Christian Burial of Colin Schwarz (2 August 2018)

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

Text: John 11:25
Theme: Resurrection and Life

Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Colin, Dawn, and especially you, Sally and Anita;

“Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we adore and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts; heaven and earth are full of your glory.”1 These are the words that lead into the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in the Christian Divine Service. Colin Schwarz no longer sings these words in anticipation, as we do. He is part of the consummation.

The saintly and angelic voices that are joined in the magnificent heavenly symphony must be utterly beyond description. St. John describes what he experiences, “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”2 “In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’”3

Colin now keeps company with angels. He has fellowship with the whole host of heaven. He is in the presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He doesn’t reflect back on past regrets. He doesn’t look forward to a better future. The present is his all-consuming reality. God’s glory, majesty, love, and compassion are unmediated and unrestricted. He lacks nothing. He wants for nothing. He experiences no disappointments, no unfulfilled desires, no shattered dreams. His life is unending. Hallelujah! God has brought His servant home.

Colin had music in his blood, in his heart, and seeping out of his bones. Would you like to hazard a guess at how much music has been found in Colin’s very modest sized unit at Riverview? The Finke River Mission was one of Colin’s other great passions. He was just as comfortable in the presence of those who spoke Pitjantjatjara or Western Arranta as he was in the presence those who spoke English. He was the chief cook for Aboriginal Pastors Training Courses for many years. There are many aboriginal sisters and brothers who are with us today in spirit. Colin knew, of course, that music is a universal language and he delighted in proclaiming the gospel in song.

Colin was industrious. You wouldn’t ever find him sitting around twiddling his thumbs or gazing at his navel. Among his many activities, he never took for granted the privilege of serving in God’s church. From playing the organ, leading signing, and conducting lay readings, to holding most positions in parish and congregational life and beyond. Communicating God’s wisdom, truth, forgiveness, and blessings was never a mundane formality, but an opportunity to nurture the faith of God’s people. Aside from singing itself, Colin was most happy when he was involved in such activities. His life of witness was visible and heart-felt.

So, did Colin understand that he was a sinner? Yes, he was very aware of his faults and his failings. No life is so perfect that death magically arrives only when every relationship is perfectly reconciled, every transgression is entirely forgiven, and every case of negligence is completely resolved. Sins of commission and omission are too numerous to count. We are sinners until our dying breath. Luther called us beggars. There are no exceptions. Ignorance or denial does not change the reality. Anyone who’s gone through life without being wounded probably hasn’t gone very far regarding human relationships. Interacting with others makes us vulnerable. We will make mistakes. We will have regrets. We will accumulate scars. Colin accumulated his share.

Yet, what is the response of our holy God to this quandary? He doesn’t wash His hands and leave us to our doom. The Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”4 It says, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.”5 And again it says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”6 In Christ sinners become saints. Colin was sainted already in his baptism. In baptism we are co-crucified and co-raised with the Lord Jesus. Our sins are forgiven, and we are promised an eternal inheritance. Colin knew he was saved by grace. Believers live under the shadow of the cross looking forward to the bright glory of the resurrection.

Only a few weeks before his death, Colin invited my wife, Vanessa, and I over for dinner. Other things intervened, and we never enjoyed that meal together. It was disappointing, but I doubt either of us suffered from much regret. We often shared a more important feast. Many times, Colin received the sacred meal from my hand and I received it from his. When we kneel before the Lord’s altar here on earth it’s good to remember that the saints in heaven are on the other side of the threshold. We can be no closer to departed loved than when we commune with Christ in whose unveiled presence believers who have gone before are now in.

Dear friends, it can take some time to gage how the loss of a loved one will affect us. Some allowance for scope and not a small amount of patience are necessary. Death confronts the believer with gut-wrenching, bone-jarring finality. We are completely powerless to alter its course. Mortality is the ultimate helplessness. It can seem at first surreal, or completely dreamlike. Sights, sounds, and dates can be triggers for memories to come flooding in. The heart can fluctuate from sorrow, to denial, to hope and to gratitude. Sometimes this happens all in a very short period of time. But the Scriptures never scold believers for grieving. Jesus’ own heart was rent at the tomb of Lazarus. Grief for believers is not characterised by despair, but by hope. It is not dominated by bitterness, but by gratefulness. The apostle addresses believers, saying, “We do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”7

Colin has fallen asleep in Jesus. It is a beautiful thing. It is the fulfillment of a promise. It is the preview of even greater things to come. The great day of the resurrection of the dead will be fantastic beyond imagination. Job said it this way, “I know that My Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes.”8 Our conqueror of death says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”9 That was Colin’s firm belief. His trust has not been misplaced.

Sally, Anita, Colin won’t be a regular part of your life anymore. But, like the rest of us, you won’t have to live on memories. Colin has been crowned with life. He has no regrets. Sorrow will not triumph over our joy. You can be certain that from the very moment Colin was received into heaven he was blending his voice with that celestial chorus of praise. To God be the glory! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +

Christian Burial of Colin Schwarz
2 August 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Lutheran Hymnal p.16 2 Revelation 7:9
3 Revelation 5:12 4 Romans 5:8
5 John 3:16 6 2 Corinthians 5:21
7 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 8 Job 19:25-27
9 John 11:25