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(Preservice music)
>> PASTOR RANDY McGRADY-BEACH: I want to welcome you here
this afternoon to celebrate the life of
Cynthia Waddell.
It is a day of celebration.
It's a day of new beginning, crossing over a
new - to - over a new threshold.
Yet I would be remiss if I didn't also say that it's
a day of sorrow.
It's a day of missing.
A day of longing.
So today we have competing emotions for us,
celebrating one who we have known, who we have loved.
who we'll meet again,
mourning the loss of her
physical presence.
So today during the service, there will be
times when you'll want to laugh, and that's okay.
And there will be times when you want to cry.
That's okay, too.
I haven't figured out yet why God made emotions, but
they are to feel.
Let us acknowledge that our God who created us,
redeemed us, and sustains us is here this day to
celebrate, to give us strength, and to give us
hope.
Please pray with me.
O, God who gave us birth, you are evermore ready to
hear than we are to pray.
You know our needs before we ask, our ignorance in
asking.
Show us now your grace that as we face the
mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity.
Speak to us once more your solemn message of life and
of death.
Help us to live as those who are prepared to die.
And when our days here are ended, enable us to die as
those who go forth to live
so living or dying, our
life may be in Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.
Amen.
>> Amen.
>> Let's stand together and sing joyful, joyful we
adore thee.
♪Joyful, joyful, we adore♪
♪thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold♪
♪like flowers before thee, Opening to the sun♪
♪above.♪
♪Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the♪
♪dark of doubt away.♪
♪Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with♪
♪the light of day!♪
♪Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing,♪
♪ever blest, Well-spring of the joy of living,♪
♪Ocean depth of happy rest!♪
♪Thou our Father, Christ our brother, All who♪
♪live in love are thine; Teach us how to love each♪
♪other, Lift us to the joy divine.♪
♪Mortals, join the mighty chorus Which the morning♪
♪stars began.♪
♪Father love is reigning o'er us, Brother love♪
♪binds man to man.♪
♪Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the♪
♪midst of strife.♪
♪Joyful music lifts us sunward In the triumph♪
♪♪song of life.♪♪
(Piano Playing)
♪I'm forgiven because you were forsaken.♪
♪I'm accepted; you were condemned.♪
♪I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me♪
♪Because you died and rose again.♪
♪I'm forgiven because you were forsaken.♪
♪I'm accepted; you were condemned.♪
♪I'm alive and well; Your Spirit is within me♪
♪Because you died and rose again.♪
♪Amazing love, how can it be That you, my King,♪
♪would die for me?♪
♪Amazing love, I know it's true.♪
♪It's my joy to honor you in all I do.♪
♪I honor you.♪
♪Jesus, you are my King.♪
♪You are my King.♪
♪Jesus, you are my King.♪
♪Jesus, you are my King.♪
♪Amazing love, how can it be?♪
♪That you, my King, would die for me?♪
♪Amazing love, I know it's true.♪
♪It's my joy to honor you.♪
♪Amazing love, how can it be?♪
♪That you my King would die for me.♪
♪Amazing love, I know it's true.♪
♪It's my joy to honor you.♪
♪In all I do, I honor you.♪
♪♪In all I do, I honor you♪♪
>> PASTOR RANDY McGRADY-BEACH: Thank you. Be seated.
It is in scripture that we find our faith.
It is in scripture that we find our hope.
It is scripture that speaks of God's love for
us.
So now hear the words of scripture that are the
promise to us.
In Romans 6, it says, "When we were baptized in
Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death.
We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into
death so that as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father, we, too, may live
a new life.
For if we have been united with Christ in a death
like his, we will certainly be united with
Him in a resurrection like his." And John 11.
"I am the resurrection and the life says the Lord.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will
live; and everyone who lives and believes in me,
will never die." This is the Word of the Lord.
