5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12

Dear God, I’ve had a lot going on lately, but probably the most important thing I am doing is officiating at a really good woman’s funeral tomorrow. I’ve been rolling around in my head what I want to say, but I haven’t officially put any of it down in writing yet. So I thought I would sit with you, Holy Spirit, this morning, and see what we come up with.

Her name was Betty Sears. Here’s her obituary:

Betty Joan Sears

February 24, 1935 – April 18, 2025

On April 18, 2025, Good Friday, Betty Joan Dearing Sears passed away peacefully in her home in Fredericksburg, Texas, at the age of 90 years old. She was surrounded by family in her final moments. Betty is survived by her four children: Paula Sears Dean, Jack Sears, Jr. (Mara), Andy Sears (Stacy), and Deb Sears Phillips. Betty is also survived by her nine grandchildren—Joe (Alyssa), Dan (Michelle), Ben (Julielle), Katy (Charles), Jake, Hannah (Eric), Clay (Carena), Emily, and Zane—and her sixteen great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her younger brother, Bill Dearing (Vicki), of Irving, Texas, her sister-in-law Joan Sears, of Grapevine, Texas, and numerous nieces and nephews. Betty was preceded in death by her highschool sweetheart, best friend, and husband, Jack Vaughn Sears, Sr., her parents, Lucille and Herman Dearing, and her son-in-law, Michael Phillips. 

Betty was born in Dallas, Texas on February 24th, 1935. She graduated from Hockaday School in 1953, and was married that same year to Jack Sears in the First Methodist Church of Irving. Over the next four decades, Jack and Betty made their home in Abilene and Irving, and in their later years, on the family ranch outside of Comfort, Texas. When Jack passed away in 2002, Betty moved “into town” to Fredericksburg, where she could be closer to her children and grandchildren.

Grandma, as she was known by her grandchildren, was the embodiment of generosity and kindness. She was always willing to host friends and family whenever there was an opportunity or a need. She was incredibly proud of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed watching basketball, baking, quilting, reading, British history, visiting with friends, she loved flowers—especially gardenias, lilacs, and irises—and was a life-long student of the Bible. Her life in Christ was shaped not only by the Scriptures, but by many pastors, teachers, and friends throughout the years. Together, with her husband, they made sure that all of their children knew what it meant to be disciples of Jesus. The wisdom of the Book of Proverbs (31:10) is aptly applied to Betty: “What a precious find is a woman of valor; her worth is far beyond rubies…”

A Celebration of Life for Betty will be held on Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:00 PM at the Chapel of Schaetter Funeral Home, with visitation and greeting of friends from 12PM – 1PM.

**There will also be a Celebration of Life held in Irving, TX on July 11, 2025, for family and close friends, with details to follow soon.**

In lieu of flowers please make memorials to the Good Samaritan, Methodist Hill Country Hospice, or charity of your choice.

Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Schaetter Funeral Home

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to http://www.schaetter.com

Here are some of the things I wrote down about her when I talked with her children:

• She loved to sit and read her Bible–especially Paul’s epistles.
• She was the “Pied Piper” to lost children. Her children (Paula, Deb, Jack, and Andy) and their friends called their home “The Watering Hole” because it was the place for all of them to gather.
• She met her husband when she was 5 and he was 7. They met in Sunday school.
• She really liked the Beatitudes.

So what can I say about this woman that will do justice. The truth is, nearly all of my words will be forgotten by the family. My job isn’t to move them and give them something amazing and memorable. It is to comfort them and make them proud of their mom, which they legitimately should be.

In sitting and talking with all four of her children over two sessions, the curious thing I found about her was that no one had anything derogatory to say about her. Usually, after someone passes away and we gather to visit about them, there is, at a minimum, some good-natured ribbing and, at most, downright contempt. In this instance, it really struck me that these children adored their mom. There was nothing but love and respect in their spoken words and their unspoken body language. I am confident the same will not be the case at my funeral.

So what made her different. I’m going to take it from what she wrote in the margin of her Bible next to the Beatitudes: “As a Christian, we are to be different!” At the top of the sermon she wrote, “‘Beautiful vision.’ ‘See God as he is.'” She has quotes around those last two sentences which makes me think she wrote them after hearing someone teach on this passage.

So Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, what would you have me say about this woman? Let’s give this a try:

• As I read this obituary, take a moment to put yourself in God’s perspective as he looked down on this good and faithful servant and delighted in her.
• Read obituary
• Talk about visiting with children and what I noticed about their adoration of her
  • Highlight what was said about:
    • How she and her husband Jack met
    • Pied Piper for the lost children
    • Home was “The Watering Hole”
• What makes a life different? Why did Betty so richly exhibit Paul’s fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22?
• Jesus had a lot of agricultural metaphors to describe our lives, but it didn’t start with Jesus. The Old Testament is full of them. And Paul continued it with his example of “fruit.”
• So what made Betty’s life stand out?
  • Psalm 1:1-3
    • How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
      Nor stand in the path of sinners,
      Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
      ² But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
      And in His law he meditates day and night.
      ³ He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
      Which yields its fruit in its season
      And its leaf does not wither;
      And in whatever he does, he prospers.
• As she soaked the roots of her life in Scripture, one of the things she learned is that “As Christians we are to be different!” These are the words she put next to the beginning of Jesus’s most famous sermon
  • Matthew 5:1-12:
    • 5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
    • ³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    • ⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
    • ⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
    • ⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
    • ⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
    • ⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
    • ⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
    • ¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    • ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
• So I believe if Betty could have one last message for everyone it would be to accept the invitation God offers us all that she accepted all those years ago. Are you looking for love? Are you looking for Joy? Are you looking for peace? Then come and soak your roots in my river. My way is different. Be different. Be gentle. Hunger for righteousness. Be merciful. Be a peacemaker. Don’t fight persecution, but, if it’s for Jesus, lean into it in joy and peace. And yes, there will be a time when you are poor in spirit. There will be a time to mourn. Those times happened in Betty’s life. When she lost Jack. When her kids would get sick or lost a spouse. But her roots continued to soak in the river of God. I believe her invitation to you today would be to accept God’s invitation like she did. What are you holding on to? Is it really better? Come and bask if the grace, mercy, and love that God offers through Jesus, and live a discipling life. And if you leave this service wanting to know how to do this, just ask one of her children. I think my favorite part of her obituary was this line: Together, with her husband, they made sure that all of their children knew what it meant to be disciples of Jesus.
• Father, thank you for this life that exhibited not her own glory, but your glory to the world. Thank you for a woman who chose to be one of your vessels for helping your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Father, as for my own prayer this morning, I offer all of this up to you. Let it find good soil and produce a crop 100 or 1,000 times greater that what I am planting.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen