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Some words prepared for the funeral of a much-loved church member

I would like us to spend some time reminding ourselves of some of the blessings Mary knew in her life, and of the blessing that she was to others by the grace of God.

In order to focus our thoughts I want to draw your attention to these three proverbs.  As soon as I repeat them to you I know that they will automatically make you think of Mary.

All three refer to the heart; here the unseen, inner man.  Again and again, the Bible draws us back to contemplating the state of the inner man.  We want to think about all the outward things, but the Bible wants us to think too about our hearts.

It would be easy to think only of Mary's outward life today - her birth and upbringing, her many years of faithful service and friendship.  We could talk about her kind acts, and especially her love for children.  I can remember when it was her practice to bring sweets for all the children of the church here on a Sunday morning.

But you know that what made Mary tick was what was going on the inside.  It's important that we acknowledge that.

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit"

The first proverb is the most straightforward.  It reminds us that the state of the heart can often be read in the face, and that temperament affects us all.  Our morale often makes a difference to the very way we look.

The way Mary looked, as we remember her, was partly because of this cheerful attitude she was blessed with.  "There's worse things happen at sea," she used to say, if something went wrong.  She couldn't stand grumbling or making a fuss for no reason.

Now the world has a philosophy, of course: "Put on a happy face" - "Pick out a pleasant outlook, stick out that noble chin; wipe off that full of doubt look, slap on a happy grin."

The point here, however, is that a happy heart is the thing that will make for a cheerful face.  The reason Mary had a smiling face was because she had a happy heart.  The reason she had a happy heart was because she knew that all her sins had been forgiven by trusting in Jesus Christ.  Is your heart happy?  It can be in Christ.  If your heart is happy then let it show on your face, as Mary so often did.

"The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly"

The second proverb mentions heart and mouth together.  If our hearts are wise, discerning, we will seek knowledge.

The Queen of Sheba wisely sought out Solomon.  Mary and Nicodemus are among those who sought out the one who is greater than Solomon.  The Bereans were commended (Acts 17:11) because they not only received the gospel with great eagerness but also examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

I remember, several years ago, Mary decided that it was about time she read the Bible all the way through.  Even though she'd been a Christian for many years she had never done it, and so she steadily began to work at it, reading a few chapters a day, until she had finished.  God gave her a discerning heart and so she sought knowledge.  Do you have a discerning heart that seeks knowledge from the Bible?

The heart of the fool is not mentioned in this proverb, for the very way he speaks betrays his foolishness.  His mouth feeds on folly.  That is his delight and the unproductive source of any nourishment he can find.  There is a "more-ish" quality then, even an addictive one, about both wisdom and foolishness - the more you have the more you want.  It is because God had saved her that Mary wanted to read all through the Bible.  Do you have similar desires?

"All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast"

The third verse speaks of the power of the inner man to overcome outward circumstances.  We all probably know something of this - triumphing over circumstances, mind over matter.

Mary seemed to be able to do it in style.  If we fail to do it we are the hopeless prisoners of our circumstances.

Although temperament came into it, it was ultimately because Mary was a believer that she knew this.  Although often oppressed by adversity and trouble, at least from the time she was six right through to the difficult last days, Mary nevertheless knew a continual feast provided by God.  Unlike the fool, Mary did not feed on folly, but had a cheerful heart, one that had been transformed by God.  She had heard Jesus's voice, opened the door and Jesus had come in and ate with her.  Mary loved to talk about "my Saviour".  "I know my Saviour."  Can you say the same?

With David she could say to God, "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.  I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:6, 7); and with Habakkuk (3:17-18), "Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour."

Do you know the sort of thing I am talking about?  I think this is Mary's challenge to us from beyond the grave.