Beeson podcast, Episode 455 Homilies in Honor of James Earl Massey July 30, 2019 https://beesondivinity.com/podcast/2019/Massey-Homilies Announcer: Welcome to the Beeson podcast, coming to you from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Now your host, Timothy George. Timothy George: Welcome to today's Beeson podcast. Today we want to take you to a service that took place on July the 7th, 2018, one year ago at the Metropolitan Church of God in Detroit, Michigan. It is the service of homegoing, of celebration, and praise to God for the life of our dear friend Doctor James Earl Massey, who had left this world for a better one. Timothy George: Now, every now and then in your life, Doctor Smith, you come across somebody who is just to describe. And they have such a profound influence on you that is transformative, it changes your life. Doctor Massey was that way to both of us and both you and I were privileged to be a part of an assembly of ministers who gathered in Detroit at the Metropolitan Church of God, a church that Doctor Massey had founded himself, back in the early 1950s and served as pastor for many years there before he went on to be the dean of the Anderson University School of Theology, dean of the Chapel at Tuskegee University, dear friend and formative influence on Beeson Divinity School. Timothy George: And so we both went and shared our perspective and we're going to hear what you and I said at that service along with a third excerpt we're going to play from Bishop Vernon G. Lambe, who first met Doctor Massey when Doctor Massey was in his early twenties on the island of Bermuda. And he said something to him in the middle of the road that turned his life around. He's going to tell that story. So take us back to that service and what it was like to be there, sharing in the memorial service for our beloved friend, our mentor, Doctor James Earl Massey. Robert Smith Jr: Dean George you were one of several persons to give a eulogy in honor of Doctor Massey. I appreciated your eulogy because you didn't quote from a book that Doctor Massey had written, you quoted from the life of Doctor Massey. You knew Doctor Massey and you shared various experiences that you had with him. I appreciated your outline, very clear and logically progressive. James Earl Massey, the voice. James Earl Massey, the preacher and that he elevated preaching and was not ostentatious about it. James Earl Massey, the friend. And then you gave a very fitting, encouraging conclusion, which was a product of sanctified imagination. You said that there were three things you believe that Heaven would say when Doctor Massey went through the Pearly Gates. That Heaven would say, through the voice of God, “Grieve not. Second of all, press on. Third of all, look up.” It was an affirmative conclusion and you said, using sanctified imagination, “All of the angels stood up when James Earl Massey came home.” What encouragement and what truth to conclude your eulogy. Timothy George: Doctor Smith, your own message was also powerful. You had one phrase in which you summed up a very important point about Doctor Massey, tell us that. Robert Smith Jr: My phrase was, and this was the phrase that was the spine for my remarks, “One may never know the significant of a moment until that moment becomes a memory.” So I move from a moment to a memory and concluded with majesty. Those were the points that served as the sermonic route of my remarks. Timothy George: We're going to listen to what I said and what you said and then also what Bishop Vernon Lambe from Bermuda, he's the General Overseer of the First Church of God, Bermuda, pastor of the Chapel of the Anointing, a wonderful minister of the gospel whose life had been powerfully shaped by James Earl Massey. Say a word about Bishop Lambe. Robert Smith Jr: Bishop Lambe helps us to see that Doctor Massey had an immeasurable impact on his life and on the lives of others. I think the key to his remarks was not so much what he said but what we were able to see. He and so many people from Bermuda came to Detroit because they wanted to meet and see the man who had shaped Bishop Lambe, Doctor Massey saw him fighting over a motorbike in the streets of Bermuda and said to him, “Young man, do you want to waste your life in the streets, or do you want to accomplish what God's call is for you on your life? Come see me tomorrow, I'll show you how to get to America.” And, sure enough, Bishop Lambe came to America, stayed with the Masseys, and the product that was produced is now history, we see it. What's so encouraging in the thought analysis is the way he also ended the message with an affirmative conclusion, in that he says to us that, right now, we're mourning, but I thank God for the morning. Timothy George: The morning is coming. Weeping may last for a season. Robert Smith Jr: But joy. Timothy George: In the morning. Robert Smith Jr: Yes, sir. Timothy George: Let's go to the Metropolitan Church of God, Detroit, Michigan, July the 7th, 2018, and listen as we think and talk about our beloved friend, now in Heaven, Doctor James Earl Massey. Timothy George: James Earle Massey, a voice. Before I knew Doctor Massey as a person I heard him as a voice. I was a student at Harvard Divinity School and he was the preacher for the Christian Brotherhood Hour. In those days Harvard did not have preaching in the curriculum, they didn't think we needed it. But some of us knew we did, and we found in that strong resonant voice of James Earl Massey somebody who could not only tell us about preaching but model it. His