Martha Comstock - 5/29/19
Funeral for Martha Comstock
This morning we celebrate and thank God for the life of Martha Comstock. We also gather to renew our faith and to encourage each other in the time of grief. We come into this time with the perspective of Jesus who said,
“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. (John 11:25-26)
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)
We must make a distinction as we begin our time together: we are not here to talk about the end of Martha's life. We are here because of the end of Martha's life HERE ON EARTH. We come into this place with the firm belief that Martha has simply graduated to a new and better life . . . the life we've always longed to live.
With that perspective, let's pray together:
Father, thank You for your Word. Thank you for the promise of life beyond the grave for all who trust in You. Thank you also for the way you bless us through others . . . through people like Martha. Today, help us to remember her affectionately, accurately, hopefully, and gratefully. Amen.
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Martha Mae Comstock, was born on October 12, 1935 in Lamoine Township, in McDonough County, the daughter of John and Ruth Griffith Fowler. On September 23, 1956 she married Roger D. Comstock at the Old Bedford Christian Church, in rural Blandinsville, Illinois.
Martha was never afraid of hard work. She worked at Welsh Grocery, Dulton’s Restaurant, Alexander Lumber Company, all in Blandinsville, General Electric in Normal, Illinois and Sylvania in Burlington, Iowa. She also cared for the elderly. While on the farm, Martha worked right beside Roger. She did everything and anything from chasing pigs, dressing chickens, or putting down animals that needed to be put down. She was the quintessential farm wife. Martha and Roger had a good relationship. They never spoke an unkind word to each other. They worked together and balanced each other out. I'm told that if you wanted to get Roger to do something he didn't much want to do (because it involved change) all you had to do was plead your case to Martha. Roger seldom said no to his wife.
Martha was a great mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma. She was a baker. Everyone loved her perfect Angel Food cakes as well as the various cookies she would make. She used to make several batches of cookies and freeze them in the basement . . . the guys knew about them so she would come down to get some cookies and they would all be gone.
Martha was the disciplinarian. You might swear once but once your mouth was washed out with soap you tended not to do it again. And if you misbehaved, she would tell you to go and get your own switch from the tree and if it wasn't sturdy enough, she would go get one to whip you with.
Roger and Martha took in several foster children over the years. Martha had a lot of love and compassion to give. She was an involved parent and cared deeply about instilling character and faith in her children. She served as a Cub Scout and Brownie Scout Leader. She taught Sunday School and Jr-High Youth group. She was an involved mom. She was resourceful. Once she won a camera because of a picture she took of Dale in the front yard. She was a supportive mother-in-law (but by no means a push-over). But, Larry would tell you that his mom ALWAYS took his wife’s side in a disagreement.
Martha sewed, crocheted, quilted, and knit. She fixed socks, jeans, and made some clothes too. In fact, while Lathan was intentionally wearing jeans with holes in them (because it was the style) Martha was constantly offering to patch them for him. She was always busy doing something . . . but never so busy that she didn't have time for you. Everyone in the family liked to turn to her for advice because she was wise and because she listened.
She loved garage sales and finding bargains.
Martha really enjoyed her Grandparenting years. She never passed up an opportunity to spend time with the Grandchildren or her great-grandchildren. When they were real young she would hold them in the rocking chair and sing “Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot.” Even in the last days of her life when she was confined in bed because of the pain she would not pass up a chance to love on her great-grandchildren. Zoiee jumped up on bed with Martha and Jostan asked if she had had enough and Martha said a firm “No”.
The kids would bake cookies, Angel Food cakes, play games, work on homework or spend hours in the basement working on school projects. Both Lathan and Jostan always felt they had the best project. Sometimes they just listened to all of Martha's stories about the past.
She made cookies and treats for all the holidays so the grandkids could take them to school. There were sugar cookies in holiday shapes and jello made in egg shaped molds for Easter. They would sit around the house and Valentine’s Day and make homemade Valentine’s for everyone. You knew you could call Martha at any time day or night and she would watch the kids or run something in to the school for you. Roger and Martha were at every school event the boys were in.
Lathan remembers going to Macomb with her on her monthly shopping trip. He said he always got to sit in the front of her big blue Buick and she made them listen to classical music on the radio. She had little stuffed dog animals (kind of like Beannie Babies) on the dash and a stuffed tiger right in the middle (it’s fun what you remember, isn’t it?) After all the shopping she would inevitably let the boys buy something for themselves.
Martha kept a drawer in the dresser of the spare bedroom full of match box cars. If the boys were good they would get to pick out a car.
Martha listened seriously (as opposed to humorously) to every conversation but she also had a good sense of humor. She possessed a twinkle in her eye that said she was enjoying life. A few weeks ago when I visited, she was in pain and appeared to be dozing off. Julie and I visited for a couple of hours at her bedside. Finally, I said I had better go because I was sure that Martha was ready for me to leave. Martha partway opened her eyes and revealed a wry smile which made me laugh. She was too kind to say, “Would you just be quiet and let me sleep!”
When someone would come in and ask Martha how she was doing she would usually respond, “I am doing Hunky-Dory.”
Martha had a strong faith. One of the images family members will remember is of Martha reading her Bible or her daily devotional. She often related teachings from the Bible as she was talking to you. She was a member of the LaHarpe Union Church after spending many years at Old Bedford and the Methodist Church. Even when Martha couldn’t get to church in the morning, she listened to the CD’s of the messages from church.
I got to know Martha best during the brief period our church had a Saturday night service. It was very informal. At the end of the message I opened it up for questions. Martha always had clear insights as we shared in those times.
Martha was a faithful woman right up to the end. She was in pain, but she did not complain to the Lord. She was willing to walk the road the Lord set before her. In fact, she had been ready to go home to be with the Lord ever since Roger died on December 7th 2016. Even in her death, she was still teaching and leading. It is a special and rare thing to be around someone who teaches you how to die faithfully. Martha requested I read this poem that captures her feelings:
When I come to the end of the day, And the sun has set for me
I want no tears in a gloom filled room, Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little- but not too long. And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love we once shared: Miss me – but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take, and each must go alone.
It’s all part of the Maker’s plan, A step on the road to home
When you are lonely and sick at heart, go to the friends we know.
And bury your sorrow in doing good deeds, Miss me, but let me go.
Martha went to be with the Lord last Friday, May 24th quietly in her home.
She is survived by her two sons, Larry (Julie) Comstock and Dale (Ruth) Comstock, two grandsons, Lathan Comstock s and Jostan (Ashley) Comstock, two great-granddaughters, Zoiee and Lynnliee, sister-in-law, Donna Fowler of Hannibal, Missouri, nephews, Brian (Lori) Fowler of Hannibal and Richard (Tammy) Fowler of Center, Missouri, and one great-nephew, John Fowler of Hannibal as well as a host of grateful friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and brothers, Dick and Gary Fowler.
SONG: Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot
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Several weeks ago, when I stopped by to see Martha, she was not much in the mood for talking. However, she did say this: "I am ready to go whenever Jesus is ready for me." I suspect she was thinking about the passage in John 14 where Jesus told the disciples: " I am going to prepare a place for you. 3When everything is ready, I will come and get you," Apparently, her place was finished last Friday.
We have all kinds of images about what Heaven will be like. Some of them are Biblical and some are not. We do know two things: First, no one will get to Heaven unless they have placed their trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord or leader in life.
Jesus clearly said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me." This isn't about religion, it is about a relationship that is deep and abiding. It begins when we recognize that we are sinful people who are unable, even if we live the best life possible, to save ourselves. Our definition of good and God's definition of good are vastly different.
Once we see our sin, then we will understand the need of a Savior. There is only One who qualifies for that job. That's Jesus. He came from Heaven to give His life in the place of everyone who would put their trust in Him.
There are many people who have "had an experience" or done lots of "religious things". They know the lingo. They can play the game. But God knows the true state of their hearts. Only those who have taken a step away from themselves and come to depend completely on Christ, can be saved.
Martha was one of those people.
The second thing we learn about Heaven is It is going to be a lot better than our lives here.
The apostle Paul wrote these words,
Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. (1 Cor. 15:42-44)
I think we would all like to know what is on the other of the curtain of death. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that even if we did know, we would never be able to put it into words. C.S. Lewis attempted to do this in his series of Children's books called the Chronicles of Narnia. In the last of the seven books the characters arrive in Heaven and taste some fruit. Lewis writes,
What was the fruit like? Unfortunately, no one can describe a taste. All I can say is that, compared with those fruits, the freshest grapefruit you’ve ever eaten was dull, and the juiciest orange was dry, and the most melting pear was hard and woody, and the sweetest wild strawberry was sour. And there were no seeds or stones, and no wasps. If you had once eaten that fruit, all the nicest things in this world would taste like medicines after it. But I can’t describe it. You can’t find out what it is like unless you can get to that country and taste it for yourself. (Lewis, Last Battle p.76)
A few paragraphs later as people were describing what it was like to die, they said,
There was a frightful roar and something hit me with a bang, but it didn’t hurt. And I felt not so much scared as—well, excited. Oh—and this is one queer thing. I’d had a rather sore knee, from a hack at rugby. I noticed it had suddenly gone. And I felt very light. And then—here we were.” “It was much the same for us in the railway carriage,” said the Lord Digory (much older than the children), “I think Polly and I chiefly felt that we’d been unstiffened. You youngsters won’t understand. But we stopped feeling old.”
These are beautiful words to describe what is beyond description. Heaven is the place where we reunite with those we love. It is where the tears are dried, the sickness is gone, the decay is abolished, and sin is no more. It is the place where we get to stand before the Lord and feel the embrace of the One who loves us more than we could possibly comprehend and has loved us for longer than our minds can fathom. I can't imagine that embrace not bringing a cloudburst of tears of joy and gratitude. And we will melt into His arms and we will be home in a way we cannot begin to grasp now.
Heaven is where the Lord will pull back the curtain on our lives and we will see what He was doing; things that we never imagined. We will understand the purpose in every trial, and the impact of every act of obedience.
Heaven is not about harps and clouds. It is about fulfillment and becoming more real than we ever dreamt we could be.
I believe this is where Martha is. She has, I believe, caught a glimpse of the way she impacted the lives of her children, her grandchildren, her foster children and everyone with whom she came into contact. She is home.
But I must say again, Martha is not with Jesus today because she lived a good enough life. She is in Heaven today because she trusted Jesus. She embraced Him as her Savior and put ALL of her hope in Him. And her hope has not been disappointed.
For we who remain, it is up to us to try to follow in her footsteps. To stop making excuses and be honest about our sin and our need for a Savior. It is up to us to let the seeds she planted in us grow and pay rich dividends. It is up to us, to wait, to pray, and to look forward to the day when we too will go home and see her again and spend all eternity recounting the incredible blessings God has given to us
At the end of the great chapter on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul wrote these words,
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
So, I hope you will keep the memory of Martha very close as you remember
The twinkle in her eye
Her sense of humor
Her angel food cake and sugar cookies
Her willingness to fix your jeans so they would last a little bit longer
Her ability to get Roger to do whatever she wanted him to do
Her enduring and unwavering love
Her wonderful willingness to just listen
And as you
Hold something she made
Sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
Hold a child in your arms and rock
Sit down to read your Bible
Or catch yourself saying you "are hunky-dory"
And when you remember her, I hope you will also remember that this is not the end. It is only the end of the beginning.
Let's pray together,
Father, you place into our lives people who touch us deeply and help us understand You better through their example. Maratha was one of those people. We give you thanks for the blessing of her life. Grant her now the joy that have made possible through Christ.
And Lord, I pray you would help this family as they adjust to the void Martha's graduation leaves in their lives. Help them to carry on what she taught them. Help them to grieve, but not without hope.
Inspire us, O Lord, to follow you more faithfully. We eagerly anticipate that day when we too hope to be wrapped in your embrace. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.