Praise to you Jesus Christ
(Music)
♪I believe my steps are♪
♪growing wearier each day.♪
♪Still I've got a certain journey on my mind.♪
♪Lures of this old world have ceased to make me♪
♪want to stay and my one regret is leaving you♪
♪behind.♪
♪If it proves to be His will That I'm the first♪
♪to cross, and somehow I have a feeling it will be.♪
♪When it comes your time to travel likewise,♪
♪Don't you feel lost.♪
♪For I will be the first one that you'll see.♪
♪And I'll be waiting on the far side banks of♪
♪Jordan.♪
♪I'll be sitting drawing pictures in the sand.♪
♪And when I see you coming I will rise up with a♪
♪shout And come running through the shallow waters♪
♪reaching for your hand.♪
♪Through this life we've labored long to earn our♪
♪meager fare.♪
♪It's brought us trembling hands and failing eyes.♪
♪So I'll just rest there on the shore and turn my♪
♪eyes away until you come then we'll see paradise.♪
♪And I'll be waiting on the far side banks of♪
♪Jordan.♪
♪I'll be sitting drawing pictures in the sand.♪
♪And when I see you coming, I will rise up♪
♪with a shout And come running through the♪
♪shallow waters reaching for your hand.♪
♪And I'll be waiting on the far side banks of♪
♪Jordan.♪
♪I'll be sitting drawing pictures in the sand.♪
♪And when I see you coming, I will rise up♪
♪with a shout And come running through the♪
♪♪shallow waters reaching for your hand.♪♪
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: I found myself tapping my
foot on that last song.
I almost felt we should clap along the way.
Tom, I want to thank you for the honor of being
asked to officiate this afternoon.
And, Randy, I want to thank you for the
privilege of the opportunity of sharing
this service with you.
Thank you so very much.
Today, we've gathered, as Randy just said, not just
to mourn, but to celebrate, to celebrate a
good life.
Cynthia Diane Waddell was born on May the 3rd, 1952,
in Long Beach, California.
She died on April 3, 2013 in Danville, California, a
lifespan of 60 years, ten months, the daughter of
Charles and Vaun Del Bonney.
She is survived by her sister Annette Van Vliet
and her brother Timothy Bonney.
Cynthia graduated from Lakewood High School.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech
Communications from the University of Southern
California, where she was *** Laude in her class.
She then studied at Exiter University in
Southwestern England for a year as a Rotary
Foundation scholar.
Some years later, she attended the law school at
Santa Clara University where she received her
juris doctorate in 1994.
I might add that upon her graduation, she was then
hired by the University to help them to develop a
study and a survey for methodology to deal with
people who had disabilities.
Cynthia was married to Thomas Waddell, also a
student at the University of Southern California,
and they met at the Trojan Christian Fellowship.
One day while Tom was grocery shopping, he ran
into Cynthia and offered to carry her groceries
home for her.
He said she was living in a nice apartment.
Tom was residing in a rooming house.
(Laughter)
Tom then has told often how their
backgrounds were quite different.
Cynthia came from a very refined home of means, Tom
from that of a University professor's home, where
meal times could be quite.
exciting.
(Laughter)
Tom walked Cynthia home that
afternoon, and they started talking about art.
She invited him in to see her brass rubbings
(Laughter)
that she brought home from England.
But Tom handed her groceries, said thank you,
another time.
He ran into her a second time at that same grocery
store.
And this time he agreed to see her art and was quite
surprised and said to her, you really do have brass
rubbings.
(Laughter)
Sorry, Tom.
Tom then invited Cynthia on a date to the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art and she accepted.
But this didn't real - nearly come to pass.
They were at a meeting before they were supposed
to go, and she ran into a friend whose name was
Randy.
Randy was a dental student, also a member of
the Trojan Christian Club.
And when Randy heard that she was going to be going
to the museum, he asked Cynthia if he could go
along.
(Laughter)
She said, yes.
Tom was quite chagrinned to find out he was
soon to be going on a three-way date.
She often joked with him that she could have
married a dentist instead of a preacher.
They were married on September the 3rd, 1976 by
Reverend Art French at the First Presbyterian Church
in Gardena, California.
Their honeymoon was nearly a disaster.
Early that summer, Tom had sent a check to the Hotel
Del Coronado on Coronado Island to reserve the
honeymoon suite.
But just days before the wedding, Tom was -
rummaged through a few items and he came across
an envelope from the Del Coronado Hotel with his
check and a note informing him that he had failed to
give the date that he wanted to reserve the
room.
(Laughter)
Tom called the hotel, frantically, and they
said, sorry, you're too late.
They - so he lost the reservation.
So I asked Tom at lunch the other day.
Where did you honeymoon?
He got a little red-faced and said, a little motel
in Santa Barbara had a night gown - had a beer
and a night gown on their sign out in front!
(Laughter)
That will teach you to tell me
secrets.
