+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 11:25
Theme: I Am The Life
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Chris, Mark, his brother, and especially you Mel;
Chris Schulz, ‘Barrel’ to those who knew him, was better known yet by God. His creator and Saviour, God knew his fears, his hopes, his disappointments, his joys. God knew his strengths, and He knew his sins…and He knew when it was time for him to rest. That time has come already, too early for those who loved him, too early for a Father who didn’t expect to out live him. But God speaks into our grief with the promise that death is not the end. God first spoke that promise to Chris in his baptism- a flood of God’s mercy over a parched-soul granting life, hope, and a future. Throughout his life God never forsook him. May God comfort us now, in the time of grief, with the certainty of His promises.
The Bible says, “He who has the Son, has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”1 It may sound too simple. It may sound too preachy. It may sound like a stereotype. It may evoke scepticism, resentment, denial or apathy. But when we arrive at the threshold of mortality nothing is more important. It is all or nothing. The Bible is unapologetic saying that one who ‘has’ Christ, has everything. Those who go it on their own will end up with nothing. There are no self-styled ways of entering the presence of God. Nothing that we have accomplished, nothing that we have pursued, not the greatest of intentions, will compile for us a resume worthy of storming the gates of heaven. Christ alone is worthy. He made the sacrifice. He paid the price. He gifts us with the heavenly blessings of grace and forgiveness.
He promises heaven to all who believe. Heaven is not a hypothetical concept conjured up to give hope to those desperate to find an optimistic angle when facing mortality. Those who doubt the reality of life beyond the grave- a life in God’s presence characterized by a perfected and vibrant existence- need to take up their misgivings with the Man who came from there, submitted Himself to death in our world, rose from the grave, and returned to that dimension of eternal bliss. Christ is the only one who can speak with complete authority on the subject.
Chris wasn’t the type of person to put on appearances. What you saw was basically what you got. He was fair and honest, and he lived life on his own terms. Chris knew sheep and that the Bible compares us as sinners to lost sheep. Christ is the Lamb of God that died for Chris’s sins and for the sins of the world. He’s also the good Shepherd, and the Shepherd says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”2 He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”3
Death at any age is difficult for those who remain, especially when it seems from our perspective, that a life has been cut short. Yet, for believers, grief doesn’t end in despair or loss of hope. Rather, we anticipate a reunion. In the midst of sorrow, we can be filled with gratitude for the blessings that were, and we look forward to what will be. And what will be is described in this way, “The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable.”4 And again, the Scripture says, “Dear friends, now we are children God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”5
Now, it’s impossible to describe how magnificent this will be. We will be raised to a state of existence in which we will enjoy the life of God unencumbered by any of the circumstances of this fallen existence. No burdens, cares, or anxieties will be experienced. We won’t be subjected to pain, exposed to danger, or otherwise occupied with any distress. Being in the presence of God will be absolutely enthralling. Chris, Barrel, Schulz is now at rest…no more harvests, just peace. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Funeral of Christopher Wayne Schulz
3 January 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 John 5:12 2 John 10:27-29
3 John 11:25 4 1 Corinthians 15:52-53
5 1 John 3:2
Saturday, January 4, 2020
New Year's Eve 2019
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 2:21
Theme: “Give Him The Name Jesus”
Dear friends of the newborn Saviour,
Jesus was not an uncommon name in First Century Palestine. Notably, Barabbas, the notorious criminal who was released by Pilate at the request of the Jews instead of Jesus was known as ‘Jesus Barabbas’1. Pilate had to be careful with his name identity when meeting the demands of the crowd. Additionally, during one of his missionary campaigns Saint Paul encountered a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus2. He was a well-known and influential sorcerer in the region. Yet, there was only one Jesus who was known as the Christ. The definite article gives specificity to the identity the true Messiah.
The name ‘Jesus’, is not coincidental, of course, deriving from the Hebrew name ‘Joshua’. Joshua means ‘Yahweh is salvation’ or ‘God saves’, or ‘Saviour’. Of the many titles and names of Jesus in the Bible ‘Saviour’ is arguably the most well-known and most important. The sum and substance of who Christ is, what He does, and how He relates to us conveyed in this title. Naming Jesus as Saviour is just information for the unbeliever, but for Christians it is an affirmation of faith.
Jesus was named on the day of His circumcision. A sign of the covenant with profound connotations, circumcision identified one as belonging to Yahweh. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of that covenant, of course, opening the way for baptism to supersede circumcision as the means of becoming adopted into the divine patronage according to the Scripture, “In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature…with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead.”3
Jesus lived up to His name, and He still does. His name is a beacon of light in this dominion of darkness. As we stand at the threshold of 2020 biblical Christians should recognize that the presence of Jesus is needed as much as ever. Others disagree, claiming humanity can solve its own problems, even thinking most problems will inevitably be solved human ingenuity. No heroes will be needed in Utopia then. No need for Guardians of the Galaxy or the Justice League, or any superheroes at all. With no villains, protagonists, perpetrators or transgressors and with love, harmony and peace practiced everywhere, there’s no need for intervention, rescue, or redemption. But ours is not a situation of utopia but of dystopia. Things are out-of-place in our world. They are dysfunctional. The world is hurting, broken, dying, decaying.