diction was perfect, his use of the English language majestic, his style lively and engaging but never marked by ostentation. “Wow!”, I said, “I wish I could preach like that.” Timothy George: James Earl Massey, the preacher. On three separate occasions he presented the William E. Conger, Jr. Lectures on Biblical Preaching at Beeson Divinity School. The last time, when Doctor John Stott fell ill and could not come, I called Doctor Massey and asked if, on short notice, he could do this task. “Yes, Dean George,” he said, “I will be honored to do so and I want you to know, I will have fresh material.” Doctor Massey never served leftovers. He always had fresh material. The bread of life, baked fresh in the oven of prayer, because he knew that preaching was not a performance it was a deliverance. And like Howard Thurman and Gardner Taylor, his friends and mentors, he elevated preaching by his presence. Powerful, pungent, filled with insight and conviction. He did not peddle the word of God, but he handled it with dignity and depth and the decorum that it deserved. Timothy George: James Earl Massey, the statesman. For some years we served together as senior editors of Christianity Today. Whenever we had a problem, some difficult issue we were wrestling with we would talk and talk and then it would grow silent and we would wait for Doctor Massey to say something, and when he spoke we listened. He was a statesman. And today, in a world of polarized politics, with the raucous right and the loony left and the mushy middle, we need a voice and a presence of a statesman like James Earl Massey. He knew the color line had been washed away in the blood of Jesus. He knew there was neither male nor female, bond or free, we were one. Timothy George: James Earl Massey, the friend. Today, Facebook has inflated friendship. People have thousands of friends they've never met. And you can unfriend somebody with a push of a button. But James Earl Massey was a real friend. He knew every person, made in the image of God, was precious in the sight of God and deserved respect. James Earl Massey was a friend, was a friend to me, friend to so many of you. He walked beside us, he shared our sorrows as well as our joys. We love him, we miss him. Timothy George: I don't know in Heaven if the beloved people there can see what's going on here, what's going on, but if in the Providence of God, the curtain could be lifted for just a second and he could speak to us here at Metropolitan Church of God today, I think he would say three things. I think he would say, grieve not as those who have no hope. We grieve, but not as those who have no hope I think he would say, press on! I think he would say, look up. Don't give up, look up! Don't trip up, look up! Look up for Jesus is coming again to receive us unto himself, that where he is, there we shall be also. And when he entered into the presence of Christ, all the angels stood and sang Hallelujah, Hallelujah to the Lord. Robert Smith Jr: One may never know the significance of a moment until that moment becomes a memory. On June the 24th, 2016, I went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center to be with Doctor Massey and Mrs. Gwendolyn Massey. He had a medical procedure that day and after the procedure was over there was some diagnosis. Two years to that date, June 24th, 2018, Doctor James Earl Massey died. Medically speaking, he died of an illness called cancer. Spiritually speaking, he died of a yearning for eternity, for he would do nothing except praise God without an interruption. Robert Smith Jr: One may never know the significance of a moment until that moment becomes a memory. That memory became a memory for me about 18 years ago when I preached at the E.K. Bailey International Conference on Expository Preaching in Dallas, Texas. Upon the completion of my sermon, I exited from the podium and marched toward my seat on the front row. There was Doctor James Earl Massey in a cream colored suit standing up with his arms like this. I walked into his arms, I fell into his arms, and I wept because it was his way of saying, well done son. Robert Smith Jr: One may never recognize the significance of a moment until the moment becomes a memory. From moment to memory to majesty. And I can only imagine that when Doctor James Earl Massey crossed over the threshold from time to eternity, from corruption to incorruption, that the Father... Vernon Lambe: Let us pray. Father, as we have gathered here today, to honor and remember and celebrate the life of our beloved friend and brother, James Earl Massey, and to honor you. We pray that in these moments, words of our mouth, the meditation of our heart, and the quality of our lives will be acceptable in your sight, Lord. Our strength and our redeemer, amen. Sister Gwendolyn Massey, family members, and all of those who are gathered here today in the sanctuary, I greet you in the love and compassion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Vernon Lambe: As we gather here to mourn the passing and to celebrate the life of one of God's choice servants, devout and faithful, James Earl Massey. I greet fathers of you who are gathered here also, distinguished clergy, colleagues, church members, friends, near and far, who loved Doctor Massey and benefited from his ministry and good influence. As I listen to all of the many tributes I had a humorous moment because I remember on one occasion, Lucy and Charlie Brown were looking up at the clouds in their majesty and awesomeness of it all and Charlie Brown said to Lucy, “What do you see?” Lucy