+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 11:26
Theme: Immortal Life!
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Ross, David, Mark, and especially you, Jean;
Faith clings to truth that is inaccessible to experience. Ross’s faith has given way to experience. He now experiences the presence of God in a way we can only imagine. When Martha, the grief-stricken sister of Lazarus, affirmed her belief that Lazarus would “rise again in the resurrection at the last day…Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”1 Essentially He was saying that the resurrection of the dead does not happen apart from Him. Christ is the firstborn from the dead. Heaven does not exist independently from Him.
What is heaven except the unhindered experience of God’s presence; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the presence of saints and angels? Heaven is not some mythical private paradise where we are left to our own isolated, secretive, and self-indulged existence. Heaven is not an ill-defined dimension where souls float around oblivious to their surroundings. Heaven involves the continual, joyous interaction with others in a state of resurrected glory- for all eternity. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”2 Ross has crossed over from death to life. He has traversed the threshold of time and eternity.
Ross came to faith as a young adult, and that faith blossomed to maturity over the years. In the covenant of baptism Ross’s identity as a child of God was cemented. The beautiful thing about baptism is that it is a tangible expression of the seeking love of God. Unable to find God, He finds us. The Holy Spirit calls us by the gospel and brings us as lost and vulnerable lambs into His flock. Ross knew his shepherd was the Good Shepherd. He is good not simply in the sense of expressing tender affection for His people, but good in that as the righteous and holy Son of God He humbled Himself, wearing our sin to the point of death on a cross.
Consider what the Scripture says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”3 Dear friends, the Suffering Servant who gave Himself in sacrifice for sinners, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep, the only-begotten Son who was hung upon a cross and rose again from the dead has delivered us from the ultimate fear. Silenced are the accusations of Satan. Vanquished is the power of hell. Appeased is the demand for punishment. Our Immanuel, God-in-the-flesh has triumphed, and His power and presence are with us always. He said to His disciples, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”4
These assurances sustained Ross in the regular routines of life. Ross was quite versatile in his employment abilities, enjoying a number of vocations before settling on almonds for the rest of his working career. His life was purposeful, and he was an actively engaged member of the wider community. A committed husband and father, he cherished his family and was concerned for their well-being. He developed a love for spreading God’s word, becoming a faithful member of the Gideon’s and Bible Society.
Ross understood though, that his standing before God wasn’t based on his moral integrity, his faithful service in church organizations, his status in the community, or any other virtue or accomplishment. Ross knew that the unearned and undeserved mercy of God in Christ for poor, helpless sinners is all that matters in the end. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith…it is the gift of God.”5 His grace is all sufficient. Ross was God’s forgiven child and he drew strength from that forgiveness each time the promise of absolution was declared to him in God’s house and each time the body and blood of Christ was taken upon his lips.
His spiritual vitality carried him through many physical and emotional challenges too. Ross was a fighter in his own quiet and determined way. He survived aortic valve replacement and bowl cancer twice over. He also endured the loss of a grandson, Luke, and was a steady presence for the family during that time of exceptional grief. Those experiences only sharpened his belief that every day is truly a gift to be cherished.
Dear friends, the finality of death is confronting even when you know it’s coming. There is no programmatic way to deal with grief. It can’t be pigeon-holed, pressed into a particular mould, or made to follow a certain set of parameters. You can’t just speed it up or slow it down at will. It dictates its own pace. Death alters reality, so grief involves adjusting to a new dynamic- one in which someone is missing. The emptiness cannot be replaced by artificial substitutes. It shouldn’t be ignored or denied. Only the Holy Spirit can soothe wounds that are too deep for the best of human intentions to heal. Only the Word of God can speak with authority to a need that mortal words cannot resolve. The Scripture calls the Almighty “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.”6
But, losing a loved one isn’t finally soul-destroying for believers because the loved one isn’t truly lost- they’ve gone ahead. Jesus said, “I am going there to prepare a place for you.”7 That’s exactly what He has done for Ross. Jean, David, Mark, take comfort in the knowledge that God’s promise to Ross has been fulfilled. He has received the reward of faith. He is now crowned with life. Ross now participates in life the way it was meant to be- freed from all of the complications of this fallen existence; free from sin, free from anxiety, free from pain, free from fear- in the presence of his Saviour. He enjoys immortal life. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Ross Gleeson DeCaux
3 August 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 11:24-25 2 John 5:24
3 Hebrews 2:14-15 4 Matthew 28:20
5 Ephesians 2:8 6 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
7John 14:2
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment