This week, one of our longest standing members of South Fork Baptist went home. On Monday afternoon, Ray Mcdowell went into the presence of Jesus. While Ray left behind a loving wife and family, we all rejoice. Why do we rejoice? Well, to say that Ray's life was an exemplary model of the Christian faith would be an understatement. Ray simply lived a life that required no one to ask him if he was a child of the Most High or not. It was more than visible in everything he did and said. He was unwavering in his faith, even in the midst of trials, sickness, and surgeries. To sit and talk with Ray about his life and life experiences should be something that I wished everyone in the world could have had a chance to do. Ray talked about his life, but not just to talk about himself. He would share with you wisdom from living, whether you wanted to hear it or not. There was gold sprinkled throughout any conversation you had with him. You just had to listen, and he would share things of the faith with you in a way that changed you. Ray was a hard worker his whole life, even after retirement. He found purpose in everything. Ray was most proud of his marriage and how long Ms. Yvonne put up with him, as he would tell it. One of his most well known pieces of advice to many was, "Some days, you will stand alone on your convictions, and no one else will back you. Don't give in. Stand firm in those convictions." Now, it sounded so much better coming from Ray. One day, he told me I was going to make a "fine preacher", as he said it. He told me he could always tell how well a man would do in ministry by simply getting to know the man's wife. And, as he said, I would be just fine. The wisdom I was fortunate enough to get from him during our many visits are things that I won't forget for the rest of my life. Ray used to love to run. Like, marathon run. The longer the distance, the better. And on this past Monday, Ray finished the race that was set out before him by our Heavenly Father. And you know what? He finished well. And because he finished well, we can rejoice. Ray would tell you he wasn't perfect. But he was covered by the blood of Jesus, and God saw him as perfect and righteous. Ray will undoubtedly receive the crown of life.
In Hebrews 11, we read what is commonly called the "Hall of Faith." It's a non exhaustive list of saints we read about in the Bible that endured because of their great faith. Faith was the highlight of their lives. At the beginning of chapter twelve, we are told we are surrounded by "great cloud of witnesses." This simply means we have had many go before us that have lived a life worth modeling. Their life is a witness. It's a life that, when we take time to listen to stories about that person, we quickly understand that faith was their key to success in all they did. These "witnesses" encourage us when life gets hard, because we can remember how they endured to the end and finished well. Ray looked to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of his faith, and finished well. We are then encouraged to lay aside every sinful thing that clings to us so closely and weighs us down. And, then we're told to run the race. We're told to run the race with endurance. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon. And sometimes, this marathon called life makes us weary. It can even make us doubt our purpose and calling. It can make us doubt everything. But then we remember. We remember the "witnesses," like Ray. And we are encouraged and strengthened. We see the glory of God in their lives, and remember how they endured to the end. Ray's wisdom will be sorely missed, as well as his presence. But his witness still lives on with us. He left behind not only a church family that will miss him, he left behind a legacy of modeled faith. And when our race is over, brother and sister, we should do well to finish like Ray, and have the rock solid hope of being in the presence of Jesus, just like he is today.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ray.
-Brandon Walker