Good morning. This day can be one of sadness and despair but I am reminded from the start of Psalm 30:5 which tells us, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Here we are at the celebration of life service of someone we loved with all our heart. And we may wonder how we can say this is a celebration. But I think that Ruby would want this service to be a joyous day of celebrating her life, reminiscing about how she touched every person here today, either directly or indirectly. I know she certainly brought light to my life.
The morning after her surgeries, I went to visit with her and pray for her in the ICU. She was so jovial just like always. Always glad to see you. Laughing and joking around. I could tell she was feeling pretty good. But little did either of us know that God had a different plan for Ruby than what we expected at that moment. We wanted her well and enjoying life. But if we look at all of this from God’s point of view, she IS well and enjoying eternal life in a place that is so beautiful, we can’t even describe it with our limited words.
You see, whenever we pray and ask God for help, He answers that prayer in ways that we can’t fully understand. But this I know, God always answers in a way that is far better than what we even ask for.
I have spoken many times on the subject of heaven. I thought it might be good for us to be reminded how beautiful heaven must be. I thought that maybe we can get just a glimpse of what Ruby is experiencing right now. There’s a beautiful old hymn titled In The Garden that gives us that glimpse.
The inspiration for this hymn comes from John 20:1-18. This passage was recorded on what we refer to as Easter Sunday morning. Mary Magdalene came to the empty tomb and looked in and saw two angels in the tomb. One asked her why she was crying. She said because they have taken away my Lord and I don’t know where they have put him.”
She turned to see someone whom she finally recognized as Jesus. He tells her not to cling to Him but to go and tell the disciples what she has seen.
Austin Miles wrote the song IN THE GARDEN. He said he imagined the vision of Mary Magdalene meeting the risen Christ in the garden and wrote this hymn as an interpretation of that encounter. He said, “It was though I was in a trance, as I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life, when she knelt before her Lord and cried, “Rabboni”. I rested my hands on the open Bible, as I stared at the light blue wall.
As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. It was Mary. As she came unto the tomb, upon which she placed her hand, she bent over to look in, and ran away.
John, in a flowing robe, appeared looking at the tomb. Then came Peter, who entered the tomb, followed slowly by John. As they departed, Mary reappeared leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing there, so did I. I knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched, and looking into His face cried, “Rabboni”.
I awakened in sunlight, gripping my Bible with my muscles tense, and nerves vibrating. I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the lyrics exactly as it is sung today."
This Easter story is the basis of the faith that we have today. It’s our hope. Without Jesus’ resurrection, we have no hope beyond the grave. We come this morning to celebrate and acknowledge this foundation of our faith. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is historically reliable. Sources outside of the Bible tell us that something happened on that Sunday morning. Many of those sources are unwilling to admit the resurrection, but they admit something happened on that day that changed the world. Because of the resurrection, the church came into existence and the church turned that world upside down. That’s why we’re here today.
Ruby knew and had this hope. I can only imagine what she would think about as she sang the words to the song. Let’s go there for a moment.
“I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses.” Ruby closes her eyes here in this temporary life and she opens them (Just a blink of the eye) to experience the most beautiful garden she has ever seen. I am sure she has seen some of the most beautiful flowers and plants that God could create. But they’re nothing in comparison to what she is seeing now.
She is alone. In quietness of the early morning. The dew hasn’t evaporated yet. She strolls through this beautiful place and probably is saying to herself, “I knew it would be beautiful, but I have never seen beauty like this. Colors I have never seen before. Human words can’t even describe it. But I’m here. I made it.”
The song continues, And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. Suddenly, in the midst of the calm quietness, she hears a comforting voice. It’s the voice of Jesus. What does He say? The song doesn’t say. But I imagine that Jesus says what He said many times so that people would not be alarmed. “Shalom. Peace be with you. Let not your heart be troubled. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” So, Ruby’s heart is at rest. Nothing to fear.
“He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing. And the melody that He gave to me within my heart is ringing.” In the quietness of the garden of heaven, the birds softly are chirping. But then she hears Jesus speaking. All the birds hush as He speaks. It reminds me of when Jesus told the raging sea, “Peace, Be still.” And the sea became calm. Ruby’s heart is calmed because for some reason, just the sound of Jesus’ voice is like a melody in her heart.
“And He walks with me and He talks with me. And He tells me I am His own.” All of the promises that Ruby read about in the Bible, all the promises she heard taught and preached all her life about how once she accepted Christ, He was HER Savior, all is confirmed as Jesus assures her that she is His.
“And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.” Now, there have been many joyful times in Ruby’s life—when she met, fell in love and married, the birth of her children, the joyful times with her grandchildren as well as with other family and all her friends. These were indeed joyful times that we all remember and cherish. But the joy that she feels now as she stands face-to-face with her Jesus, can’t be compared to anything that any of us have ever known.
In all of this, I wonder, as Ruby knew her time of departure was drawing near, did she reminisce about walking through the flower fields of her life here and enjoying the beautiful flowers and plants, inhaling the fragrant aromas of God’s creation. I think that is a very good possibility. And in her mind, I am sure she thanked God for such beauty, for such peace and tranquility.
The song continues and says, “I’d stay in the garden with Him, though the night around me be falling, but He bids me go through a voice of woe, His voice to me is calling.” And there it is. She would stay forever in that state of mind, in that beautiful garden worshiping her Lord but the Lord decided it was now time.
And in that time, Jesus spoke to Ruby’s heart and assured her that He had a much more beautiful place than this, a place that is beyond whatever she could imagine. All was ready and waiting upon her arrival. So, He called her name and told her, it’s time. Come on home. And I have a feeling that when Ruby closed her eyes here on April 24th, 2023 and opened them in eternity, she probably said, “What was I waiting for.” And so, she didn’t hesitate to go and began her eternal life with her Savior.
Ruby is now experiencing what she has lived and longed for most of her life. And for that, we should celebrate today. Her faith in Jesus has taken her to a place where she no longer needs faith. She doesn’t need faith in Jesus or in heaven any longer because now, she sees it for herself. She knows it’s real. But we should cling to our faith, because until we get there, we live by faith just as she did.
Then through our faith, times with the Lord are described here in this song: “And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever know.”
Joy now, joy even in the middle of the night, and joy forevermore.
Ruby will forever be remembered as the hard-working loving mother, sweet grandma and caring sister who always enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends.
Ruby, we love you and want the best for you. So, we say farewell for now, realizing that this is only a temporary separation until we join you again in God’s time.
Now, let’s here the words of this song as we can only imagine what Ruby is seeing for herself, first hand, in the garden.
Prayer