(Laughter)
In addition to her husband of 36
years, Tom is survived by her daughters: Elizabeth
Waddell; Christina Thompson, who was just
married on March the second; her granddaughter
Julia, whom Tom and Cynthia have had
guardianship these last several years; her brother
Timothy; her sister Annette; cousins, nieces,
and nephews.
Cynthia served as the Americans with Disability
Compliance Officer for the City of San Jose before
she became the Executive Director of The
International Center for Disability Resources on
the Internet.
In 1988 she wrote a standard for making Web
sites accessible to the disabled, and published
the paper applying the ADA to the Internet; a Web -
hello, there - a Web accessibility standard.
Her Web accessibility standard was endorsed
regionally, nationally, and then internationally,
and led to speaking engagements in 13 states
and in 24 countries in every part of the globe.
She was an international advocate for an inclusive
Web, open to all.
As a member of the United States State Department
delegation, Cynthia participated in writing of
the United Nations Treaty on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities.
She was invited by President Barrack Obama to
be present at a Rose Garden ceremony at the
White House in March of 2012.
That was her last main event before being
diagnosed with cancer, brain cancer.
Cynthia was raised a Presbyterian, attended as
a child the Calvary Presbyterian Church and
the Lakewood Presbyterian Church.
But while in high school, Cynthia attended the local
Nazarene Church with her friends from school, and
it was there when an invitation was given to
come forward if you would like to receive Christ as
your savior.
And she did.
Cynthia was a person, if you knew her, a person of
great faith.
It was my privilege to serve as her pastor for
over 12 years while she and Tom were at Trinity
Presbyterian Church in San Jose.
She later became a very active member of this
congregation, the John Knox Presbyterian Church,
during the time that Tom was interim pastor and
remained involved in a number of groups here.
Now, I'm supposed to have a microphone and I know
many of you have remembrances that you
might like to share about Cynthia.
So I'll walk out into the audience and will hand the
microphone to you.
We will be having a reception following, so we
ask you not to speak long, but brief.
Tell some special memory that you have of Cynthia.
It might be something funny.
It might be something very serious.
And I see hands going up here, so I'll go in the
back and then I'll walk forward.
Would you please give your name, sir?
>> CHUCK LATOURNO: Hello.
My name is Chuck Latourno, from Ontario, Canada.
Cynthia contacted me in, I think, the fall of 1996.
She had been working for all the honor of God gave
to make the City of San Jose physically
accessible.
And then she decided to do something very rare, which
was to take on their electronic accessibility.
At the time, I was one of the leaders of this very
early field in Web accessibility, and
somebody told her that Chuck could make things -
explain things simply, where everyone else was
very complicated.
She called me and that began a 17-year
friendship.
I think everything that Cynthia did with the Web
stemmed from the fact that I was able to explain it
to her simply in those early days.
In 2006, we started an international organization
called Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies
and Environments.
She became our first secretary and then our
first vice president.
And our organization will miss her work ethic, her
knowledge, her experience phenomenally.
But myself, I will just miss her.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: Thank you, sir.
I'll start walking forward.
If you want to speak, please raise your hand.
>> The lady behind you.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: Please give your name.
>> BARBARA SMITH: Hi.
My name is Barbara Smith.
I took care of Cynthia for over a year.
She's just a dear.
I love her dearly.
I love her family.
I had so many memories of her.
But one of the things that just touched my heart was
just the type of person she was.
She talked about the people that she helped and
the things that she had done and how proud she was
of it.
But it just showed in all the people that was around
her, that came around and helped at the house and
helped her in her daily struggle, the people from
this church, the people from the other churches,
just people that were just friends of hers.
They came by and just touched her, and she
smiled every time she would see their faces.
And they would say something nice or things
that she had done for them, and they don't know
how many things she told me that they had done for
her.
But she's just that type of person.
It wasn't about what she did for people.
It was what people did for her.
And that was just the same thing that she did for me
that she didn't understand, that just her
life was a reflection of what I want to be.
So I just thank God for her being in my life.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: Thank you very much.
Just raise your hand so I can see you.
Okay. I'll get to the front.
>> Right over here.
>> SHARAINE HEDMAN: I'm Sharaine Hedman, a member
of this church.
And Cynthia was in our Lipowitz
book group, and she always had something extremely
thoughtful to say that no one else would have
thought of or just, you know, it was always
something wonderful and added so much to the
group.
And we miss her extremely.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: Okay.
I'll come over there.
I'll get you.
>> DIANA MCINTYRE: Hello.
I'm Diana McIntyre.
I am a member of John Knox church.
