Rev. Rob Henderson
Shelby Wesleyan Church
https://www.angelfire.com/mi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
https://www.angelfire.com/mi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see Go; I myself will see him with my own eyes- I and not another. (Job 19:25-27)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young me shall utterly fall, But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
Today we gather here in memory and tribute to Agnes Dykman James who passed way late Thursday evening July 27, 2000. She was born July 13, 1910 in Honor, MI, the daughter of Henry and Lenora Tennant Taylor. Mrs. James lived in many different places in Michigan before coming to Shelby in 1946 from Grand Haven. She married Frank Dykman, Sr., on September 6, 1927. He passed away September 21, 1971. She later married Albert James, Sr., on May 19, 1984. He passed away on April 19, 1996. Agnes James was a member of Shelby Wesleyan Church. She is survived by her children, Frank and Joyce Dykman, Jr., of Montague, Don and Jennie Dykman, Bill and Rosemary Dykman, and Carol and Martin Shalifoe all of Shelby; her sister Juanita Eastling of Grant; 23 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and 8 great-great grandchildren (blessed is the “woman” whose quiver is full). She was preceded in death by her brothers Eugene, Asa, and Charlie Taylor and sisters Ora Kies and Bernice Wright.
We gather not to simply mourn the loss of a mother, grandmother and church member but to celebrate the life of someone who was a friend to even her closest releatives. To mourn is a necessary process to help us cope with the loss of a loved one. In fact, we never do get over the mourning process. Even today there are many of you who still remember your loved ones who have gone from this world into the next. Grieving is important to those who are left behind. And just as necessary to mourn we must celebrate: celebrate the life that God has shared with us. Agnes loved God and this loved oozed out of her and spread to those all around. We will miss Agnes. Shelby Wesleyan Church will miss her. As will the community of friends that knew her well. Even more than this she will be dearly missed by her sons and only daughter. She will be missed by her grandchildren who loved her deeply. She will be missed by her great and great-great grandchildren. Yes, even the world that keeps turning through all of these kinds of situations will indeed miss the life of one who mattered and made others feel important.
So as we mourn together let us strengthen ourselves with this hope that Jesus gave to His disciples:
“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 to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3
Today we celebrate not only the life of Agnes Dykman James but we celebrate the new life in Jesus Christ that Agnes enjoyed. No one seems to remember when Agnes became a Christian but there were no doubts about her Christian life. And because of her faith in the cross of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins some forty years ago she is now home: home where she belongs.
Psalm 96 by Pastor Jack Cooper
Congregational Hymn: # 431 “I Love to Tell the Story”
Prayer- Pastor Rob
Letter and Poem by Pastor Jack Cooper
Special Music by Mary Cooper “It’s Real”
An American Indian climbed up the side of a cliff one day and took an eagle egg out of its nest. He carefully carried that egg down and placed it into the nest of a prairie chicken. After some time the prairie chicken eggs hatched as well as the eagle egg. Obviously the eagle egg produced an eagle who grew like the prairie chicks but only in different proportions. The prairie chicks became short and squatty while the eagle grew gangly and bug eyed.
Now an eagle among prairie chickens might normally be a dangerous thing for the chickens but the prairie chickens didn’t care because he was no danger to them. Why that eagle thought he was a prairie chicken also, so he was no threat. He may look different but he was one of them. He cackled like a prairie chicken, fluttered in the air like a prairie chicken, and he even ran in fear like a prairie chicken when eagles or hawks would fly overhead. He beleived that he was a prairie chicken.
One day that eagle was out scratching for bugs with a chicken buddy when he looked high up in the sky. Way up there he saw an eagle: just floating across the broad, blue sky seemeingly without a care in the world. He said, “Boy, look at that bird way up there in sky. I wish I could do that and fly without a care in the world.”
His prairie chicken buddy looked up: “Yep. He sure is up there. But you could never fly up there like him. You’re one of us. Now let’s go scratch for more bugs.” And that eagle died never knowing that he was an eagle. He died believing that he was a prairie chicken.
In our world today we have individuals who live the lives of prairie chickens not realizing that they are really eagles. There are those who have believed and lived a lie not knowing that things could be different. There are so many who lived the life of a prairie chicken when they could be soaring high in the sky like an eagle. And too often with our busy lives we end up missing out on the wonderful opportunity of living our life for the glory of God.
Today, I must tell you something about Agnes Dykman James. Agnes was a member here at Shelby Wesleyan Church. Agnes was a comrade and partner of the gospel. Agnes was a friend to many as well as a wife, mother, and granmother. Those who knew her best will agree with me on this one point; in fact, you may disagree with me on everything I say today. You see, I knew Agnes James. Agnes James was a friend of mine. And friends, Agnes Dykman James was no prairie chicken.
In a world that does what it wants to do, acts the way it wants to act, and steps over and on top of others in order to conquer new heights, I find the life of Agnes refreshing to the human spirit. She considered others before herself. And she considered Jesus as her best friend. Agnes was an eagle and lived an eagle’s life- soaring high in the sky on wings as eagles.
Three words that describe Agnes and her life came to my mind as I prepared this message. The first is this:
1. Agnes was a woman of Determination
Agnes life was carved out of tough times. The people who endured the depression and World War II years are tough people. They had to be tough. They are a hardy generation who are slipping away very quickly. During those times you depended on God and your neighbors. Sure, you might not have attended church but you were aware of God as overseeing daily life. Yes, you might have your own affairs and needs to tend to but you also looked out for your neighbor. And together a generation of tough people overthrew Hitler and and the Depression, and ushered in an age of prosperity that we have not seen the end of yet. Tough times make tough people. Tough people make tough choices.
Agnes was no prairie chicken.
And when Agnes gave her heart to the Lord it was then that a new life began. She fell in love with her Savior. And this was her testimony that proved to many over the years that Agnes was no prairie chicken nor was she an eagle believing she was a prairie chicken.
Agnes was determined that her children were going to church. So down the washboard road they would go in a 1929 Chevrolet with dual wheels “... and no springs,” Don would hastily add. Bill chimes in the word “Cold” as he recalled those days of rolling to Sunday School to Walkerville Wesleyan Church. She got her children to church. She was faithful in bringing the gospel to her family.
She was determined to do the right things not simply for the sake of doing right but for the kingdom of God. Agnes read the Bible completely. Not once, not twice, not three times but countless times. Over and over, cover to cover. Her relationship with God was a friendship. She knew God was there for her. She had a determination to serve the Lord.
One Sunday after a particular sermon she desperately needed to talk to me. I hurried up to her place that afternoon but she was not there so I went to her place on Monday. Agnes needed to talk to me. She shared with me some struggles that she had in her life and how she had committed it to the Lord. Here was a good Christian woman humbling herself before the God and seeking His forgiveness and His strength. I learned that we are never to old to grow in the Lord.
I would hope and pray that your lives would become lives of determination. Be determined that you will serve the Lord and that your children will come to understand and know the depth of God’s love. Be determined that you will not allow dust to collect on that old Bible. In a day when our education systems and media circles teach that all truth is relevant we need people to rise up and turn to the Holy Bible as Agnes did and see that there are still moral absolutes. And see that God is real, He is there and He is not silent. Be determined that you will care for those you love most and are closest to you. We need healthy homes and families in today’s world. We have a different kind of toughness that is needed in this new millenium. A toughness that takes us beyond the veneer and gloss and to the heart of living for God.
2. Agnes was a woman of DISTINCTION.
There was something that made Agnes different from others: Agnes prayed for her family. And not only did she pray for her children and grandchildren- they knew she prayed.
Within the pages of her Bible I came across a Christmas card that was sent to Agnes. Julie gave me permission to share what she wrote:
“Grandma, This last year has been really hard for me. Even though I have not been able to visit you I feel your prayers and love with me always. When I get really sad or upset I would pray and God would put a thought of you and your strength in my heart.
“Grandma, all my life you have had a strong faith in God. That strong faith has made a big impact on my life. Thank you so much.
“I love you and I will always. Thank God for you.
“Love, Julie, Jeff, Kayliegh & BJ”
Agnes soared on wings as eagles.
Not only did she pray, but through the tough times, through the good and bad, she saved and scrimped and provided for her children and husbands. How do you know a good mother? According to Proverbs 31:28 tells us “Her children arise and call her blessed.”
And her children have done just that.
She loved to cook. She was always baking for her kids and grandkids.
She was a woman that had several distinct characteristics but all of those traits could be summed up in one descriptive word. What made Agnes a woman of distinction was love. She showed her love through a batch of cookies or reading books to her grandchildren or as well as through her prayer time. Agnes loved and that love showed.
Agnes was no prairie chicken. She soared on eagles wings.
May we become people of distinction as Agnes. I trust that you will adopt a prayer life for your loved ones. Have such a prayer relationship with God that others know you are praying for them. Yes, we will miss her prayers and her love. She was a woman of distinction.
3. Agnes was a woman of DESTINATION.
At some point in her life she realized her need of a Savior. And in receiving Jesus Christ she was also destined to lived with God forever. She never forgot how God himself bore her up on eagles wings and brought her to himself.
You see, a long time ago God chose Agnes to be saved from sin. The Bible tells us that before the creation of the world God chose each of us to be holy and blameless. He chose you to be a Christian and to serve God. (Ephesians 1:4)
Please understand, Agnes could not be holy and blameless on her own. Sure, she could do all the right things as she did but that isn’t what made her a Christian. God chose to save Agnes, and you and me, from sin but that could not happen without a sacrifice to cover her sins, and ours.
A long time ago God promised Agnes that he would provide a sacrifice for her sins. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was chosen before the creation of the world to die. (1 Peter 1:20) Jesus died so that your sins and my sins might be washed away from our heart. Jesus died so that we could choose to live holy and blameless lives for God. Jesus chose to die for us. Are we ready to choose to live for Him?
A long time ago God promised Agnes eternal life. The Bible tells us that God will give us a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life which God promised before the beginning of time. (Titus 1:2) Before there was anything or anyone but the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit a promise was made that we would have eternal life.
How do I cash in on the promises that God made?
Family and friends, her children have no doubt that Agnes’ desire is that you hear the plan of salvation. How does a person become a Christian?
-Recognize that you are a sinner. If you have not asked Jesus Christ into your life and your life is not representative of His then you must see yourself lost and without hope. There is nothing you can do to save yourself.
-Realize that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. You could never do enough of the right things to save yourself. I may be a minister of God’s Word but yet all of my best deeds multiplied over and over would never earn me or buy me one second of heaven with God.
-Confess your sinfulness to God. Confess that you are a sinner with nothing to offer for forgiveness. Confess your sin and the wrongs that you have committed.
-Accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins. Accept what Jesus offers to you.
Let’s bow our heads together. If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life then pray this prayer with me:
“God, I know that I am a sinner lost without you. I confess to you my sinfulness and ask for your forgiveness for all the wrong that I have done. I accept your Son, Jesus Christ, as my Lord and personal Savior. Help me, now, to walk as Jesus walked and do what Jesus would do. Amen.”
If you have prayed that simple prayer of faith then you are a Christian. Now, you need to do like Agnes and let people know about it. Go to your pastor or you could even come to me. Tell somebody. And then dig into God’s Word just as Agnes did. Quit living the life of a prairie chicken and start living the life of an eagle. And then become a person of Determination, Distinction, and Destination.
Agnes was no prairie chicken. She mounted up on wings as eagles; she ran the race and was not weary; she walked in the footsteps of Jesus and did not faint.
As we stood around her bed last Thursday night I could not help but sense her spirit rising to worlds unknown. Don shared with me last night that the last words she spoke were to me: “God bless you, Pastor.” I considered being a part of Agnes life a privelege and serving her and you in this funeral ceremony a great honor that I will treasure always. I have heard that people who have brushes with death say that they arose in their spirit above the room in which their body lay and were able to see their loved ones. What a thrill it must have been for Agnes as she saw her children standing there bidding her farewell. A thrill knowing that that because of her love they knew Jesus. And then to hear the Father say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Agnes knew where her real home was. Oftentimes she would share with me her desire to go and be with the Lord. Her heart was right and her vision was clear. Though she became more confused at various points in her last days there was never any confusion on this point: She longed to be home with her Savior and to see Him face to face. She longed to be going home, where she belongs.
Special music: “Going Home”
CLOSING PRAYER
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit abide with us now and forevermore. Amen.
