Living well

I walked into the after-church missionary luncheon and there was an elderly lady with a name tag that read “Jean” sitting at the front of the room. She was going through photo slides of the work being done off the coast of Mexico in the Yucatan Peninsula. Jean and her husband Dave had started a seminary and had been actively involved in church planting for the EPC for decades. Dave taught homiletics and theology while Jean taught piano in the music school.

            Over the past year, Dave had gotten sick. After going into the hospital he found out he had cancer and two weeks later died. At the persistent request of a friend, Jean had traveled to the United States and was spending a couple weeks visiting churches and family that supported Dave and Jean in their ministry work. That’s how Jean got to our church.

            After the slide show of skeleton church buildings, smiling faces, palm trees and hard-working seminary students, Jean sat at our table towards the end of lunch. We learned that Jean had graduated from Wheaton, how her and Dave first met in the Yucatan as students both doing missionary work, and that the best time to visit the Yucatan is anytime.

Then a woman at our table asked Jean how she was really doing with Dave gone. Without missing a beat, Jean smiled and said she was doing fine. Her response was assured and filled with peace, not flippant or dodgy. She went on, Dave had always said he didn’t want to retire until the Lord retired him. The week before he was diagnosed they drove a long way to visit a niece who had just had a baby and been diagnosed with breast cancer. They had wanted to visit this family for years, but never made the long trek. This year, Dave said he wanted to go, so they went. He prayed with his niece and her newborn. Then they drove back and the next day he found out his diagnosis. Jean said he was ministering to the end. During the two weeks between diagnosis and death, Dave wanted to have his students over. Seven young seminary students came over that week to their home. Dave taught them for five hours and Jean showed us a picture of Dave sitting in the middle of the seven Mexican pastors-in-training. I wonder what class was like that day. Jean repeated: Dave didn’t want to retire until the Lord retired him.

            Jean described the last days with Dave with a smile on her face. She had peace in Dave’s death because of how Dave had lived. She found joy in remembering that Dave had done exactly what he wanted to do. He had visited, prayed, taught and ministered to others just as he had been doing for years. He had been translating books into Spanish for the seminary and his students. During those last two weeks he commented to Jean there was so much more he wanted to do, but after his death Jean marveled at all the works he had translated. She said the Lord retired him. The work the Lord had for him was done.

            There were three memorial services for Dave. He had been a prominent leader in the presbytery, seminary, and local churches. People drove from hours away. Jean played the piano for all three services and planned the third, final family service. She said it wasn’t hard to play for his services, “it’s easy to do what you want to do.”

            As we reflected on how many people came to Dave’s services and how far some had to travel, tears welled up in Jean’s eyes for the first time in our conversation. We commented on how many lives Dave had influenced, encouraged, and pointed to Christ. That’s what brought tears to Jean’s eyes. She was confident in the Lord’s timing, she was steadfast with hope in the midst of Dave’s death, and she was at peace with her loss, but she was moved by the meaningful impact of Dave’s life on others.

            Eugene Peterson wrote, “We cannot live well if we are not preparing to die well.” Dave died well and in hearing about his death I know he lived well for the glory of Christ.