+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 3:16-17
Theme: Crowned With Life
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Linda, and especially you, Erica, Lorraine, and Irma, her daughters,
Linda Thiele understood the gospel. She knew she could not justify herself to the Almighty God. None of us can. She wasn’t laboring under the illusion that her efforts, good intentions, or integrity merited God’s favour. She knew her redemption was in the hands of Christ who came into the world not to condemn, but to save. If the virtue that Linda displayed during her 99 years didn’t merit the unlatching of heaven’s gates, then that probably leaves many of us in a precarious position. But comparisons won’t get us anywhere. Perfection is the mark. All fall short.
Linda’s faith was authentic. When the wife of the local pastor contracted glandular fever the congregation members rallied to her support. One Sunday after service I was greeted by Linda. She offered to help. Mind you, she was almost ninety years old already. Her hearing was very poor and though she was still mobile she wasn’t exactly agile. Linda wanted to know if she could come around and vacuum or cook meals. It caused an interesting little conflictive crisis for the pastor who was somewhat obligated to give a prompt response in the hearing of others. Images passed through my mind of my wife and I relaxing in the lounge room while this lovely elderly lady did the vacuuming and cooked us dinner! I prayed that she wouldn’t be offended when I politely declined her offer. Despite my refusal we seemed to get on just fine afterwards.
Of course, that’s nothing to brag about as it wasn’t too difficult to get along with Linda. It required exceptional impertinence to precipitate a row with her. Those who knew her in her younger years might know differently, but I’d be surprised! Linda’s capacity for hospitality was prodigious. Thoughtful and pragmatic she got on with the activities of life. But we’re not here to saint Linda. Christ has already done that. He did it already at her baptism and now she has received the full benefits of the accompanying inheritance. She is crowned with indestructible and immortal life. It’s not something she, or any other glorified believer possesses of their own fortitude or merit. That indestructible life is continually, and unfailingly extended to her by the magnanimous mercy of the triune God. He will no longer suffer being parted from His children. He delights in having them in His presence.
God had been preparing Linda for her reception into heaven for some time. She was well and truly ready to be home with the Lord. She wouldn’t have minded a letter from the queen, but she had no fears of a premature departure. She now has a seat with the King and has no fears at all. Her soul is in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, saints and angels. Thanks be to God for the compassionate embrace of His love!
Every Christian funeral is an opportunity to properly reflect on mortality. Mortality is characterized by limitations. It is marked by decay, by injury, and finally, complete incapacitation. To be mortal is to be subject to obsolescence. Mortality implies eventual death. That’s why every contemplation of the meaning of death is also a call to repentance. There is, of course, great danger in denying our mortality. Denial doesn’t alter reality or stave off the inevitable. The Scriptures call us to be realistic without being morbid. But it’s also risky business to probe too far into the nature of death. Speculating beyond what God has revealed in His word can lead to all kinds of fears and falsehoods. Our own opinions about the afterlife and how we get there are easy to construct. But if they’re not founded on truth we’ve only built a house of cards.
Without the word of God, we do not have access to the Holy Spirit. And without the Holy Spirit the heart, the will, and the conscience cannot be transformed by the grace of God in Christ. One of the most common misunderstandings about Christianity is that it consists mostly of following a code of morality. Dear friends, if that were the case there would be no need for Christ, no need for sacrifice, no need for the shedding of blood, no need for His crucifixion and resurrection.
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself.1 He says, “In My Father’s house are many rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you…I will come back and take you to be with Me.2 Again, He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though He dies.”3 Christ died and rose again for Linda. He died and rose again for you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”4
There is no measure of moral virtue or devoted obedience that can cover the debt of sin. Christians are simply sinners who recognize their need for forgiveness, reconciliation, and salvation. Death is an enemy none of us can overcome. But Christ has. The gospel is not merely information. It is the power of God for indestructible life. The Scripture says, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”5 So, we live simultaneously under the shadow of the cross and in the light of Eater morning.
Linda lived a long and full life. She persevered through the challenges of establishing a block and raising a family. She excelled at the vocations of being a faithful wife and devoted mother of three. She experienced the grief of several miscarriages. Yet her trust did not waver. Daily living changed dramatically during her lifetime. She lived through the Great Depression and the Second World War. Through it all Linda clung to the unchanging nature of God’s love in Christ. She worshipped regularly in God’s house. She received the blessing of holy communion. She supported the work of His kingdom.
Erica, Lorraine, Irma the grief you experience is a proper recognition of loss. Linda can’t be replaced. But, through the Holy Spirit’s comfort, your grief will be tempered by gratitude and moderated by joy. Where will the locus of your grieving be? Will it be at the cemetery? Will it be in the sharing of memories together? Will it be in places and activities associated with her? All have their role. Yet, the nearest you can be to Linda is in God’s house and at His altar receiving the gift of Christ’s body and blood. Linda, you see, is in the unveiled presence of Christ; the same Lord who meets us clothed in His word and sacraments. Linda is where she was always meant to be. She is safely in His eternal refuge awaiting the great and glorious day of the resurrection of all flesh. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Linda Anna Thiele
4 September 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 5:25-26
2 John 14:2-3
3 John 11:25
4 John 3:16
5 1 Corinthians 1:18
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