Mary

“...I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:24)

Mary Thomas, a very good friend, has gone to be with the Lord.  She was 89-years young at the time of her transition, and was just three months younger than my mother.  Both were from New England, which bonded them.  The two of them (Mary and my mother) were close for many years.  Mary and I developed into good friends during the past fifteen years, and she became my wife Genevieve’s friend as well.  We miss her.

Mary was what you might call a “charter member” of the Friday Study Ministries’ Prayer Team, and she performed her “Pray For Those People” function often and with great belief in the power and reality of prayer.  She was a wonderful supporter in every way.

When Friday Study Ministries was being approved as a church, the U.S. federal Internal Revenue Service did not require an ordination certificate, but the State of California did.  I had never thought about being “ordained” quite frankly, but it was suddenly an unexpected requirement in becoming approved as a church.  We wanted to be a real “church” for the quadriplegics and others who want to be in church, but can’t.  Many can turn on the computer, but have difficulty going to buildings.  We want to be real for them.

We went to my church to ask about California’s requirement, and the ordination eventually happened, with Mary encouraging all the way.  She was one of those who was always there, behind the scenes, supporting those God had placed upon her heart.  When ordination finally happened, there was Mary, saying, “Come on, let’s go to the Bible bookstore!”  She ignored my “Why…” are we going there? and when we arrived, she asked the clerk, “Where are the communion kits?”  Like ordination, a communion kit was something I had never really thought about before.

She bought one for me and then purchased something else I never thought about or expected: A small silver tube which contains anointing oil, scented with frankincense and myrrh.  The communion kit has been used many, many times, and I often remember that it came from the heart of Mary.  It’s the same with the anointing oil, which has gone with me to Israel, Cancun, and many places within the United States, including a lot of bedside settings in hospitals for those who need prayer.

The oil, of course, represents the Holy Spirit of God, as Mary knew, which is seen in such places as Zechariah 4:6 & context, where the prophet was discussing the bowl with lamps inside Israel’s temple, fed by oil from olive trees.  He concluded his commentary with the statement, “Not by might nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”  The frankincense and myrrh foretold the Lord Jesus Christ’s death, for they were scented substances used to anoint the dead, and they were two of the costly gifts presented to Him after His birth (Matthew 2:11 & context).  When someone is anointed with oil, we are inviting God to come to their life in the Person of the Holy Spirit and of the Son of God.  We are asking, in the form of the scented oil, that HEALING might come to their lives.

When Mary was in the hospital before her death, my wife, Genevieve, Mary and I took communion together, and Mary was anointed with that oil.  It was an opportunity to thank her for that kit and for the dispenser of oil.  Communion, by the way, is a visual expression of salvation – we are showing the world that we belong to Him who died for our sins, was resurrected from the dead and is ALIVE forevermore, ready to SAVE those who trust in the Lord.  When Mary was anointed, we acknowledged that she is the Lord’s, and prayed that she might be healed.  And, of course, she now is healed of all pain and sorrow; now and forever.  It was God’s will that she be with Him and she is safe with her Savior and Lord.

Mary’s favorite song is “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” a reference to the strong Arms of God her Savior; and indeed, she did lean upon Him.  A favorite Scripture of hers was John 11:24 – “...I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  The words in that verse are those of Martha, the sister of Lazarus, who was stunned at the death of her brother, Lazarus, but she knew he would arise “in the resurrection at the last day,” as Mary Thomas also knew.  Jesus’ reply to Martha has been a tremendous comfort to millions: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”  And of course, Lazarus, Martha, and our Mary Thomas, who had rich faith in the Lord, will live – forever!

Her beloved nephew, Chuck, told me she loved something called, “I shall not pass,” which I found on an internet site under the title, “I Shall Not pass This Way Again,” by a French-born Quaker Minister named Stephen Grellet.  It is as follows:

“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do, Or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”  Mary did good things for people, living Stephen Grellet’s words.  To be “Christian” is really to be a “friend” to God and to your fellow man.  Mary was certainly a friend to my mother, to Genevieve and to me.

Mary lived Stephen Grellet’s quote, but she was also very human like the rest of us.  She had a temper and would grumble about something that displeased her.  Note that her life was not perfect.  She never married, though she came from a generation where marriage was encouraged.  She grew weaker in her last years and knew what pain was all about.  She was a Registered Nurse and understood her condition, often more than her doctors did.  She was not afraid to tell them, either.  Her last days were spent with morphine patches and she was allergic to morphine, suggesting that her pain was very great.

I think you’ll like Mary and you will meet her someday.  All you have to do is place your faith in Jesus Christ.  Believe in Him and you SHALL have eternal life, which will give you plenty of time to meet Martha, Lazarus and Mary Thomas.  You’ll be glad you did.  You’ll especially like meeting the Lord.

Father, we give our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and let us know the peace of God.  We trust in You now.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchontheNet.org
www.BlessedHands.org
E-mail: Ron@FridayStudy.org
Tel: (562) 688-5559
PO Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)