Psalm 139:13-18
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
At the funeral service for Beverly Miller, I shared the following words:
I don’t often remember when it was that I first met someone, but I do with Beverly. Maybe it’s because it had to do with food! It was my first month here at Epiphany, and the occasion was Beverly’s 60th birthday party here at the church. A group of women from the church threw her a party, and invited me to join in. It was obvious that this woman, beaming with that gleam in her eye, was surrounded by people she loved, and people who loved her.
Limited in her movement and speech by brain tumors, and surgery to remove them decades earlier, that did not limit the joy and love that filled that room. At that moment and in every encounter I had with Beverly over these past four years, I saw one — as we heard in today’s psalm — one who is fearfully and wonderfully made.
Consider Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” version of Psalm 139:13-15:
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Over the years, Beverly has continued to be a faithful member of Epiphany, here in church on Sundays with Gary by her side, and the past couple of years, grandson, William, with them as well.
Let me say this – don’t tell me you can’t make it to church because you don’t feel up to it. I commend Beverly and Gary for making the effort to be here as often as possible.
My encounters with Beverly were received in a manner that was always thankful, always gracious. I would ask, “Beverly, how are you today?” And, almost always, her response, “Today, I am good.”
When I read this psalm, I remember and give thanks for Beverly.
Beverly was a smart woman. Beverly graduated third in her High School class of over 1,000. She received many scholarship offers, and finally chose Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
She majored in Math and minored in Computer Science. It was at Purdue that a certain saxophone player came into Beverly’s life. It was music, Purdue University, and the fact that Beverly lived in Miami that brought them together. Gary was invited to take a trip with the Purdue Band to Venezuela – just a group of 100 upper classmen were invited. The trip was paid for from Miami, Florida, onward. The students had to find a way to get to Miami first. Gary knew Beverly and that she hailed from Miami, so he asked if he could park his car at her parents’ house. Of course!
When he returned from the trip, Beverly just happened to be at home on Spring Break. The relationship blossomed.
They went back to Purdue, and Beverly graduated in three years and one semester with all A’s and five B’s. Those five B’s happened after Gary came into the picture!
They were married a year after they started dating on June 9, 1973, at Sunrise Presbyterian Church in Florida. Three years into their marriage, some 40 years ago, Beverly was having issues when playing tennis. She kept missing balls hit to her left side. She was losing her periphery vision on that side.
In January, exploratory surgery found brain tumors, and the removal of the tumors left part of Beverly’s left side paralyzed. Being left-handed, she had to relearn several skills. But that didn’t slow her down. Beverly worked for 30+ years as a computer programmer designing, writing, and implementing software. Beverly most recently was employed with TRW, BDM, and Northrup Grumman. She was honored and respected for her gifts, her talents, her skills.
Over the years, Beverly’s health continued to deteriorate. Her final days were in a room at Hospice of Dayton.
In the sky the day Beverly passed away was a beautiful rainbow, a sign of God’s promise. God is present.
In the room after Beverly passed away, we prayed together, knowing that even though she was gone, God was doing something special that day – welcoming home one of God’s own children, saying to Gary, “Thank you for bringing her this far. I will continue to walk with her from here.” I imagine that walk to continue with no limp, no paralysis, no pain and confusion: only peace, the crown of righteousness on her head.
For Jesus died on a cross, was buried in a grave, and many thought that was the end. But on that blessed Easter Day, Jesus leaves the tomb behind, leaves death itself behind, and rises to new life. That victory over sin and death is now Beverly’s victory. Because of that, we have hope!
Beverly – body and soul – marvelously made!
Let us Pray:
Almighty God, may we see in one another the wonder of Your creation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Psalm 139:13-18