I got to know Cynthia when she was here with Tom as
interim pastor.
I learned to love her dearly.
And asked her if she would be perhaps interested in
coming to a meeting and speaking on disability in
my PEO Chapter, Chapter BG; she did.
Enjoyed it tremendously.
Loved the women.
And when we invited her to join our chapter, she was
just thrilled.
She looked forward, the few ways that she was able
to make it to meetings because of her busy
schedule, she so much enjoyed the luncheons and
the women.
So this is, for me, this is something for me which
I am just so enjoying.
One of my favorite memories of Cynthia was
when I had dread in my heart.
I had just heard from Tom about her diagnosis.
And I went to the hospital, basically, to
comfort her.
And she saw me coming and had that wonderful,
glorious smile on her face and said, it's all right,
Diana.
I'm ready to meet my Lord.
She just gave me such a gift.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: Thank you.
I saw another.
Okay.
>> ANNETTE VAN VLIET: Okay.
My name is Annette Van Vliet.
I'm Cindy's little sister.
My sister was seven years older than I was, so we
had quite a difference in experiences.
When she was doing certain - I'm playing kick ball;
she's studying for SATs.
So - you talked - you talked - you heard about
when she went to Exiter as a Rotary scholar.
And at that time, I think, she was engaged to you,
right, Tom?
So she went away for a year.
I was a junior - I was, like, a sophomore in high
school.
That was pretty impressive to me.
She's leaving this fiancé, and she's going to Europe
for a year and is going to study.
And my mother and I were lucky enough, we took
her there.
So we used it as an excuse to go to England, Ireland,
Scotland, travel around.
And so we went, and my sister, we stayed in bed
and breakfasts, and it was quite a wonderful time for
my mother and sister and I.
And she was going to be meeting some people from
the Presbyterian Church in London one evening.
She was so excited because they were going to take
her to dinner.
She just knew it was going to be this really
wonderful connection personally living there.
Of course, my mom and I really weren't invited so
we decided to have dinner with King Henry the 8th.
And we were going sing a lot of songs.
We get to sing, and there was this wonderful dinner.
And we did.
We had a blast.
Cindy went her way, and my mom and I went the other.
And we were at - my mom and I were out kind of
late.
And we got back, and my sister was already in bed
and covers over her head.
And it was - I thought it was kind of early.
And my mother, always the positive person, Cindy,
how was your evening?
Did you have a great time?
She said, I haven't had it yet.
She didn't have a very good time.
But that was - she liked to have fun.
I guess my whole point is that she really liked to
have a good time.
And she wished that she had had dinner with Henry
the 8th, although she did have a wonderful stay in
Exiter.
Here is my brother.
(Laughter)
>> TIMOTHY BONNEY: I'm Tim, Cindy's
brother.
I was thinking on the way up here, Bev and I - my
wife Bev and I flew up this morning from LA, and
I was thinking on the plane.
I wonder, you know, is anybody else here going to
my sister's memorial service?
And I thought that's kind of silly.
And then I thought, well, I kind of feel sorry for
all of these people because they didn't know
my sister.
And the one thing I think we all have in common is
that the memories that she gave us all, that
no one can take that away.
And I did want to share just a
couple of other things because, you know, when we
talk about Cynthia Diane Waddell, well, there was a
Cynthia Diane Bonney before there was a Cynthia
Diane Waddell, and I just wanted to let you know a
couple things about her.
Cynthia Diane Bonney, of course, had a disability,
right, a hearing disability, but yet, she
was a fantastic violinist.
She was number one chair at her high school, and
she played in a county orchestra which she was
number one chair in.
She was a flag girl in the band.
And you guys would never believe this, but she was
actually a water skier in the Catalina ski race in
1969.
She was in the women's division.
She didn't make it very far, although she
practiced and she should have, she - some - yes,
our dear mother decided that she was going to get
cold and so someone said if you put Vaseline all
over your legs, then you're going to stay warm,
because it is, you know, it's - it's 52 miles round
trip.
And - and she was going to have to ski about 60 miles
an hour, and she was all up for it.
Can you believe her doing that?
That's kind of unbelievable, right?
But she got the Vaseline all over her hands and she
couldn't hang on to the ropes.
(Laughter)
So she only made it about five or six miles.
And the only other thing that I think maybe all you
guys realize is, you know, or remember, is - and I
know I'm supposed to be short, sorry about that,
but you know what?
It's my sister.
