Sermon - Belle King Funeral

Agnus Dei, Stained Glass at Church of St John the Baptist, Stockton

Dear children and grandchildren, family and friends of Belle, according to the great mercy of our God and Father, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. In holy baptism, on January 24th, 1926, Belle was born again through those waters into that hope which filled her life of 99 years. On May 28th, 1939, Belle was confirmed in that same faith, given the instruction: Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. So as we mourn our loss of her from our lives today, we grieve with hope, for Belle shall rise from the dead with Jesus Christ on the final day and inherit a kingdom in the heavens with all the saints in splendor.

A lot can happen in a short amount of time, and when you live nearly 100 years, there is a lot of life to have lived, and a lot of love to have shared. Belle is one of those women especially gifted with the ability to care and love for others around her. This is generally a trait many women and mothers share, in that they show such compassion to everyone around them. Obviously, Belle shared this compassion with her beloved children, but it didn’t stop there, as she cared for people as a nurse in her career and as the neighborhood nurse in her love.

Belle was a powerhouse in her compassion! When she committed to something, she didn’t quit, and she worked long and hard to make sure she could see things through. Talking to her kids about their childhood and what it was like to have Belle as a mother, she sounded like the energizer bunny who just keeps going and going. In spite of difficulties, she didn’t slow down, but stepped up to the plate to take care of her family. Working long hours, overnights, getting very little sleep, in love for her children. Her commitment and compassion made her an irreplaceable part of wherever she was, whether it was at work, at church, or in her home. 

In many ways, the fact that she had this persistent attitude and persevered in life for nearly 100 years makes it that much harder to come to terms with her death. Yet, death comes to all, because all are sinners. The many tragedies and trials Belle faced in life, the daily ailments and disasters and infirmities she helped to treat in her work, the illnesses and eventual death that Belle faced all stem from the same source: sin. Belle was therefore intimately aware of the impacts sin has on this world, and as a result, she always knew that her life would come to an end much the same as everyone else’s.

For that reason, Belle was stalwart in her faith. Her own labors were never going to be sufficient to bring her everlasting life. Try as she might, every single patient she ever treated eventually died. Same for her, try as she might to be a good hardworking and compassionate woman, she could not preserve her life forever. There is only one who can rescue her from the ravages of sin and death, and that is her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus, in mercy for Belle, laid down His own life when He was crucified in order to pay for Belle’s sins. In the death of Jesus Belle has been forgiven all of her sins. So when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, Belle was given a foretaste of her own resurrection on the last day. “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” Because Christ has risen from the dead, Belle will also rise from the dead, and therefore death has been defeated by Jesus Christ.

That is our certain hope! Death is a tragedy, death is a terrible thing, it rightly fills us with sorrow and anguish. For death is unnatural. In death a human being is ripped in two. Belle’s soul was taken to the Lord in heaven, and Belle’s body is resting here in this casket, soon to be laid to rest in a grave. Belle is in heaven, and Belle is right there. We’re glad that her soul is with the Lord, but her soul should be in her body and she should also be with us, and that’s painful to bear. So our hope is not just that Belle’s soul is in heaven now, but our hope is that when Jesus returns on the last day, He will raise her from the dead so that she shall live, body and soul, with us and with God in the new heavens and the new earth forever!

Belle may have persevered for 99 years here on earth, but through the death and resurrection of Jesus Belle will also persevere in paradise for eternity! In that way, Belle is not dead, but asleep, and she will awaken from the grave and live an even fuller and more active life than the one she has already lived. In fact, the reason she lived such an active and hardworking life on earth is because of the new life that has been given to her from God. She’s like old Simeon, who “was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel.” Through faith, she received hope and consolation through receiving Jesus Himself. 

Therefore, Belle was given a blessed and holy death. Laying there on her bed, she was unafraid of dying, because she was filled with certain hope from the Lord that she would be awakened from the dead, and her death would not be the end. Though her final days were uncomfortable on earth and she was agitated at times, her faith in Jesus filled her with peace. She shared Simeon’s words: “Lord, now you are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” 

Because of this faith and hope which filled her heart, she worked hard to be sure that her family had the same hope. She knew death would separate us all eventually, but she didn’t want death to separate her from her loved ones forever. She made sure her children were baptized and raised in the faith because she loved them, and wanted to spend eternity with them. She desired the same for her many grandchildren. She wanted them all baptized and going to church because she wants to spend eternity with them, she wants to spend eternity with you. 

Belle is a wonderful example for us, and so let us follow her example of faith, and hope on the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course we are all plagued by sins and death, so let us humble ourselves like Belle, and receive the gift of everlasting life from Jesus, so that like Belle we may depart this life in peace. Though you have not yet seen the Lord Jesus, love Him and believe in Him. Follow the example of Belle and rejoice in the Lord with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, because through faith in Him, you will obtain the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.