Each
of us will remember and give thanks for Jack Hester is his or her own unique
way: husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, pastor, mentor,
broadcaster, evangelist, neighbor, encourager, friend. For me, this man is Uncle Jack, my mother’s
baby brother. Let me tell you how I’ll
remember him and why I’ll always thank God for his life.
Jack was our
family chaplain. I believe this is the first family funeral
I’ve attended at which Jack didn’t minister.
His parents. All but one of his
six brothers and sisters. Nieces. In-laws.
We called upon him in times of deep need and he faithfully brought the
comfort of his presence and a word of hope from God. He taught us to be there for each other and,
in the storms of life to stand upon the rock of our faith in Jesus.
My Uncle Jack
was also our family instigator. When our family got together, Jack was always
the ring master. He always had some kind
of foolishness going on to lighten our spirits and fill the room with
laughter. He enjoyed seeing other people
enjoy their time together and he had a gift for helping that happen.
Jack
was our family instigator in another way I’ll always cherish. He challenged us to make memories while we were together. He would draft some combination of his
sisters to recreate the Hester Sisters’ Trio, to sing one of the songs of the
faith as they did so often for their father, Rev. W.R. Hester, Sr. during his
ministry. I have sweet memories of
hearing my mom and aunts lifting a song in three-part harmony with Aunt Shirley
accompanying them on the piano.
My
cousin Joy faced significant health challenges her entire life. She was one the world might overlook. But time and time again, Jack would call her
to the front of the family and give her confidence to share her beautiful song
and her beautiful spirit with all of us.
Jack never let us go through the motions of being together without
celebrating and sharing what matters most.
We need to shoulder that mantle and make Godly memories when we are
blessed to be together.
Jack was a
natural entertainer. When you spotted him in a group of people,
they were always smiling and probably laughing.
I remember hearing of him going to McDonalds with a group of his
minister friends. Jack wore a pair of
very dark glasses and, claiming he could not see, asked the employee at the
counter to read the entire menu to him to help him make a selection for
lunch. After he finished his meal, Jack,
still wearing his glasses, took the wheel of the car, drove through the drive
through and thanked the staff for their good service.
When I was on one of my first dates as a teenager, my date and I happened to run into my Uncle Jack. I introduced him as the minister in our family and thought this would make my stock go up with my date. Jack looked at us and said, "Remember that puppy love leads to a dog's life." I didn't marry that woman, if you were wondering.
When
he served Nine Forks Baptist Church a few years ago, Jack heard that one of his
members had worked for hours pruning some fruit trees on his property. That night, Jack slipped
into that member’s yard, took the pruned branches off the pile at the road, and stuck them back on the trees, weaving them into the remaining branches.
And
I can’t count the times I heard him tease my Aunt Shirley by telling a group he
had found the perfect place to hide her Christmas presents, the oven in the
kitchen. And you always took it as a good sport, Aunt Shirley.
I
don’t know anyone who needs to be reminded that life is hard. I know many people who need to be reminded
that life is good, that we were created to enjoy life’s journey, and that a
good laugh, as one wise person said, is a first cousin to a prayer. My Uncle Jack was a minister of joy who lifted
the spirits of countless people and reminded us all that life is wonderful
because God is wonderful. He brought to
life the words of Paul when he wrote,
(Philemon
1:7) Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother,
have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
Jack was a
visionary. He saw the power of media to share the gospel
with many people and in new ways. Many
of you remember his daily radio broadcast, “The Gospel Dynamite Hour.” One of the great joys of my first years in
ministry was when Uncle Jack invited me to fill in for him on the radio for a
few days.
In
an inspired act of creative genius, Jack saw a way to tell the story of Christ’s
return as though it were actually happening through the recordings he directed,
“The Rapture” and “The Tribulation.” How
many churches and Sunday School classes and families listened to those dramatic
portrayals and thought about their faith and their future. Jack knew that the God who created everything
wants us to do His work creatively too.
Jack was a
pastor to thousands of people in several churches. Grace and Cannon Memorial and
Powdersville First and Nine Forks and many other places he served in one way or
another. Jack was a shepherd to his
people, a friend to his fellow Christian, an example to the flock.
But
if you asked me to sum up the essence of my Uncle Jack’s life, who he was in
the marrow of his bones, I would say this.
Jack was an
evangelist. He lived to tell
the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I heard him say so many times, “Some people
may not understand why I get a little bit excited.” We understood, Uncle Jack. The focus of your ministry, the purpose of
your life, your greatest joy was leading people to Christ.
The
Bible says so clearly that our human minds can’t begin to grasp heaven, so our
frail words always fall far short. But
in my imagination, I see Jack being led through heaven by the Lord Jesus. And at a certain place in that journey, they
pass through a great multitude of people.
And Jack realizes that these saints, these citizens of heaven are not
only looking at Jesus with joy, they are looking at him with smiles on their
faces and joy in their eyes. And Jack,
never slow to speak up, might ask his Savior, “Lord Jesus, I know why these
dear people are looking at you in worship and wonder, but why are they looking
at me with such smiles?”
And
I hear our Lord saying, “Because Jack, my
child, my servant, they know that they would not be here if not for you.”
God bless you, Uncle Jack.
Welcome home.
You go with our blessing, our admiration and our
love.