We want to share with you all about one of our greatest examples of love and true, Christ-like servanthood, Lila Park Fletcher. Lila loved louder than most, but rarely used words to do so. Lila knew that loving like Jesus meant serving others. She knew this because she studied Jesus. She knew Matthew 23:11 “The greatest among you will be your servant.” She stayed in the Word. She was incredibly devoted to her relationship with the Lord. And all who ate of her fruit (received from her loving service) knew this to be true.
Lila was best known for feeding people. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed a lunch, a little fried cornbread, or a piece of cake prepared by Lila’s loving hands. Lila was not motivated by the thanks she received; she often brushed it off. Lila wasn’t moved to action in order to receive recognition. Lila didn’t just cook for or invite over a certain group. Lila was a vessel for the Lord. And He used that little, willing vessel to pour out his love over a multitude of people. With each delicious bite of food, not only was there the perfect amount of butter or sugar, but there were also righteous prayers (that availeth much) being received by all who partook.
If the number of people Lila fed is many, the number she prayed over is incalculable. Lila prayed over her family and her friends. But it didn’t stop there. She prayed over the body of Covenant Church. Even before the church was formed. She prayed over her community, her country, and the world. Each of you reading this have decades of Lila’s prayers that have gone up to Heaven on your behalf. In Revelation, the Word speaks of golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. I can only imagine the sweet scent this incense of Lila’s prayers must make.
So how did Lila love and serve so well? We mentioned it at the beginning. She knew the Lord in such an intimate way. Like any other relationship, the closeness of this relationship was a result of the time she invested in it. Lila rose early in the morning to spend time with the Lord. She read her Bible aloud. As her hearing went away, her volume increased. The echo of her voice, quoting scripture, can still be heard in our hearts today. She sang hymns and songs of praise. And we promise, this wasn’t to show off her singing ability, which she was not gifted with. It was truly to glorify her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she knew she couldn’t live without! Lila often acknowledged her dependence on God. She knew Him as Savior, she knew Him as Lord, and she knew Him as Friend. This deep knowing of and dependence on the Lord allowed Lila to serve others with Him as her only source.
Our prayer for you is so simple. We are praying Philemon verse 6 “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.” We pray that you would grow in your knowledge of the Lord! That you would realize what blessing and freedom come from dependence on Him! That you would know Christ intimately, not just as your Savior, but also as your Lord, and ultimately, as your friend. That you would grow so close to Him that you share His heart. That all of you would be drawn by the examples set by Lila, and the “Lila’s” God has placed in your life, to love others more deeply and freely. In this way, you will become more like Him!
In memory of our beloved Grandma Lila, born on September 18, 1930, and welcomed into Eternal Glory on July 26, 2023. She is in our future!
