The loving and faithful wife of Johnnie H. Ward of Mequon, WI, passed away on Wednesday, July 12th, 2023. Family, friends, and co-workers recalled her love, work ethic, and Christianity at Christ The King Baptist Church on Good Friday, July 21st. Her viewing was at 5 pm, while the Memorial Service started promptly at 6 pm.
“Drexella was a part of the membership for 20-plus years. The Eulogy came from family and friends. She was a medical professional. She gave herself to the welfare and well-being of others.”
Pastor John Wesley McVicker, Sr.
“We need more people in the medical field because there is a vacuum there.”
“In her profession, working as a nurse in ICU. In Ecclesiastes 12:7, her life and work are underpinned.
Pastor McVicker added
7 “Then shall the dust return to the Earth as it was: and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
Ecclesiastes 12: 7
“She witnessed it in ICU.”
Pastor McVicker noted
Ecclesiastes 12: 1-12, entitled Limited Warranty, verses 1-12, displays a picture of old age.
12 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7 Then shall the dust return to the Earth as it was: and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Ecclesiastes 12: 1-12
Pastor McVicker adds in verse one that as we mature, the aging process and approach to death contain two parts: the physical (then shall the dust return to the Earth) and spiritual aspects. The book of Genesis reminds us of the limited warranty and temporal nature of our physical existence on Earth. Spiritual, and the Spirit shall return unto God; this is where your soul has taken up residence. The Spirit returns to God, who is the source of life.
“The meaning of life. I challenge my congregation to use items in your Curio cabinet. Use those towels, dishes, and linen on your bed. Use them while you’re alive because someone else will use them when you’re gone.
Verse three explains that as you grow old, your teeth will fall out, you barely hear the birds singing, and your hearing will change, as well as your sleep pattern. We have a limited warranty. We fear high places. Our hair becomes white like the flowers of an almond tree. Our appetite is gone.”
Pastor McVicker
Verse 5, fear becomes a constant companion.
Verse 6 is not a doomsday but a reality check. Your body will return to the dust, but your Spirit will return to God.
Pastor McVicker
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.
John 14:3, New International Version
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2nd Corinthians, 5:1, New International Version
Pastor McVicker returns to verse 7 in Ecclesiastes and reminds the bereaved parishioners, “If you’ve been washed (accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior) in the blood, you can claim a full warranty.
“The other day, Drexella reached out to the manufactured. The Angels carried her off. Her soul received the full warranty.”
Reporter Jude 