A Room for You
Dedicated to Grandma Marge
John 14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
I have been Margery's pastor for less than a year. But I must admit that during my time with her I have become acquainted with numerous rooms. For she moved around quite a bit during the time that I have known her and have ministered to her. For when I first met her, she was living in the Assisted Living Center. And then she was moved for a few weeks to the hospital. And then she moved back down to the Rehabilitation Center. From this room at Rehabilitation Center, she then moved to the Nursing Home in the same town where relatives lived. And while there, she started off in one room, but by my next visit, she had moved to another room. Some time later, she moved to yet another room close to the entry on the west side of the building.
Of course, all of this moving was partially due to Margery's failing health - especially her move to the hospital. For during my time with her, she suffered a variety of aches and pains, infections, and other health problems. In short, life was not exactly very easy for Margery in her latter years.
And when life becomes difficult, it can leave one discouraged. That was true for Margery. For during some of my visits with her, she had told me how it was difficult at times to keep her faith when she had to endure pain and failing health. And because of her age and condition, there was often little that could be done (such as when she had problems with her knee, which had become swollen and discolored). Thus it really became a matter of just trying to keep her comfortable.
How does one maintain faith in a good and holy God when one's own life is not lacking in hardship and discouragement? This was the struggle that Margery faced at times. After all, Scripture clearly states, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:l0). But how does someone like Margery remain faithful when so much is working against her and opposing her faith? How does someone who has become weakened and frail like Margery maintain a strong grip so that she will not be lost and in despair? No doubt, it is a hard and arduous struggle to remain faithful in order to receive the crown of life.
Because this struggle is so difficult, there will be times in which we, like Margery, may feel that we are losing the battle. There are times when we may wonder if we can truly hold on to the end. We too struggle with discouragement and doubts. However, that is why we do not place our faith in our grip on God. For our grip is weak and can easily slip when the trials and temptations of life come upon us and seem to overwhelm us. Therefore, we place our faith on our Lord's firm grasp on us.
Listen to these encouraging words of Christ;
(Jn. 10:27-9): "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."
Indeed, Margery was firmly placed in our Lord's strong hand. Therefore nothing could remove her from this grasp that our Lord has upon her. Suffering, despair, failing health, even death itself can no longer separate her from Christ Jesus. That is the promise she has received through the Gospel of God's Word. And that is why despite her failing health and suffering, she always welcomed and received the comforting Word of God when I visited her.
For this reason Margery has moved yet again to another room her final room. For as our Lord told his disciples (Jn 14:1-2): "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."
In other words, Margery has now received her crown of life and is enjoying the place prepared for her in the heavenly kingdom. Here she is no longer weak and frail; here she no longer is discouraged and in despair. For now she has no more pain or sorrow. Just as Isaiah stated, she has been given strength from the Lord so that she can now leap like a deer (which actually fulfilled a dream that she had which she told to her daughter).
Of course, this good news is not just meant for Margery. The good news of eternal life in Christ is meant for you as well. For Jesus came into this world not to condemn you, but to save you by laying down his life as a sacrifice for all of your sins. Therefore, because he took upon himself all of your sins when he was put to death on the cross and then rose again in victory, you can be confident that you are no longer condemned before God, for you have been forgiven. Thus a room has been prepared for you in God's eternal kingdom.
For this reason, our hearts need not be troubled, even when we are faced with death of someone whom we loved as we are today. For death is not the end of Margery. In fact, it is just another move for her to a greater and glorious room that was especially prepared for her by Christ Jesus himself. For because our Lord gave - Margery the Gospel, held her in his firm grasp, and sustained in her in her faith until the end, her death indeed has been swallowed up in victory. Amen.
Message by Pastor Eric Nelson
From her Family,
We miss you Grandma but we will be with you and share your room again, we love you, our time is not yet and you are not forgotten.