflected on Dee's life, many Scriptures came to my mind. I don't know if they were her favorites, but she certainly lived them out. One is , sometimes called the forgotten Beatitude, where Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Dee lived that verse out daily. I, as many of you here today, experienced firsthand Dee's generosity. The Bible says "God so loved the world that he gave ..." and we are never more like God than when we give, and Dee was very God-like to many people, many times.
Another Scripture that describes Dee was : "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Dee lived life one way - all-out. There was no medium on her dial. She did not understand or appreciate halfway, halfhearted, lazy, lukewarm efforts.
Dee loved life; she loved people; and people loved her. She was adventurous; she was a risk-taker; she was energetic and enthusiastic. Whatever her hand found to do, she did it with all her might.
The Nike Company has had a popular slogan for years now called "Just Do It!" I don't know where they got that from, but I think they must have gotten it from Dee. She just went out every day for as long as she had strength and did it and loved every minute of it.
Another Scripture that I think relates very well to Dee's life is , the parable of the talents where Jesus said, "The master gave to one servant five talents." Dee was definitely a five-talent servant. She did many things well. Her church resume
Dee just had a knack of making things look better, whether it was a house or a
head of hair or clothing or a yard or a flower bed. She just had a way of making things look their best.
Dee had many gifts, and like the servant in the biblical parable, she put them
to good use and brought great joy to her master and great delight to those around her.
One final Scripture that speaks of Dee's relationship with God is : "To live is Christ;
to die is gain." Now, not everyone can say that. Some people would say, "To live is for myself; to die is to lose." Others would say, "To live is for the moment; to die is uncertain." But Dee's hope was not in her good deeds or her wonderful talents. Her hope was not in whatever her momentary circumstances may have been, because she knew circumstances could change and quickly. Dee's hope was the same as the songwriter who said,
"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteous-ness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand."
What has Dee gained? What do believers in Christ realize when they walk through the valley of the shadow of death?
First of all, there is the continuity of life as we pass from this world to the next. Jesus said, "Whoever lives and believes in me will never die." There's no halfway place for the believer; no intermediate "holding" station; no period of sleep; no purgatory that we must first endure. The Bible declares "to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord." Continuity of life was promised when Jesus said to the dying thief on the cross, "I tell you today. You will be with me in paradise."
Secondly, the Bible says there will be permanence of personality. One of the most frequently asked questions concerning heaven is, "Will we know each other when we get to heaven?" I like how one preacher put it: "We won't really know each other until we get to heaven." There is clearly abundant evidence in the Bible of recognition after death. Jesus was recognized 11 times after his resurrection.
Moses and Elijah were recognized by Peter and James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, which suggests that, not only will we know people in heaven we've known in this life, we'll know people we've never met. I believe if you don't recognize Dee in heaven, she'll come up and tell you, "It's me. You didn't think I'd make it, did you?"
2. Secondly, the Bible says there will be permanence of personality. One of the most frequently asked questions concerning heaven is, "Will we know each other when we get to heaven?" I like how one preacher put it: "We won't really know each other until we get to heaven." There is clearly abundant evidence in the Bible of recognition after death. Jesus was recognized 11 times after his resurrection.
Moses and Elijah were recognized by Peter and James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, which suggests that, not only will we know people in heaven we've known in this life, we'll know people we've never met. I believe if you don't recognize Dee in heaven, she'll come up and tell you, "It's me. You didn't think I'd make it, did you?"
3. And finally, we are assured by the Scripture that conditions are far better than any we've known here.
And finally, we are assured by the Scripture that conditions are far better than any we've known here.
Dee's deteriorating condition over the past years helped prepare her family for this moment. And though there is a sense of relief that her suffering is over, you cannot deny the over-whelming sense of loss and sorrow that you feel at her passing. But what a comfort it is to think that the Bible promises us to be in the "presence of Christ." Paul said in , "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
The poet said,
"Weep not for me; let not one tear fall.
For what you dream of, I now see.
And, friend, it is worth it all."