She was very attentive to detail, even with her
brother.
My whole life she would call me up and she would
say, this is Cynthia Waddell, your sister.
And I would always think, gosh, I'm glad you said
your last name, and I'm glad you reminded me just
who you were, just in case.
But - (Laughter)
But I just loved my sister so
much, and I just feel so lucky, I mean, that she
was in my life and in my life for as long as she
was.
And I just hope you guys feel the same.
Thanks.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: Were you going to speak?
>> LIZ: Yes.
I'm Liz.
I'm her daughter.
My mom was absolutely amazing.
Like, I can say for a fact, for sure, hands
down, that she was the most amazing person that
I've ever known because of everything that she did.
And you know that my mom, she - when - when me and
my sister were little in Pennsylvania, she was a
stay-at-home mom, and then she told my dad that she
wanted to go back to school.
And my dad was supportive of that and we moved to
California so that she could fulfill her dream.
And thank God we did.
And if you Google my mom's name,
Hella pages pages come up.
All these links. There is a "Cynthia Says" portal
where she'll just tell you stuff.
And I - I didn't pay as much attention to her work
as I should have because to me, it was just mom,
you know?
And also, I just - one more thing.
Like, when she - when I took speech, speech class,
we had to give an example of a speech, and I pulled
up one of my mom's speeches.
And then I told them that she is Hard of Hearing.
And my speech teacher just - he was just amazed.
And, like, my mom, she started off lip reading
and talking from the beginning, because my
grandma didn't want her to learn sign language right
away because she didn't want her to be in that
category.
And she's amazing.
That's all.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: We will have opportunity
in the fellowship time following our service here
today where you can share stories.
And I hope that you'll gather around one another
and share some very fond remembrances that you have
of Cynthia.
Cynthia wanted the fourth chapter of the Gospel of
John read at her service.
"Jesus had to go through Samaria.
He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar.
It was near the place, the piece of land where Jacob
had given his son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there.
Jesus was tired from the journey, so he sat down by
the well.
It was about noon.
A woman from Samaria came to get water.
Jesus said to her, 'will you give me a drink?'
His disciples had gone into town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him 'You are a Jew.
I am a Samaritan woman.
How can you ask me for a drink?'
She thus said this because Jews don't have anything
to do with Samaritans.
Jesus answered, 'You do not know what God's gift
is.
And you do not know who it is asking you for a drink.
If you did, you would have asked him and he would
have given you living water.' 'Sir,' the woman
said, 'you don't have anything to get the water
with.
The well is deep.
Where can you get this living water?
Our Father Jacob gave us the well.
He drank from it himself.
So did his sons and his flocks and his herds.
Are you more important than he is?'
Jesus answered, 'All who drink this water will be
thirsty again, but anyone who drinks the water I
give him will never be thirsty.
In fact, the water I give him will become a spring
of water in him.
It will flow up into eternal life.' The woman
said to him, 'Sir, give me this water.
Then I will never be thirsty, and I won't have
to keep coming here to get water.' He told her 'Go
get your husband and come back.' 'I have no
husband,' she replied.
Jesus said to her 'You're right when you say you
have no husband.
The fact is that you've had five husbands.
The man you now have is not your husband.
What you have just said is very true.' 'Sir,' the
woman said, 'I can see that you are a prophet.
Our people have worshiped on this mountain for a
long time, but you Jews claim that the place where
we must worship is in Jerusalem.' Jesus said,
'Believe me, woman, the time is coming where you
will not - you will not worship the Father on this
mountain or in Jerusalem.
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we
worship what we do know, salvation comes from the
Jews.
But a time is coming, in fact it's already here,
true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and in truth.
They are the kind of worshipers the Father is
looking for.
God is spirit.
His worshipers must worship him in spirit and
in truth.' The woman said, 'Sir, I know the
Messiah is coming.
He's called Christ.
When he comes, he will explain everything to us.'
Jesus said, 'I, the one speaking to you, am He.'
Just then Jesus' disciples returned and they were
surprised to find him talking with a woman.
But no one asked 'What do you want from her.' No one
asked 'Why are you talking with her?'
The woman left her water jar, went back to the
town.
She said to the people, 'Come!
Come see a man who told me everything I've ever done.
Could this be the Christ?'
The people came out of the town and made their way
toward Jesus.
Many of the Samaritans from the town of Sychar
believed in Jesus.
They believed because the woman's witness.