said to Charlie Brown, “Well, what do you see?” Well, Lucy said, “I see Bach and Beethoven and Eisenhower, or rather Roosevelt and Churchill.” Charlie Brown said, “Well, I was going to say a horsey and a ducky but I ain't now.” Vernon Lambe: As I listened to all of the wonderful tributes and I concur that all of them, there's not a lot new that can be said. But a few years ago, before Doctor Massey became terminally ill and he and I have been friends for more than six decades. I was doing some calculating the other day and noted that Doctor Massey's age, his Celsius age is 31.1. We kidded about that sometime because my Celsius age is 28. What we've known each other for many years and covenanted that, if he should go first, I would eulogize him, and if I should go first he would eulogize me. And I suppose I should say that I stand here today in God's Providence. Vernon Lambe: We talked often, sometimes weekly, sometimes more than once a week, and he would always ask me about my health. Are you taking care of yourself? I don't know all that he thought while we were talking that way, but I think in some ways he was looking to the future and hoping that he would not be the one to have to eulogize me. It's already been noted that he was a man of humor as well, a very serious and somber man. Sometimes we'd talk and he would say, well, “Ed, you know, we used to talk about the older brethren and now we are the older brethren." And we retired and my byline was, I'm retired but not idle. We both agreed to that but we went on to say we are retired and not retarded. Because on occasion there were those who seemed to think that with the passing years you lose it all up here. But that's not really the case. Well we're here to highlight his life and so much has already been said about him. And while scripture tells us that in the mouth of two or three witnesses let the word be established I'm going to try to repeat all of these distinguished colleagues of mine have repeated but I do want to add my word to it. Vernon Lambe: Before I do that, however, I want to pay a very special tribute to Sister Gwen Massey. Not everybody understands what it is to be a caregiver. The responsibilities, the challenges, the weight of it all. I've had the privilege of talking with her frequently and watching her and seeing the loving care and attention that she provided for James, as she called him. In their 67 years of marriage, she was true to those vows that said, "In sickness and in health, until death us do part." In today's world, that's a stature and a monument, because there are those who in sickness and in death, they say, not really, not really. A marvelous caregiver, and we thank God for that. Vernon Lambe: I also think it is significant we are gathered in this building because the founding pastor of this congregation, Doctor James Earl Massey, he was the founding pastor and I wrote in my notes and I thought at first that was a mistake because I was saying he was the grounding pastor. Well, he was both the founding and the grounding because it is not insignificant that he called this Metropolitan Church of God. He did not want this to be a place of provincial, small, narrow-minded, tunnel vision thinking. Way back then he was seeing beyond the parameters that some saw, he saw the church in its universal dimensions. He really believed the song that some of us sing but don't altogether believe, we reach our hands in fellowship to every blood-washed one. Now some of us have other adjectives in front of that. We reach our hands in fellowship to everybody who agrees with all we say, and who agrees with all we think. But no, he believed it. We reach our hands in fellowship to every blood-washed one. Whatever race, color, ethnicity, educational, economic standing, social standing, age, or generation. A man for the ages who really believed whosoever will, let him come. And he opened his heart and his door to all who came. Vernon Lambe: Well, I'm conscious of the time and you are too. But there are two passages of scripture I want to read from the New Testament that shall form the basis for our sharing today. They're both found in the Book of Revelation, Revelation 14:13 and Revelation 21:3-4. "Then I heard a voice from Heaven say, 'write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth'. 'Yes', said the spirit, 'they shall rest from their labor and their deeds will follow them.'" "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. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things is passed away.'" Vernon Lambe: I have three points I want to share today. I want to talk about his life, his legacy, and his lift. Doctor Massey was a preacher, a theologian, a scholar, a professor, a teacher, an educator, a mentor, a friend, a classical pianist, and more. But most of all, he was a man of faith. A giant of the faith. Those who die in the Lord, and that is a significant phrase, blessed are those who die in the Lord, are those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who've endeavored to live life according to the teaching of Jesus Christ and the mandates of the Scripture. They are blessed because they are here in heart. They are blessed because they have left their light shine for men. They are blessed because they bear witness to their faith in private and in public. They are blessed because they love their neighbors. They are blessed because they are the salt of the Earth. They are blessed because they bear their trials and their burdens in the spirit of Jesus Christ. They are blessed because they have been compelled by the love of Jesus Christ to pursue God's mission in the world. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. As I think about Massey, I believe he died in the Lord. Vernon Lambe: He was indeed a stellar scholar, but he also had a passion for faith and Christian piety. On one occasion we were talking and he voiced a concern. He said, "Occasionally, I will meet somebody who seems to have a passion for scholarship but no passion for piety." How do we bring together, what he loved, scholarship, it was a part of his being, but also bring with that a passion for piety. Living out the teachings of the Christian faith. So as we celebrate his life we celebrate his faith, his character, his far-reaching godly influence. Vernon Lambe: Many of us have gathered here today because we get attached to his influence on our lives. Not many in the ministry can point to a fan club. People so touched by our ministry that they, from time to time, write testimonials about our influence. I can tell you that Doctor Massey was not an ostentatious person, and he would never have established a fan club for himself. But there are lots of people out there who have been blessed by his life and benefited by his life, who said we're going to put together a fan club. And I took note of just some of the tributes written by persons who made fan club entries, I'll not mentions any of their names but I've selected a few comments as illustrative of the impact of the life and influence of this godly man. If I didn't include yours, don't be offended. I couldn't include them all but I just noted a few. Vernon Lambe: One person said, "So thankful for the inspiration and compassion that was shown to me when I was a confused college student trying to find direction for my life." Another said, "Thanking God for Doctor Massey's ministerial investment in my life. He was a constant mentor, for life and ministry." Still another said, "Thankful for the anointing God placed on your life, to preach and teach his word." And another, "A great preacher, teacher, and follower of Jesus Christ." Yet another said, "You exemplify what it means to be a patriarch of the faith, always leaving something significant in the lives of those who hear and interact with you." Many of you can identify with these things. You exemplify what it means to be a patriarch of the faith. Vernon Lambe: About a decade ago, Doctor Massey was asked what he would preach about as his final sermon. He was being interviewed. And he said he would preach from 1 Timothy 1:12-17, which begins, "I thank Christ, Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service." And then after that he continued with this comment, "this is the text I would read, I would use because Christ is first and foremost and last in my life." Reminds me of a lady that I saw in a hotel several months ago. She was wearing a T-Shirt, and emblazoned on the front of the T-Shirt were these words, "Jesus Christ, that's my final answer." I think that's where Doctor Massey was, Jesus Christ, that's my final answer. That's where my heart is, that's where my joy, that's where my love is. He said, "This is the text I would use, because Christ is first and foremost and last in my life." What a wonderful tribute for a child of God. Vernon Lambe: So today, we celebrate his life of faith. The second thing I want to note is that we celebrate his legacy. Funeral obituaries are written in programs and they're wonderful. Ultimately, however, each of us writes his or her own obituary. Early on in life, God allows us to have in hand a pen and from the early days we start writing our obituary. And then there comes that final day when we lay down the pen and can write no more and our obituary is final. Once we breathe the last breath, our obituary is final. Nothing anyone says about us afterward can change that, all of these tributes are wonderful but none of these tributes can change the obituary that he wrote with his own pen, while he was living among us. Vernon Lambe: From there, from the time of the obituary we begin to look at the legacy. Life has ended now, on Earth, what does that mean for the legacy that we have? Abraham Lincoln once said, "It has been well said that it's not in the years of your life that count, it's the life in your years." Or as someone else has said, "You can live to old age and still flunk life." Age alone is not a guarantee of effectiveness or success. It's wonderful to live and to have accolades and all of that but my friends the most important thing is to die in the Lord, blessed are those who die in the Lord. For we are told that their deeds will follow them. Among other things it assumes that our work is not in vain. The years that we've given, the toil that we've had, the trials that we've had, the suffering that we've had, we have the wonderful assurance that it's not in vain. Vernon Lambe: But Doctor Massey, he would never refer to himself as a spiritual giant. But we have no difficulty acknowledging his stature. We celebrate his life in recognizing that he clearly was head and shoulders above many in his giftedness, in his preaching, in his scholarship, in his communication skills, in his influence, in his writings, and in his national and international reputation. I've been privileged to serve in many circles, both in this nation and around the world, both within the Church of God and beyond. So many places I've gone, the mention of the name James Earl Massey is known and highly regarded in many circles of fellowship and influence. His legacy extends near and far and will be