December 18, 2010
Call to Worship
For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
For everything there is a season and today, we have come to celebrate and remember the season of the life of Virginia Leen Kim Lum. On behalf of her family, I thank you for taking time from this busy Christmas holiday season to remember Virginia Lum’s life and to offer prayer and support to all the members of her family. We pray that by your presence today that you too will be blessed with good health and a good life as Virginia Lum was blessed with a long life of 87 years old.
Let us pray.
Creator God, we trust you to guide us through every season of life. You carry us from death to life, from weeping to laughing, from mourning to dancing, and from silence to speaking. Inspire us to experience every season in its fullness as Virginia Lum did in her life on earth, and to trust that nothing lasts forever—except for your eternal love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Scripture Readings Psalm 23
Biography
Words of Remembrance
Message Taste and See Pastor Don Ng
Becoming a strong and capable person is what all of us want to become. We attend school to receive a good education so that we are competent and qualified for good jobs. We exercise at the fitness center to develop strong muscles especially when we get older and we begin to lose muscle mass. But we also know that a person becomes strong and capable sometimes from the life experiences that come our way. We learn to survive and develop skills and abilities that we never would have guessed we had in us. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:3-4).
From all the stories and remembrances that we heard about Virginia Lum, she is a strong and capable woman. If the China that Virginia grew up was quiet and stable, she may have become one of the millions of Chinese girls who gave up her independence to become a part of her husband’s household. But in the wake of civil war in China, the emergence of America needing Chinese workers, and personal tragedies, Virginia was thrust into circumstances that call up from her inner soul, the endurance and strength to help her to persevere and survive. She went out to work when the family needed money. She raised her children—all six of them. She learned how to speak English and used it whenever necessary to protect her family, her work, and her rightful place in America.
In Psalm 34, the writer speaks about how God delivers us from troubles. When we are afraid and life is uncertain, God will answer our questions. When we might be ashamed and intimidated, God will be radiant and we would not lose face. When it seems that there are enemies all around us, God will send angels to surround us and protect us. And in Psalm 34, verse 8, it reads, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.” I heard that when Virginia came to the US, she met Miss Astrid Peterson, a missionary who was in China and was serving our church at the time. With Pearl’s invitation, her mother attended Miss Peterson’s class and may have read about how God delivers us from our troubles.
Not only did Virginia tasted and saw that the Lord is good, she literally also tasted and saw that one of her gifts and talents was cooking and eventually running restaurant businesses. After realizing that sewing piecemeal garments was not going to generate the income she needed, she started to explore other possibilities to support her family. She peeled shrimp at Alioto’s at the wharf and got paid by the pound. She started to earn a good reputation as a cook preparing meals for parties and for private families. She worked at the famous Tonga Room in the Fairmont and realized that she possibly can learn to run her own business. Everywhere she worked, she would taste the food and develop her own palate for what might taste good for her possible customers.
After Virginia’s first business venture with the Marina Café on Chestnut Street, she opened the New Victory restaurant on 24th and Mission that sold Chinese-American food. This was a big success and she was happy about her ability to support her family. In the wake of the new rage about Northern Chinese cooking of Szechwan and Hunan spreading across the US, Virginia saw this as a new opportunity to seize and continue her success. She became passionate in learning about northern cooking that she would order many dishes more than she and her children can eat just to taste them. She read books about northern cooking and had her children take out restaurant menus to learn about the names of different dishes and how she might learn to cook them. She not only experienced the refuge of God when she tasted and saw that God will deliver her from her troubles but she invited the world to come and taste and see what she has done in the dishes that she prepared in her restaurants.
It’s no surprise that in Virginia’s retirement, she continued to love food. She enjoyed gourmet food at nice restaurants. She liked to watch all the food channels and her favorite chef was Emerill Lagasse. She was able to recite recipes from memory and if circumstances were different, she may have hosted her own cooking show! In the eyes of her children and family, Virginia Lum was their gourmet TV chef.
In the book of Proverbs, we read about a capable woman in chapter 31. It describes Virginia Lum very well.
She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household.
She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates.
Virginia Lum always had food on the table to welcome people into her home. She started businesses and became profitable and successful. She was very generous and made donations to worthy causes. She greatly enjoyed her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and went to Disneyland with them. This made her very happy. She lived a long life of a Chinese-American woman who demonstrated strength in times of struggles that earned her the recognition of being the Mother of the Year in 2006. The city gates praised Virginia Lum because of the work that she did.
Toward the end of her life, Virginia Lum still directed her children to go out and buy crab when it’s in season to eat or to buy some dumplings because this grandchild likes them. She showed her love for them by the way she provided food for them to enjoy.
In God’s mercy and grace, Virginia Lum was delivered from her troubles because she tasted and saw that the Lord is good. She found happiness when she found refuge in fulfilling her responsibilities as a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, wage earner, and finally as a child of God.
Expression of Appreciation & Announcements
The family of Virginia Leen Kim Lum thanks all of you their friends and relatives for providing comfort, sympathy, and support during this time of loss. In memory of Virginia Lum, the family requests that donations can be made to the CD Fund.org (Chronic Disease Fund), the First Chinese Baptist Church, 1 Waverly Place, San Francisco and the Cumberland Presbyterian Chinese Church, 865 Jackson St, San Francisco. More detail information can be found in your bulletin.
Immediately following the funeral service, the Committal Service will be at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma. The family invites you to come to the Memorial Meal at Far East Café, 631 Grant Avenue (Between Sacramento and California Streets) in Chinatown where they look forward to greeting you.
Benediction
To all who have gathered today, in the midst of sadness, I charge you to rejoice.
Rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God!
Rejoice even in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope!
Rejoice above all that this hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:2-5)
May the God of hope fill you in this Christmas season with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Committal Service
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25-26)
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we commend to God’s merciful care our sister, Virginia Leen Kim Lum; and we commit her body to this final resting place: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
“Blessed are the dead who…die in the Lord…they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” (Revelations 14:13)
Let us pray.
Merciful God, you created us in your own image, perhaps because you were lonely. You created us as members of families, so that none of us should ever be lonely. You share our grief when the family circle is broken and we experience loneliness and sorrow, because someone we have loved and counted on has left us. Grant us strength to face our loss, with the assurance that Virginia Leen Kim Lum’s return to you has not broken our family circle, but only extended it beyond this earthly scene into the heavens that your children share with you, thanks to the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Benediction
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.
Paying last respects.
We thank you again for your presence here today. You are cordially invited to attend the Memorial Meal at the Far East Café, 631 Grant Avenue (Between Sacramento and California Streets) in Chinatown following our time here.
Virginia Lum’s family looks forward to greeting you there. Go with God’s peace.