She said, 'He told me everything that I've ever
done.' Then the Samaritans came to Him and tried to
get Him to stay with them.
So He stayed for two days.
Because of His words, many more people became
believers.
They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just
because of what you said.
We have now heard for ourselves.
We know that this man really is the savior of
the world.'" Friends, this is the Word of the
Lord.
>> Thanks be to God.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: In 54 years of ministry, I
have delivered over 300 funeral and memorial
services.
However, I've never been asked to use this text,
the fourth chapter from the Gospel of John, the
account of Jesus' encounter with the
Samaritan woman.
However, after Tom told me that this was Cynthia
Waddell's favorite passage of scripture, I began to
look at the text from a different perspective.
And, thus, I've entitled my meditation "Overcoming
Barriers." First, let's look at Jesus.
You recall the text began with these words "Jesus
had to go through Samaria." The truth of the
matter is that during this time of history, no Jew
would never have gone through Samaria.
In fact, every Jew avoided Samaria like a plague.
They could possibly be mugged, robbed, even
killed.
Samaria was to be bypassed at all costs.
You may recall from high school geometry that we
learned the shortest distance between two
points is -
>> A straight line.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: - a straight line.
The best way to go to Judea from Galilee was to
go through Samaria.
However, the Jews bypassed Samaria.
It would have taken only but three miles had they
gone directly - three days, I mean.
But instead having to go around instead of going
through Samaria, it doubled their time to six
days.
There was hostility between the Samaritans and
the Jews, but Jesus was on a mission.
And there were no obstacles with Him, and
there were no barriers that he could not
overcome.
Jesus had to overcome first the barrier of
traveling through enemy territory, Samaria.
Secondly, Jesus was tired from the journey, and he
stops to rest outside the City of Sychar and sends
His disciples to town to buy balogna or soft drinks
or whatever else they wanted for food.
It was then that he faced the second barrier.
There was a woman there with an unsavory
reputation.
She arrives at the well with her water.
She came in the heat of the day because the other
women came in the evening, when it was cooler.
But she wanted to avoid them because of the snide
remarks that they made about her.
She was an outcast.
The lesson here is with Jesus.
There is no such person as an outcast.
She asks - Jesus asks the woman for a drink.
Unthinkable!
Jesus, a Jew, talking to a Samaritan.
And Jesus, a Jew, talking with a woman in public.
Unheard of.
He broke down the barriers.
There was a rabbinic teaching in the Talmud
that said a man should have no conversation with
a woman in the street, not even his own wife, still
less, any other woman lest men should gossip.
Lest men should gossip.
Jesus overcame two barriers.
But the most significant was that He was not
prejudiced against women.
In fact, Jesus elevated the status of women.
And now I know why this was Cynthia Waddell's
favorite passage of scripture.
Jesus emphasized the worth of women.
And every woman, especially Cynthia
Waddell, every woman here owes Jesus a debt of
gratitude.
Jesus took a risk and initiated a conversation
with this woman, a conversation that
demonstrates his compassion towards her,
even a woman with her sordid past, even though
she had five husbands, and was presently living with
a man who wasn't her husband.
Mind you, it wasn't the 21st Century.
He could well have given her a lecture about
divorce and relationships, about divorce and
adultery, but instead, he demonstrates a personal
interest in her as one whom God loves in spite of
her faults.
And he offers her a gift: the fountain of living
water, an internal - am internal spring that will
quench her thirst throughout eternity.
That passage, those words, offer every one of
us this afternoon tremendous hope.
Jesus accepts us as we are.
He knocks down every barrier.
Her eyes were opened, and she recognized that Jesus
was the promised Messiah, and she replies -
responds, 'Sir, give me this water!'
She responds to the invitation.
Next, the Samaritan woman, she overcame
obstacles.
It is then something remarkable happens.
Remember why this woman came to the well?
She came to the well to draw water.
But because of her encounter with Jesus, she
leaves her bucket, and she leaves her water pot at
the well, and she runs into the city.
No woman in her right mind in Jesus' day ran into the
city in the heat of day.
That bucket symbolized her empty heart.
That bucket symbolized her spiritual hunger.
That bucket symbolized her sense of guilt and shame
and worthlessness.
That bucket represented her inability to look at a
mirror of herself and feel that she had any worth.
But she left that bucket and ran into the city,
overcoming barriers.
And she told the men of the town that she met a
man who told her everything she did.
This must be the Christ.
She invited them.
