02/09/2023
Several people requested access to a livestream of BJ's funeral. That was not possible. I did attach a short video of the song we sang. If you wish to read the transcript of the funeral message and burial message, it is below:
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장성경 was born in April 18, 1960 near Busan, and her birth was declared about a month later in May 13, 1960, and was raised and went to school there. In 1982, she was hired by a pastor and missionary named Joe Hale to work at a new Christian school he started, Liberty Christian School – later called International Christian School, to work in the office as a secretary. Over time, she began to work as a school administrator - responsible for advising and caring for students and staff, and responsible as an advisor for all major decisions the school made. Bible Jang’s role was so all encompassing that many students thought that she was the “secret owner” of the school. During this time, she supported her mother, and in all ways, was like a son to her mother. She also invested her time by teaching her cousin’s son, who is present here. She retired from the school in 2016 and began working to devote more of her time and energy to supporting Isaac Orphanage, which she did until very recently.
However, there is much of her story that is not commonly known. From what we learned from her school friends and extended family, her father fled North Korea and once settled near Busan, would become one for their area’s wealthy families. She was extremely bright in school, and everyone thought that she would have the best opportunities in her class. Unfortunately, her father died when she was in middle school. When he passed – he was completely bankrupt. This caused Bible Jang and her mother to flee their home and city in the middle of the night. Like many others in that time, they fled to Uijeongbu to disappear. There BJ worked multiple jobs to support her mother. She would continue to work multiple jobs well into her time at ICS to survive financially. In this situation, BJ had no real support system – she found out that she could not really depend on anybody around her. Added to that burden, she needed to support her mother. In every way, she was a son to her mother. All of this occurred in the 1970’s – which was a far more difficult era for a young woman to support her family. When she first learned about Christ from Joe Hale, she finally found in Jesus the love and support she had always needed and wanted – and she in turn would support others out of that love.
BJ led an unusual life. Despite being an incredible woman – she does not leave behind a husband or children. She did not follow the normal pattern that most of us do – marrying and working to support a family. Instead, she supported her mother, her extended family, her friends, and her scores and scores of coworkers – who now are spread over the world. For many, she is iconic of what Christian service should look like – honest, strong, and gracious.
She is most remembered by the hundreds and hundreds of young students that she interacted with – most of whom are not so young anymore. Many of them are my age or older. For these children, she was a strict, wise, and caring aunt, older sister, and advisor – sometimes these young people had little kindness, care, or direction at home. For these young students, she was more than a person at school – she was family.
After retirement, she put that same energy and love into the service of the Isaac Orphanage. At the time of her passing, we discovered that she was still supporting four children at the orphanage.
We were blessed beyond measure through this wonderful lady’s service.
In the Bible, in Proverbs 31, there is a description of invaluable wife and mother who blessed her family with her labor, her wisdom, and her instruction.
I will read about this wife and mother now, but as I do, remember that BJ had no husband and no children. When you listen to Bible verses about this woman’s service to her husband and children – this was Bible Jang’s service to us – a very rare and unusual thing. She - in a sense - married the community and raised its children.
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At this point, we read from PROVERBS 31:10-31
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Usually, this passage refers to married women with children. The woman described in Proverbs 31 is the best mother and wife. Of course, there are benefits to being a good mother - usually a woman’s children will take care of her in her old age. In BJ’s case, she daily fulfilled all the roles of a good mother and wife - and we were the recipients of this care. And yet – she knew that we could not support her in her old age. Instead, she took care of herself in her old age. She wisely planned her finances so that she would not need anyone to financially assist her. At all times, she refused help when we offered. So, BJ surpassed the woman of Proverbs 31. She did all the work and received none of the benefit.
There are hundreds of examples of her secret help and kindness to people she served. I heard about many of them this week, but there are many more that she made sure no one knew.
This is incredibly rare. If you study history, you know that many of our popular heroes were quite self-aggrandizing and shortsighted. Gandhi’s selfishness and pride resulted in the death of millions. Washington and Jefferson could have freed their slaves but didn’t. Even Lincoln waited until it was politically expedient.
True, unselfish, and sacrificial love is beyond rare. It is abnormal.
So those of us who were BJ’s children, BJ’s family - we can - as it says in Proverbs 31 verse 28 - “call her blessed” …
And say, (vs 29) “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
She, a woman who had no support from anyone, wanted all the other hurting people around her to know that there is help and support from God himself. She could not bear to see hurting and suffering young people – because she knew what it was like to have no support as a helpless young person.
She wanted everyone to know that they can also get this help and support.
She prayed for students everyday when she walked. She spent her time, money, and influence to help everyone around her.
She wanted everyone to know her hope that is in Christ Jesus.
She wanted everyone to know that Jesus is your hope and support in your troubles right now.
But more importantly today, that Jesus is your only hope after the body dies and we one day face God’s judgment.
Most of the good things she has done are not well-known. Only a few people know of the challenges and complexities behind her good deeds – because she did not tell people.
She did them because of what she believed and knew.
Right now, 장성경 is in heaven. Her spirit is with God. She is present with Christ right now. She is enjoying his comfort and his presence.
I look forward to seeing her.
We will all see her relatively soon.
We are beyond blessed – and for Bible Jang, she was our true family and friend.
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On the 3rd day of the funeral, we placed her ashes in the mausoleum. This is what was shared with her friends and family at that place:
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We are gathered here for the final internment of our 장성경.
Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We love and thank you for the life of 장성경, and were blessed by her presence in our lives.
You are the Lord of Life, the Conqueror of death, and our only hope and our help in hard times.
Please comfort those who grieve and cry in front of the reality of death and give them grace.
Now we are going to overcome our sorrow and worship God.
May we look forward to eternal hope as we entrust ourselves to Your goodness and mercy.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
While this body is placed here, we remember this is temporary. It is unnatural.
It feels bad because it is. In the human heart, death is not a normal occurrence. To our heart, death is strange and unnatural.
One moment, a person we love is with us – in another, they are gone from us.
When Jesus’ friend died – he wept. He wept because of losing his friend, but even more because death is terrible.
We were meant to live - and we shall live again.
We know this because we were promised this by Jesus Christ.
He proved this by raising himself from the dead – thereby defeating death itself.
Christ is risen from the dead.
When he raised himself from the dead, he guaranteed that he would himself raise us from the dead.
And he will do that.
We will see 장성경 again.
We will enjoy her embrace again.
We will enjoy her presence again.
We will not have to wait long.
Right now, her spirit is in heaven – but one day her body will be resurrected, recreated to live forever on earth with Christ.
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We then recited the Apostles Creed.
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I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead,
on the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