a blessing to generations yet unknown. Vernon Lambe: I've tried in my own thinking just to think about some of the areas of legacy that he has left us. He leaves us a legacy in the pursuit of reconciliation. He sought to bring people together, especially in the community of faith, under the banner of Jesus Christ. He was at home in diverse settings, culturally, racially, religiously, socially. I said a bit ago he did not name this Metropolitan Church of God to walk in a narrow vision. He had a broad scope in his mind and in his thinking about it. Reconciliation was a major part of his ministry. When he was not understood, there were those who accused him of deserting his original foundation. Yet, reconciliation was a part of his legacy. Vernon Lambe: He leaves us a legacy in the pursuit of justice. He was one of the earliest supporters of the late Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., and knew him personally. Righting the wrongs of man's inhumanity to man was always high on his agenda, both in the church and in society. When Doctor King first became prominent, there were a lot of people who were afraid to be associated with him. Too bold, too aggressive. But he was deeply involved. I remember when Doctor Martin Luther King died he told me that he was scheduled, or was asked to come to the funeral. But he opted not to do that. Because there were needs in the city of Detroit and he was called upon to preach at a very special service after the death of Doctor King when riots were breaking out and buildings were burning, there needed to be a steadying voice, who would say to us, "That's not the road to travel." The legacy and the pursuit of social justice. Vernon Lambe: He leaves us with a legacy in the pursuit of Christian scholarship. Both well-read and well-written. I heard it said about a certain person who shall be nameless that he just finished reading all of the books in his library, both of them. It was my privilege to go to Greensboro, Alabama, some of you may or may not know that they bought a small schoolhouse that Sister Massey went to school in, and they took it and moved it on their property. And I tell you, it was a state of the art library, where you had all of his books and all of his papers and he invited me in and we sat there and we talked. [A Mad Wade 00:38:15] scholarship, he authored many significant books and Doctor Kalin has already spoken about one that's coming out very soon that is kind of a compilation of some of his works and thinking. He mentored hundreds of students and inspired them to achieve their academic and spiritual goals. He leaves us a legacy of excellence. Whether it was preaching, or teaching, or listening, or counseling, or playing the piano, his benchmarks were very high. Vernon Lambe: Two things I've observed about Doctor Massey, when he was talking to you he was talking to you. No matter who else was around, he was talking to you. Another thing I knew about him is that when he was on the phone and you called he did not interrupt the call that he was on. He would always talk to them. Excellence, from the time when I heard him preach and on one occasion he preached a powerful sermon, one of his critics, if you do the things that he's done you'll have a critic every now and then, commented and said, "His sermons are too high-class for me." And so he and I had a standing joke whenever he was going to preach somewhere and I was present and I could get to him, I said, "Now, James, is this going to be high-class, or are you going to downgrade it?" And we would just laugh about that. But excellence was his model. Always reaching for new heights. Vernon Lambe: He leaves us a legacy, a vision for the future. Well he valued the past and important historical traditions. He was always focused on what's next, always. The next generation of pastors and leaders, the next generation of congregations, the next generation of writers, the next generation of families, the next generation of theological professors, the next generation of whatever was essential to advancing the kingdom of God. The kingdom was his focus. And he was always concerned on what can I do to advanced the kingdom, what can I do to make true the prayer of Jesus, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. You can ask me more on his passing, these legacies will live on to inspire us for years to come. On coming youthful generations, yes, and generations yet unborn. Students and churches, colleges, seminaries, will for years read his writings and benefit from the inspiration, wisdom, and insights of what he had to say. And so, we celebrate his legacy. Vernon Lambe: And finally, and in some ways, most important, we celebrate his lift. We have the wonderful assurance from scripture that for those who die in the Lord, life is not a dead end journey. We mourn with human grief, but we rejoice in another way. In the words of William Shell, he said, "Life will end in joyful seeking. I have fought a faithful fight, will lay armor down and our spirits, freed for Earthly shells shall take their happy flight, shall possess a starry crown. We have a hope within our souls, redder than the perfect day, God has given us his spirit and we want the world to hear it, all our doubts are passed away." Vernon Lambe: Doctor Massey loved the hymns of the church. Now he wasn't opposed to diversity and variety in music, but he loved the hymns of the church. He loved those songs that talked about our faith, those songs that, in the moment of death, would be there. I remember a lady, 90 years old, we went to visit her in the hospital and she seemed to be inattentive, her eyes were closed, she could hardly speak, but as we were about to leave, we said, we're going to sing this song. And we began to sing that song and though she could not talk and though her eyes were closed her lips were mouthing those words. They were words that had meaning deep in her heart. That's what Doctor Massey loved, songs that were deep in the heart and voiced our faith. Vernon Lambe: Beyond this world of toil and care, beyond this veil of gloom, there is a land, a happy land, a place we call our home. Oh yes, we'll trust him while we live, we'll trust him when we die, and then when all our work is done, we'll reign with him on high. That, my friends, is worth celebrating. If scripture is true and I believe that it is, those who die in the faith, in the Lord, are lifted up into the presence of a living Christ. They go to a place where God has made a promise. There will be no suffering, no pain, no tears, no mourning. The presence of the Lord, the light of his presence, will dispel all darkness, all gloom, all doubt, all disappointment, all regrets. The old order of things has passed away, and the old, all things have become new. Vernon Lambe: That's why that when we mourn, we mourn chiefly for ourselves. For those who have left us do not mourn. Notwithstanding how much they loved us, notwithstanding the joy they had of being with us, but the Lord gives us the promise blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Not they might be comforted, they could be comforted, it's a possibility they they will be comforted, but blessed are those who mourn for the Lord says they shall be comforted! Vernon Lambe: And God has ways of helping us in the deepest hour of our grief. He comforts us with His presence. He comforts us with loving memories, I'm so glad that death does not take away our memories. When they are buried in the grave, we can stand there and we think back, not only do we remember but we can even hear their voices and hear them saying certain things because death does not take away our memory and part of the way that God comforts us is with our memories. Thank God for that. He comforts us with family and caring friends. He comforts us with the encouragement of devout believers. He comforts us with the assurance that if we die in the Lord, we shall meet again. Vernon Lambe: We can say that now, he is a part of that great cloud of witnesses, overlooking the battlements of glory, and when he speaks to us now I suppose he's saying to us, "Stay in the race, don't quit, don't give up, stay in the race!" He would say to us, "It's worth it! It's worth every trial! It's worth every temptation! It's worth every burden, it's worth the illness." One of the joys I had in staying in close touch with Brother Massey, as sick as he was, I never heard him depressed. I never heard him talking about, well, "Why the righteous Lord, curse God! No! Even in his sickest moments, in his greatest suffering, he was encouraging others, he was uplifting others, he was saying to others, "Stay in the race, you can make it!" What a blessing, what a blessing. Vernon Lambe: So we leave here, missing Doctor Massey, but we find comfort in the relationship we shared with him and the continuing impact of his life on us and among us and upon us. That's why if I say we celebrate his lift to a new place. Oh Lord, I'm here, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more suffering, and you know something? And I don't mean to be harsh in saying this. But as much as we miss him, he does not miss us. And it's not because he doesn't care, not because he wouldn't care, not because he said I'm glad to get out of here, no, but he's in a better place. And if the scripture be true, in that better place, there is no sorrow. So he's not shedding any tears. There is no pain, there are no regrets, there is no disappointment, not at all. And so he would look out upon us and say, don't weep for me, weep for yourselves, for I, I'm in a better place. Vernon Lambe: There's a lot more I could say. But I've learned that when it's time to quit, and I'm looking at the clock, it's time to quit. But I leave you with words that Doctor Massey and I often joined in repeating. When we pray together, on the phone, what is significant is that I was not just praying, when he would always join in these words, "Our lives and all are in my hands. Our times are known to Thee. Thy grace has kept us in the past. Thy loving arms have held us fast and shall eternally." And he would pray that, he would say those words with such confidence, such assurance, such passion. Thank God for his life, thank God for his legacy and his influence, and may his memory ever serve to comfort us as we think about the ties and the relationship that we had with him. I stood there with others, tears in my eyes, remembering the great experiences, the wonderful times, the joys, the conversations that we've had, over across the years. Even as I mourn his life, his passing, I join with you in celebrating his wonderful journey. And when that day comes, may it be said of us, we too died in the Lord. Announcer: You've been listening to the Beeson podcast with host Timothy George. You can subscribe to the Beeson podcast at our website, beesondivinity.com. Beeston Divinity School is an interdenominational, Evangelical Divinity School training men and women in the service of Jesus Christ. We pray that this podcast will aid and encourage your work and we hope you will listen to each upcoming edition of the Beeson podcast.