Come and see for yourselves.
Jesus had taken her broken life, and he gave her
something to believe in, a person.
He gave her hope, not just for this life, but hope
for eternity.
And he offers her this new life.
Jesus had to go through Samaria to break down
barriers, to break down additional barriers, and
to change the life of a woman forever.
Cynthia Waddell was a woman who broke down
barriers.
As a teenager, Cynthia Waddell made her
commitment to follow Jesus Christ as her savior and
as her Lord.
As the woman at the well received the gift of
eternal life, the living water offered by Jesus, so
did Cynthia that day.
And she radiated the presence of Christ to
whomever she met.
But let me tell you some things that maybe you
didn't know about Cynthia, at least perhaps before
Tim and Christina shared a few minutes ago.
While - or Elizabeth.
Sorry.
When Cynthia was thee years old, she couldn't
speak.
Her parents took her to a hearing specialist who
said she was profoundly deaf.
He recommended that she spend her life in an
institution, that she go to a deaf school, that she
learn sign language.
He said she would never go to a normal school.
She would never go to college.
And she would never speak.
Her parents heard of the John Tracy clinic for the
hearing-impaired.
They offered Cynthia's parents the first ray of
hope.
But they said it would take a lot of work, lots
of work.
It might be possible for her one day to perhaps
even go to school with other children.
She went through intensive speech therapy.
Lots of work.
She learned to read lips.
Tom says it was most interesting to watch a
football on the TV - on TV, when Cynthia would
read the lips of those along the sidelines.
(Laughter)
And sometimes what they were saying was
not repeatable.
But the Bonney family never gave up.
Cynthia's parents never gave up, nor did Cynthia.
She had a will to hear.
She had a will to overcome this disability.
She had a will to talk.
She wanted to overcome that disability, and
eventually, she went to a normal school with the aid
of a hearing aid.
Tom tells that when she was in third grade, she
had one of those early hearing aids, you know,
with the cord that came down and went into your
pocket, and she wore it to school.
Well, it was one of those old fashioned ones.
And one of the boys in her class asked Cynthia what
that's for.
And she said, that's my radio.
(Laughter)
The boy asked the teacher why can't I
bring a radio to school.
(Laughter)
As her brother shared, she overcame lots of
obstacles.
Cynthia got straight As.
She learned to play the violin.
She became the concert mistress and played in the
California Youth Symphony.
It was during this time that Cynthia, for the
first time, was given two hearing aids, one for each
ear.
She could hear in stereo.
And she told Tom for the first time, she could hear
all the instruments of the orchestra, instead of just
one side, with the aid of these marvelous devices.
It was heavenly.
Cynthia had the will to overcome barriers.
With her, there was no obstacle too great.
She never told anyone that she was hard-of-hearing,
and many people perhaps even here this afternoon
did not know that.
Tom reminded me over lunch the other day that he had
been working with me for some months before he even
told me about her disability.
I did not know that she was - had this problem.
There was a life-changing moment for Cynthia and
Tom.
There was an evening when they had been - been
dating for some - been dating for some time, and
Cynthia then shared with her - him her disability,
which he was not aware of.
She was sure now that he would probably leave her,
break up the relationship, but he didn't.
She told him, Tom, I'm safe with you.
And Tom promised her he would never abandon her.
And, Tom, you never abandoned Cynthia.
You were there for over 36 years.
And you were at her side right to the very end.
You supported her, and she could rely completely upon
you.
Jesus broke down barriers.
The woman who left her water pot behind and went
into town broke down barriers.
Cynthia Waddell, a woman of incredible faith, left
her bucket behind.
Those who said this girl will never hear, those who
said this girl will never speak, those who said this
girl will never go to school, this girl will
never learn a musical instrument, she left all
of that behind in her bucket.
She broke down barriers.
She got straight As.
She played the violin.
She became *** Laude at the University of Southern
California, and she traveled the world helping
others with disabilities.
So now, Tom, I see why this was Cynthia's
favorite passage.
There was no obstacle.
There was no mountain that Cynthia could not climb.
And on April 3rd, when she passed from this life to
the eternal, think of it, think of it, her family,
think of that moment.
She passed from this life to the eternal.
She heard for the first time without the aid of
hearing aids.
She heard with her own ears for the first time,
her Lord, who broke down barriers.
She heard him say, well done, Cynthia Waddell,
good and faithful.
Enter into your reward.
Amen.
