Granny's Gone Home Part 3

Granny's Gone Home Part 3

Funeral Service of Lois Margaret Wiggs Walker

As I spoke with Granny about her desire for me to do her funeral, she made clear her wish for me to preach the gospel. John 3:16 was one of her favorite verses and it describes very much what she wants all of us to hear.

The gospel is clearly expressed in John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We all are born into this world sinful. The Bible says that because of our sin, we deserve an eternity in hell (Romans 6:23). Because God is just, He cannot let sin go unpunished. However out of His infinite mercy, God sent His only son to be the perfect sacrifice and take the punishment for our sins. “He that knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (Galatians 5:21) So, if anyone, no matter what you’ve done, believes in Jesus Christ, your sins will be paid for by Him and you will be made a child of God and spend an eternity with Him in heaven. This faith is manifested by a surrendered life.

There is nothing that would bring Granny more joy than for her to grab your face with her hand and to kiss greet you to her new home in heaven.

Two weeks ago, at the end of our conversation, I read some verses about what Heaven will ultimately look like after Jesus returns. As I read these words, her tired and sick face was aglow, as she contemplated such grandeur as articulated in Revelation 21:1-7:

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
I asked her what excites her most about heaven, and she said with a smile, “it will be incredible to see God.” Now Granny has no more arthritis, or Gout, or hip problems. Her back is not sore, and her congestive heart failure is no more. She no longer has difficulty seeing and now there are no longer any tears or pain. She stands in the presence of Christ the King and is experiencing the beauty and majesty of worshiping Him in a place without sin. As good as 311 Raby Avenue was, this was not her resting place, this was not her ultimate destination. She was an alien and a stranger, as all Christians are in this world are and now she has gone where she is supposed to be. In the words of Jesus Christ:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."

On Saturday, Margaret Walker went to this place through her faith in Jesus Christ. On Saturday our hearts and worlds were filled with hurt and longing, but on Saturday, Granny went to a place that she always dreamt of. She went to a location that her whole life foreshadowed. On Saturday, April 21st, in the peek of her favorite season, Granny, Lois Margaret Wiggs Walker, went Home!

Granny's Gone Home Part 2

Granny's Gone Home Part 2
Funeral Service of Lois Margaret Wiggs Walker

Lois Margaret Wiggs was born to John Henry and Lois Wiggs in Chattanooga, TN on Dec. 30, 1923 and had one sister Ruth. In her journal, she said that her parents were strict on honesty and punctuality. Both of these character qualities were ones she embodied. She had a very happy child hood and her parents engrained in her a love for three things that would characterize her life: Family, Jesus Christ, and Sports. Her father taught her much about athletics, she said, because he never had a son. In God’s providence how fitting it was that she had that preparation for raising 4 sports obsessed boys. She has said that her father taught her integrity, sincerity, and that she must keep her promises. Her mother, on the other hand instilled in her a deep commitment to family, God, and Church. She said that they both taught her to love Jesus and to live out the Christianity that she believed.

Granny met her life-long lover, friend, and spouse at a church event in Nashville, TN. She met William Karl Walker of Sparta, Tennessee who was a handsome, bright-eyed, charismatic 20 year old man. She has written that some of their favorite date activities were going to the movies and being involved with the Church Youth Group. Their courtship lasted 15 months and they desired to get married. She remarked that her parents tried to talk them out of it until she finished her nursing degree at her college in Arkansas. However, love was in the air and eventually, young Bill professed this to her. She replied to him, “how much do you love me?” He said, “enough to ask you to marry me!” This was the smooth proposal of a life long romance. She was married at 18 and said that most people told her that she shouldn’t get married, but it was the best decision she made. She said, “we grew up together. He was the love of my life.” After they were married, they spent two nights in Chattanooga and then it was off to Detroit, MI in order for Papa to work at an Aircraft plant. She wrote that “as a young wife, I tried to be a good cook; do whatever he liked—movies sports.”

After a short time in MI, they would hear Tennessee playing their song and would return to spend the rest of their life here. They had a wonderful marriage of companionship and a love for common values. They spent their adult years raising 5 children: Johnny, Billy, Tommy, Harold, and Peggy. All of them with very different personalities, but all possess the “stubbornness of their daddy.” She was so proud of them all. They were her life. She loved them, taught them, cheered for them, prayed for them, and always hoped the best for them. She spent her nights and weekends going from football field to gym to baseball diamond. She loved her kids unconditionally. While we all love her five children, let me state the obvious. At times they are not the easiest of people to love. All of them made mistakes, as did her grandkids, but she always welcomed them home and always forgave them. Only the Lord knows how many hours she spent pleading to our Heavenly Father on our behalves. She loved her daughter n’ laws and son ‘n law like children and loved bragging to everyone she knew about her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Margaret Walker was a simple woman. She blended in, rather than stood out in the crowd. She was always content to be in the background, pushing her children and husband to the forefront. I suffice it to say that I have never met a more selfless woman in all my life. She never bought things for herself, she bought them for you. She didn’t need the spotlight and did not want it. Today we honor this lady who never received any personal awards or accolades. Her resume consists of only one job—homemaker. Her legacy is you and I. In her journal, she remarks that her greatest values were God and her family, and she lived this. To speak of Margaret Walker, is to speak of one of the most pious and Godly women that have graced this earth. Over the past couple of days, we looked through her worn out Bibles to find numerous “Read through the Bible in a year” lists checked off. Every morning, she prayed through a prayer list, mentioning her children by name. She was the spiritual pillar of our family, always encouraging our spiritual life, and she gave much of her time and ministry to First Baptist Church Shelbyville, where she loved being an active part of Sunday school and straightening out the pastors that came through the pipe. She was not a woman of many words, but her spiritual wells were deep.

Two weeks ago, I brought my first born son home to meet his Granny and prayed that the Lord would bless us with a wonderful time of fellowship and indeed He did. When everyone had left for the night, I stayed to spend time alone with her. I grabbed her Bible and asked her if I could read to her and pray with her. She told me that her favorite book of the Bible was Proverbs. I asked her why she liked it so much, and she said because it gives clear practical wisdom about how to live. While she came to Christ at a young age, she spent the rest of her life trying to apply the wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs to her life. The neat thing about the Word of God is that it is living and active and sharper than any double edged sword, and the more that a Christian reads it, the more it transforms their lives. What is neat about the book of Proverbs is that it ends its last chapter, chapter 31, with a description of a virtuous or Godly woman. The woman that poured over this and other books of the Bible embodied the character of this woman. Listen to these words penned by King Solomon under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Proverbs 31

10 [c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate

Today, we honor a Proverbs 31 woman and give her praise and to the God who formed and fashioned her.