Jean Hentschke Funeral 4 January 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: John 14:3
Theme: At Home With The Shepherd




Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Jean Hentschke has received the crown of everlasting life. The weight of her mortality has been lifted. She has been released from all the consequences of sin. That means she has no anxieties or cares. Nothing troubles her at all. She is at peace. Most importantly, her soul is in the unmediated presence of the holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. She is in the company of saints and angels. She is with her Shepherd. She dwells in His house forever. Thanks be to God for His immeasurable love!

Jean and Glen had Psalm 23 as their wedding Scripture. It begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”1 Jean correctly understood that to mean that the Lord was her shepherd in prosperity and in adversity. She had a close relationship with her Saviour. She was not a fair-weather follower, nor did she know Him to be a half-hearted Lord. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me.”2 And that’s how it was with Jean.

We are gathered here now with the opportunity to hear God’s powerful Word and reflect on what mortality means. We have opportunity to pause and consider that life is fragile. It is fleeting. Nothing is guaranteed in this temporal sphere. We have no entitlements. In a list of topics people are most likely to avoid, mortality ranks right at the top. It’s not a mystery why. We naturally shun things that are particularly fearful or distasteful. And what is more distasteful than death? What threat is greater. We don’t like to be reminded of our limitations.

So, a Christian funeral is an occasion for grieving, for giving thanks for blessings shared with the departed loved one, and for self-reflection. God calls us from our selfish, sinful ways. He calls us from our obsession and preoccupation with fleeting things. He calls us from our attitudes of indifference and arrogance towards others. He calls us from doubt and scepticism. He calls us to repentance. And it’s only in the humility repentance brings that we can see things from a different perspective, with the Spirit-given eyes of faith. We can see that every day is a gift.

Jean was a genuine gift. She was a genuine person. She was a straight shooter. She didn’t try to keep up appearances. She could be forthright, but she was respectful. She wasn’t fickle, and you usually knew where she stood on disputable matters. She was familiar with the rigours of farming in the Mallee. She suffered the grief of losing a child and her husband, but she pressed on, grateful for the Lord’s blessings. She honoured a Sunday as a day to be in the Lord’s house, not allowing other activities to take pride of place. The rhythm of her week was set by the order of God’s love. Jean was devoted member of the St. Peter’s Ladies’ guild and supported it passionately. In these things she was well-grounded, and they were expressions of her faith. Family was important to her and she was always concerned for everyone’s well-being.

Jean was person who appreciated the gospel and what it really meant. Death is the arch enemy, over which, we have no power. It takes no prisoners and plays no favourites. You can’t negotiate with it. You can’t outwit it. That’s why the Scripture says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”3 How is this done? Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”4 Christ came down to live in the trenches. He immersed Himself in all the fragility of people’s lives. Their muck, their filth, and their dirt stuck to Him. He carried it all the way to the cross. The Bible says, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”5 Christ became the greatest sinner for us! The profundity of that truth is right at the heart of the gospel. Jesus suffered so that we might be spared.

Dear friends, there are no shortcuts to heaven. Jean knew this. You can’t forge your own path to get there. You can’t choose your own means of transport. That is, you can’t be carried to heaven in a vehicle called piety. You can’t ride the bus of popularity. You can’t be chauffeured in by your charm or generosity. There is no taxi for those who are more honest, upright, and righteous than others. You cannot buy your way in, bribe anyone or trick God. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”6 People are saved by grace, trusting in God’s mercy for Jesus’ sake or they are not saved at all. Jesus took our place on the cross. He died the death that we deserved. He paid the price of our debt of sin. He freed us from just condemnation. He bore Satan’s accusations so that we could be acquitted. Death could not hold Him and now He lives eternally and will one day come again in glory.

Grieving is probably a little easier when we feel the person has reached a certain age. But, it’s a loss nonetheless. Nothing fully prepares you for it. When we lose a loved one we lose a little piece of ourselves, a piece of our lives. Still, when a believer dies, we can confidently rejoice. The Scripture says that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents, how much more so when they are received into eternal glory! That truth is what lifts our hearts even in the midst of sorrow. The Holy Spirit leads us through the temporary fog of grief to the bright, clear, and certain permanence of the resurrection. How brief is the struggle and long is the bliss!

The Lord was Jean’s Shepherd. He protected her. He provided for her. He comforted her. His promise to her in baptism has come to fulfillment. His words have come true for her. “I will never leave you or forsake you.”7 And again, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”8 And again, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”9 Jean Hentschke was called home for Christmas and we raise our Hallelujahs because she is with her Lord. Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

Christian Burial of Jean Hentschke
4 January 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Psalm 23:1 2 John 10:14
3 1 Corinthians 15:26 4 John 10:11
5 2 Corinthians 5:21 6 John 14:6
7 Hebrews 13:5 8 John 10:27-28
9 John 14:3