(Music)
♪There is a river, And it flows from♪
♪deep within.♪
♪There is a fountain that frees the soul from♪
♪sin.♪
♪Come to this water; There is a vast supply.♪
♪There is a river That never shall run dry.♪
♪There was a thirsty woman who was drawing from a♪
♪well.♪
♪You see her life was ruined and wasted, and♪
♪her soul was bound for hell.♪
♪Oh, but then she met the Master, and she told♪
♪about her sin.♪
♪And He said, "If you drink this water, you'll♪
♪never thirst again." Let the weak say, "I am♪
♪strong."♪
♪Let the poor say, "I am rich."♪
♪Let the blind say, "I can see."♪
♪It's what the Lord has done in me.♪
♪Into the river I will wade. Where my sins are♪
♪washed away, from the heavens mercy streams of♪
♪the Savior's love for me.♪
♪Hosanna, hosanna to the Lamb that was slain.♪
♪Hosanna, hosanna Jesus died and rose again.♪
♪There is a river that never shall run dry.♪
>> PASTOR RANDY McGRADY-BEACH: Thank you.
You know, prayer is - is not just time for us to
plead for God for solving problems, to meet our
needs, to help change things.
But prayer is also a time to listen.
It's a conversation.
It's a time to reflect and hear what God has to say
to us.
We just heard a powerful message about someone who
overcame barriers.
What are your barriers?
What do you need to put in your bucket and leave
behind?
Before I pray, I want us just to take a moment of
silence and just listen.
Listen to what God has to say to each one of us.
And then I'll close with a prayer and we will say
together the Lord's Prayer.
Let's just take a moment to listen.
(Moment of silence)
Most holy God, we have been
where that woman has been.
And some of us perhaps are there now.
But you had to go through Samaria.
You had to come and meet us where we were at.
Because of a the life-giving water you had
for us, because of the nourishment, the
refreshment, the living hope that you had for us,
I pray, Lord, we won't leave this place thirsty.
Too long have we been dry.
So I pray, Lord, you help us to receive that living
water.
You will give us the hope, the belief, the faith that
we need just to receive you into our lives.
Most Holy God, your love for us is everlasting.
You alone can turn the shadow of death into the
brightness of the morning light.
Help us to turn to you with believing hearts in
the stillness of this hour and to hear those eternal
things, hear the promises of scripture, hear the
hope, hear the joy, to sense your peace in the
midst of our distress.
Almighty God, in Jesus Christ you promised many
rooms within your house.
Give us faith to see beyond touch and sight
some sure sign of your kingdom, where vision
fails, to trust your love, which never fails.
Lift our sorrow and give us hope in Jesus so we may
bravely walk our earthly way and look forward to
that reunion in the life to come.
Lord, we gather together as disciples down the
centuries have gathered and repeat that prayer
that you taught us saying: Our Father, who art in
heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, As it is in
heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our
debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver
us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom And the power and the
glory, For ever.
Amen.
>> TOM WADDELL: Please rise.
Jesus - Jesus said that he came,
that we might have life, and more abundance.
So we would like to give our tribute to a life
well-lived.
(Singing) ♪Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,♪
♪Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy,♪
♪never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.♪
♪Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming♪
♪tongues above.♪
♪Praise His name!♪
♪I'm fixed upon it, Name of God's redeeming love.♪
♪Hither to thy love has blessed me.♪
♪Thou hath brought me to this place.♪
♪And I know thy hand will bring me Safely home by♪
♪thy good grace.♪
♪Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from♪
♪the fold of God.♪
♪He to rescue me from danger, brought me with♪
♪his precious blood.♪
(Violin playing)
♪Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I'm♪
♪constrained to be.♪
♪Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering♪
♪heart to thee.♪
♪Bound to wander, Lord, I feel it.♪
♪Prone to leave the God I love.♪
♪Here's my heart, O take and seal it.♪
♪Seal it for thy courts above.♪
(Instrumental music)
>> PASTOR RANDY McGRADY-BEACH: With your hands
oh merciful Savior,
we commend our servant, Cynthia.
Acknowledge, we humbly pray, a sheep of your own
fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your
own redeeming.
This assurance, through hope, the resurrection to
eternal life that through our Lord Jesus Christ, we
commend to Almighty God our sister, Cynthia.
We commend her body through that for which it
came, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to
dust.
>> PASTOR JACK LONGLEY: May the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all now
and through all eternity.
Amen.
>> Amen.
(Music)