Sermons
A Widow's Might
A WIDOW'S MIGHT
Sermon By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / October 06, 2019
Our annual FallFest will be next Sunday afternoon from 3-6pm.
Our current Sunday morning sermon series, The Way Of Salvation, is about to make a pivot.
For several weeks now we've been addressing steps to salvation, or how we get into Christ.
In the weeks ahead, I want us to turn our attention from how we get into Christ,
to how we can emulate Christ Jesus and walk in Him daily so as to be pleasing to God.
We lost a dear sister in Christ recently. Nellie Trent passed away in SJH on Monday, September 16th
and her body was laid to rest two weeks ago on today on September 22nd, in the Trent Family
Cemetery - - a rustic but beautiful setting on a steep hilltop near the town of Gilbert, WV.
We are confident that Nellie's spirit has gone on to dwell in an even more beautiful realm - -
eternal life in the presence of the Lord with a throng of others whose lives were anchored in Christ Jesus.
This morning, as we prepare to shift gears with our sermon theme, I want to pause and reflect.
Nellie's life in Christ was quite remarkable.
She has left behind a legacy of faithfulness to the Lord that lives on.
As the famous composer Ira Gershwin has written, “the song is ended but the melody lingers on...”
Only a handful from among us were able to attend Nellie's funeral.
Nellie came to us about six years ago - - she is Betty's sister, but she quickly became a dear sister to all of us.
She integrated into our church family about as quickly and thoroughly as anyone I've known.
I'm hoping that these reflections in our gathering this morning will not only provide us with some closure,
but also serve to help us all think more deeply about eternity - - not just Nellie's but our own.
Our songs this morning were chosen by Nellie's family - - some of her favorite hymns.
During our luncheon, immediately following our worship, we will enjoy a slideshow that will feature
photographs from Nellie's life. We will also take a little time to offer brief testimonials about Nellie's life.
Be thinking: how to describe Nellie in a few words?
Numerous times in the New Testament we read of Paul encouraging others with words like:
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ (1Cor.11:1).
In Philip.4:9, he wrote, the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things.
In a recent Sunday AM Bible class we discussed the importance of being a good example to others.
We had some lively discussion.
Although we know what Paul meant, most of us have a hard time saying to others, “Imitate ME!”.
Such an exhortation seems to go against the grain of how we've been raised.
It sounds too braggadocio and seems to run contrary to being humble.
Nellie would have been the first among us to say, “I'm not a perfect example.”
But Nellie's life, although not perfect (none of us are), is WORTHY OF OUR IMITATION.
Nellie would likely take umbrage with my sermon title, A Widow's Might.
Some of you are thinking I misspelled MITE (KJV version of “two copper coins “/ Mk.12:43).
No, I meant MIGHT - - although I am employing a play on words (pun).
Nellie was a woman of great strength (not muscle per se, but FORTITUDE), but her strength was rooted in Christ.
In 2Cor.12:10, the apostle Paul wrote: I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am WEAK, then I am STRONG.
Few of us will ever comprehend the full scope of the challenges that Nellie faced in life.
She was born with a severe deformity that left her highly susceptible to all-manner of ailments, yet she
defied the odds and battled on for eight decades. She passed away just a few days shy of her 85th birthday.
The amazing thing about Nellie was not that she accumulated such a large number of days (many do that).
The noteworthy thing about her life is that she was real keen about “numbering her days”.
i.e., making each day count for good and for God - - in keeping with that ever-so-important
concept verbalized long ago in a prayer uttered by Moses, (Ps.90:10 & 12) - -
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years...
So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.
Nellie Trent was not shy about speaking the truth.
In a world where many obfuscate (dance around the truth or straddle the fence), she was a breathe of fresh air.
There was no beating around the bush. She was often frank and straight-forward - - very plainspoken.
She called it like she saw it, an approach that stirred a measure of trepidation among some family and friends.
But Nellie was also kind and compassionate.
I'm convinced that her earnest aim was always “to speak the truth in love” (Eph.4:15),
but sometimes her zeal for the word of God and for truth and morality caused her to be a hard-charger.
Quite often, however, Nellie would circle back to assure others that her LOVE was that which drove her.
I suspect that not a few of us had been on the receiving end of one of her sweet calls:
“I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn; I don't mean to cause trouble”, or something like that.
Her humility seemed to always trump her candor and her forthrightness.
We often heard her say, “I may not be right, but this is what I think.”
Being TOUGH and TENDER is a rare combination of traits, and we would be wise
to imitate Nellie and our Lord Jesus in cultivating that refreshing combo.
Nellie loved the Word of God and the study of the Word.
She always came to our assemblies with her Bible in hand ready, willing and eager to discuss the Scriptures.
She was well aware of the goal - - not just being a student of the Word, but also a doer of the Word (Js.1:22).
Nellie hated to miss a church assembly. She loved the church of our Lord.
There were many times when she felt ill (not contagious) or worn out, but she seldom missed a gathering.
If you missed due to an illness, there was a strong likelihood that you received a phone call, am I right?
Nellie not only loved going to church, but she wanted everybody to love the same.
She loved our Lord Jesus.
I think I can safely say that the aim of her life was to follow after Jesus in both word and deed.
Only God knows how many souls she influenced - -
to not only die with Christ in baptism, but to live for Christ in their daily lives.
There's a song that we plan to sing often in the second phase of our current sermon series:
Let The Beauty Of Jesus Be Seen In Me.
Nellie was dedicated to the Lord and she was bent on doing God's word and building up His church.
Nellie was the salt of the earth and the light of the world the that Jesus charged us to be (Mt.5:13f).
My wife Jeannie often referred to her as “Sweet Nellie”.
In 2Cor.2:14, another passage we will reference in our upcoming sermons,
Paul reminds us: we are a fragrance of Christ.
Our sister in Christ, Nellie Trent, had a sweet aroma about her - - it was the fragrance of Christ.
One last thing - - Nellie was so nurturing and mindful of others.
I'm not sure how everything works “up there”, but I'm hopeful that in that heavenly realm above
she'll be able to continue praying for us all as she did so often while her feet were planted on earth.
For many years she was a widow. She was a precious widow, a godly widow - - a “widow indeed”,
one who had fixed her hope on God and continued in entreaties night and day (1Tim.5:5).
We will miss Nellie more than we can say.
Her song is now silent, but her melody lingers on.
Let us determine to pick up that melody and continue onward and upward,
imitating Nellie as she imitated Christ the Lord.
Perhaps later today you might opine how different it was to come to Sunday AM worship and hear a eulogy.
May this eulogy - - words of praise for a life well-lived - - ring in our ears for a long time to come.
Physically, Nellie is gone from our midst, but spiritually she still speaks (Heb.11:4).
May her good life encourage each one of us to follow in the steps of Jesus.
Our Heavenly Father,
Thank You for loaning us Nellie.
We are grateful that You blessed her with a long life. And Lord, our Cortland Church
family is especially thankful to You for bringing her our way these past few years.
May these reflections on Nellie's life remind us to aim to do as Nellie did - - as Moses prayed - -
to number our days so that we might present to You a heart of wisdom.
Help us to cherish every new day and to make the most of each day in service to You and others.
Be with all of Nellie's family. Comfort all of them and ease their heartaches.
In spite of our sadness over Nellie's passing, strengthen us that we might rest with joy in her victory.
Bless us all that we might dwell on the good things we see in our dear brothers and sisters.
Continue to teach us through their words and deeds for long years to come.
We praise You. We laud Your Name. Thank You for the gift of grace that comes to us through Christ Jesus.
From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
