Funeral for Edna Zacher (4 September 2018)

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

Text: John 14:1
Theme: The Reward of Faith

Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Edna, and especially you, Jenny, Graham, and Kevin, her children;

Edna Zacher no longer has any yearnings. She suffers no anxieties. If only we had just a hint, a whiff, a taste, a glimpse, a trace of what Edna now enjoys! She has crossed beyond the fallen-ness of mortal limitation. She is free. She is fearless. She is content. And she is so not because she is now the maker of her own destiny. She is in the unmediated presence of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the entire host of heaven.

Today we give thanks that Edna has received what had first been promised her in baptism. The apostle says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”1 That inheritance is now hers. Her time has come, the resurrection on the Last Day notwithstanding.

Edna, of course, was ready to go home. She was comforted by the thought of it. Did Edna have the comfort of eternal life because she believed she was more worthy, more pious, or more religious than others? Did she believe she was less flawed, less intolerant, less immoral? Did she think she had achieved some level of spiritual reputation that the Almighty would be forced to recognise and reward? No, Edna was a sinner who trusted in the forgiveness of her Lord. She knew her faults and failings and she knew there was only one person who could resolve that dilemma. The Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”2

Edna’s faith went hand-in-glove with her life. She was not a special-occasion or Sunday-only Christian. Edna was a regular in God’s house. She wasn’t there for show, but to have her faith nurtured from God’s word and her soul fed from the Lord’s Table. She drew her daily strength from His promises and presence. She modelled His love and did it joyfully as a wife, mother, and grandmother, as an employee and a teacher (of sewing), and as a friend and mentor to many.

The world changed a lot during Edna’s lifetime; western culture especially. All kinds of fanciful ideas about death and the afterlife are now becoming commonplace. Kids used to ask whether the family pet was going to heaven (and thankfully they still do). But, now they also ask whether vampires are real and if zombies can rise from the dead. Virtual reality tends to desensitise the mind to the sanctity of life and introduce confusion about the real nature of mortality. The age of relentless mass media intrusion contributes significantly to the worldview of everyone exposed to it. Sorting out truth from falsehood is challenging. The less familiar our society becomes with biblical teaching the more misunderstandings and misrepresentations become entrenched in the common psyche.

The concept of the circle of life, for example, is a myth with ancient origins and modern embellishments. The energy or lifeforce of the dead do not become the essence of the next generation’s existence. God is not so inept or under-resourced that He must recycle souls. Deceased relatives do not become fixed stars in the sky, or comets shooting across the galaxy. Communion with God is finally realised as heaven- the unhindered experience of His goodness. Separation from Him is ultimately experienced as hell- the horrific fact of His absence (of any goodness). There is nothing in between.

Dear friends, there are no second chances, no reincarnations, no turning into angels. No negotiations take place at the gate of heaven. Everything is done and dusted on a hill called Calvary. The Scripture says, “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"3 The earth-shattering event of the crucifixion was followed by the undeniable event of the resurrection. He is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. Edna knew that. She believed it.

Jesus said, "Fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”4 He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."5 And why did He lay down His life? Because He knew that sinners would remain hopelessly lost and doomed to destruction if not for His selfless act of love. Society is always changing but the needs of people never change. The history of humanity is a broken record of repeated arrogance, ignorance, and rebellion. A just God would have every right to consign all sinners to condemnation. Yet, again, and again the mercy of God comes to the fore. The crucified and risen Christ brings life, hope, and salvation to all who believe. God never turns away any who take refuge in Him.

Death is no respecter of persons, and so neither is grief. We must all face mortality. The rich are not spared from grieving, nor are the powerful, or the popular. White collar, blue collar, urban, rural, ethnic, indigenous, those whose lives are brimming over with success and those whose lives are submerged in failure; it makes no difference. Death causes separation. No human has the means or power to reverse it. But Jesus Christ has. Jesus Christ did.


Graham, Kevin, Jenny, your mum has been received back to the One who gifted her to you in the first place. She is crowned with life. She endures no more frailty. She no longer ages. She experiences no more pain, suffering, or regret. An accomplished seamstress, Edna is now woven into the tapestry of God’s eternal kingdom. A skilled dressmaker, she is now clothed with the Saviour’s righteousness. A gifted cook, she is now served in the heavenly banquet. She enjoys glorious and vibrant life. She is at peace. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.”6Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

Christian Burial of Edna Clara Zacher
4 September 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 1 Peter 1:3-5 2 Romans 6:23
3 Matthew 27:54 4 Revelation 1:17-18
5 John 10:11 6 2 Thessalonians 3:16