Funeral of Kelvin Montgomery (15 August 2018)

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

Text: John 14:6
Theme: One Way, One Truth and One Life

Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Kelvin, Luke, Ashley, Justin and Monique, his children, and especially you, Leanne;

Funeral addresses are not for the dead, but for the living. Kelvin has crossed the threshold to eternity, but we are still confined by the parameters of time. Kelvin has been released from all the burdens of this mortal life. He has no fears, anxieties, pains or griefs. He is at peace. And for this we give thanks, even in the midst of our sorrow.

We, however, still struggle on with the challenges and uncertainties each day brings. Our successes can be quickly overtaken by defeats. Our health can suddenly be surpassed by sickness. Our bright hope for the future can be rapidly overshadowed by doubt. It’s not without prudence that Moses prays in Psalm 90, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”1 We know not whether we have one more day on this earth, 1,000, or ten times that many or more. But that’s no reason to panic or lose hope. A heart of wisdom learns to cherish each day as a sacred trust. Every breath you draw is a gift of the Creator.

So, the fact of mortality stands palpably before us. Death is not fictional. Being confronted with death can be as raw as it is numbing. It can fill the mind with anxiety as acutely as it blunts the emotion of the heart. Death cannot be manipulated by any power that we possess. It is the ultimate expression of vulnerability.

Our limitations regarding physical life mirror our capacities in spiritual life. Put bluntly: We have none. Therefore, God must come to our aid. And He does. Luther says it brilliantly when He describes the Holy Spirit’s work, saying, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”2 And there you have it! God takes in hand to accomplish what we could never achieve.

The Scripture says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”3 You, dear friend, are part of the world. There are no exclusions, no exceptions. You cannot go unnoticed by God; hidden away by the digital façade of a cyberworld or lost in the anonymity of society’s relentless pursuit of self-indulgence. The Redeemer came for you and for your salvation.

It’s true, of course, that no one can believe for someone else. We can pray for others, support them, warn them about error, and seek to nurture their faith at every opportunity. But we have no capacity to secure a spot in heaven for anyone else. Jesus reconciles sinners and no one else can. God is not a chump. He doesn’t suffer fools lightly. Those who loathe Him will be left to their own schemes. But God is gracious far beyond our capacity to fathom. His mercy cannot be measured. Yet it was given tangible expression in the person of His Son. There is no darkness deeper than that which Christ endured. There is no evil more terrifying than what He confronted in those hours of His passion. There is no deception more sinister than that with which Satan attacked Him. Yet He prevailed and brought life, and light, and truth to the fore through His own death and resurrection.

We’re not here today to whitewash Kelvin’s sins or pretend he was a model citizen. That does nothing. Aside from the main offence of falsifying reality, it only propagates the common myth that that everyone is more glamorous in death than they are in life. I’m not talking about remembering the deceased from the perspective of cherishing the most positive memories. That’s part of the charitableness of human compassion. God calls upon us to put the best construction on everything. We’re talking here of a denial of sin’s power and presence that falsely soothes our own consciences. Nothing is finally more dangerous than to believe that sin is of little concern, a paper tiger. Sin, when left unaddressed separates us from God. He is the final judge.

Kelvin endured his share of trauma and sadness. He battled his demons. He had his regrets. But his life was also filled with blessings and adventures. His family and friends can attest to that. We just spent time reflecting on them. Memories are to be cherished, but they can’t finally set the heart at peace in times of loss. Only God can do that and there are no substitutes. If we don’t have the peace Christ gives then we have a false peace, a fictional peace. No one else can forgive sins. No one else can answer Satan’s accusations. No one else can raise the dead. No one else can bestow the gift of immortality.

The anxious disciples of Jesus asked Him the way to heaven. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”4 One way. One truth. One life. We need not labour over how we can storm the gates of heaven, impress God with piety, or negotiate some other way to slip into the kingdom. Christ has thrown the door wide open for all who believe. Salvation is by grace, through faith. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And that truth alone can finally mitigate our grief.

When Kelvin was baptized God made a promise to Him. It was a steadfast covenant of grace. It was a promise of an eternal inheritance that includes all the blessings of heaven. We heard a partial description earlier, “[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’”5 Heaven involves a newness, a restoration to life that far exceeds all that we can currently imagine. But at the resurrection on the Last Day believers will experience it in body and soul. Leanne, Luke, Ashley, Justin, Monique, all who feel the pain of loss; Kelvin is at rest. He has been released from the fallenness of this life. Thanks be to God!

+ In nomine Jesu +

Funeral of Kelvin Stanley John Montgomery
15 August 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Psalm 90:12 2 Luther’s Small Catechism
3 John 3:16-17 4 John 14:6
5 Revelation 21:4-5 6 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
7John 14:2