Beatrice Louise Wright
Bea was a fairly unassuming woman and yet I know her reach was far. I remember when I first arrived here I got to know her and her brother Bill together. They would always walk in together and though our conversations were short I could always tell there was a joy in being here. By this time she had stepped away from many of her ministries, but I slowly started to hear about the crafts and things she used to make with the kids at Messy Church, or I would see Theo playing with the Bible characters she had made, or I would hear from Tom or Bruce how she sang in the choir. Then in the last few weeks, I’ve heard about the gifts that she gave, the drawings, the generosity and kindness. Yet, I never heard any of this from her. To me she was quiet and yet her handprints were all over this place. She was a great example of what humility can mean and do. Even now that humble unassuming work remains and in more than one way her love and ministries live on.
You may or may not know, but the last few months of her life were not the easiest. As she went into the hospital it felt like to me she lost herself a little. I didn’t even recognize her at first. I can’t imagine what this was like for her, but I know it was hard on many of those closest to her.
Like so many times before we cry out why? We might cry out as Martha did about Lazarus, “Jesus if only you were here he wouldn’t have died” or she wouldn’t have had to go through it. Yet, like Lazarus’ and Jesus’ death and suffering, we must trust that God had a purpose for all of it. We must trust that God is a just and loving God that would not let his faithful servant end like that. We must believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Ultimately, we must trust that death is not the end. We must trust that just as Jesus entered into death and was raised to new life, so will his faithful followers. As Jesus says, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”. We might see death now, but in Jesus Christ, there is always life. Even as her handprints in this church or our memories remind us that there is still more to come.
Today, we heard two great hopes. First, we heard from Jesus a kind of parable about death. A seed must die and be planted before it can bear fruit. This was especially true for Jesus Christ, but since we live in Jesus it can also be true for us. This tells us that somehow even in death Bea is still working to bear fruit. Maybe it is in this place, maybe it is in you, maybe it's through her work and prayers with Christ. Either way, we should ask how can her life and work bear fruit in our life? How can her work and faith carry on in us?
Our second hope is both for us and for Bea. At the last supper, Jesus told his disciples that he is going to die, be raised, and go to his Father. This would have been hard for any of them to hear, but Jesus tells them it is for their good. There are many reasons why it is good, but today we hear it is because he is going to prepare a place for us. This means that Jesus has been preparing a place for his faithful sister Bea and now he finally gets to welcome her home, to a place that is just for her. A place as grand as she is humble.
He is also going to prepare a place for us. He wants to welcome us into a place of our own too, but we have to be faithful in following him and seeking him out. Jesus will not take us where we are not willing to go. That is why the humble service that we can see in Bea’s life is so important because it comes with it both a willingness to act and follow why putting God first. We would do well to look at her unassuming joy, the way she served without seeking commendation, her gentle love, care, accompaniment, and worship. As she still lives in Christ, so can these things live a new in us. AMEN