Often, we try to cover things with quick fixes and so-called miracle cures. But the brokenness of sin cannot be remedied in that way. Managing sin with our own abilities is like a ‘catch-22’ conundrum- like the woman who walked into a pharmacy asking if they had any tablets to help her memory. The first attendant enquired about whether she had seen a doctor first. Overhearing the conversation another pharmacist said, “Your prescription has been ready for two weeks, but apparently someone has forgotten to ring you!” It’s like going to the bank to get a loan but the bank wants to first know that you don’t really need one! It’s like people with poor eyesight looking for their glasses: You need to be wearing them to be able to find them!
And so, it is with sin; we can’t even diagnose sin properly, let alone, remedy it. The cardiologist can’t perform his own heart surgery. But we have the Physician of body and soul.
The naming of Jesus was fulfillment of the prophetic word “you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”4 And again, “…the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wing.”5 The proverb, “Physician, heal Yourself!”6 was quoted to Him, and He did! His qualification is a crucifixion and resurrection. His attending physician is the Holy Spirit. His primary medication is the sacrament of Holy Communion.
The year 2020 is now upon us. Maybe your view of the future is filled with excitement and anticipation, or fear and trepidation; or perhaps a mixture of both hopes and doubts? If you’ve made it through the past calendar year without any experience of brokenness, without any failures, without any griefs or sorrows; if you’ve been spared all forms of pain, trauma, hurt or offence, then either you’ve been exceptionally blessed or you’re in a little bit of denial. Conversely, you might be saying, “Good riddance!” Sometimes people are happy to see Christmas in the rearview mirror, or even the past year entirely.
Christians need never despair that the future is lost because Christ is already there. He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega…who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”7 He doesn’t promise your journey will be easy. He doesn’t promise your 2020 will be prosperous in a worldly sense. He doesn’t promise you won’t face challenges, suffer heartache, endure loss or trauma. He certainly doesn’t promise your faith won’t be tested.
But He does say this: “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”8 And He does promise this: “…to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”9 And this: “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.”10 And again, “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”11
At the end of the genre-defining movie ‘The Truman Show’, Truman, the main character who had been unknowingly living in an artificially fabricated reality endures a mighty struggle and then ultimately realizes the deception. As he stands at the threshold between the real world and the fake one- the only one he had ever known- all eyes are focused on him to see what would happen. Would he remain in the familiarity of the world he knew- confined, but comfortable? Or would he step into the real world, the unknown?
It’s a fitting analogy for our transition from this world to the next, and even for our stepping out in faith each day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting for moment this world is fake. It’s not an illusion. It’s not a Hollywood movie set. All the good that we experience is a blessing of the Almighty God that is real and tangible. And the evil is very real too. But this world is on life-support. It’s on its way out. The Scripture says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”12 And again it says, “The world in its present form is passing away.”13
Of course, God has the resources to keep it on life-support for as long as He wishes. He could even completely revitalize it. But He says He won’t. One day, a little like Truman stepping into the real world for the first time, believers will step in resurrected glory into that celestial dimension of peace, and light, and permanence. Everything that was will be the past and we will dwell only in the present.
Dear friends, you bear the name of Jesus, the Christ. He gifted it to you in baptism and it is the most secure and irrevocable thing you will ever possess. Christians need not fear the future because God is already there. He lives in 2020 just as certainly as He lives in eternity. He has consecrated you for this time and place and He will not fail you. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
New Year’s Eve
31 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 See Matthew 27:16 2 See Acts 13:6
3 Colossians 2:11-12 4 Mathew 1:21
5 Malachi 4:2 6 Luke 4:23
7 Revelation 1:8 8 Deuteronomy 13:8
9 John 1:12 10 Ephesians 2:4-5
11 John 6:40 12 Romans 8:22 13 1 Corinthian 7:31
Text: Luke 2:21
Theme: “Give Him The Name Jesus”
Dear friends of the newborn Saviour,
Jesus was not an uncommon name in First Century Palestine. Notably, Barabbas, the notorious criminal who was released by Pilate at the request of the Jews instead of Jesus was known as ‘Jesus Barabbas’1. Pilate had to be careful with his name identity when meeting the demands of the crowd. Additionally, during one of his missionary campaigns Saint Paul encountered a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus2. He was a well-known and influential sorcerer in the region. Yet, there was only one Jesus who was known as the Christ. The definite article gives specificity to the identity the true Messiah.
The name ‘Jesus’, is not coincidental, of course, deriving from the Hebrew name ‘Joshua’. Joshua means ‘Yahweh is salvation’ or ‘God saves’, or ‘Saviour’. Of the many titles and names of Jesus in the Bible ‘Saviour’ is arguably the most well-known and most important. The sum and substance of who Christ is, what He does, and how He relates to us conveyed in this title. Naming Jesus as Saviour is just information for the unbeliever, but for Christians it is an affirmation of faith.
Jesus was named on the day of His circumcision. A sign of the covenant with profound connotations, circumcision identified one as belonging to Yahweh. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of that covenant, of course, opening the way for baptism to supersede circumcision as the means of becoming adopted into the divine patronage according to the Scripture, “In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature…with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead.”3
Jesus lived up to His name, and He still does. His name is a beacon of light in this dominion of darkness. As we stand at the threshold of 2020 biblical Christians should recognize that the presence of Jesus is needed as much as ever. Others disagree, claiming humanity can solve its own problems, even thinking most problems will inevitably be solved human ingenuity. No heroes will be needed in Utopia then. No need for Guardians of the Galaxy or the Justice League, or any superheroes at all. With no villains, protagonists, perpetrators or transgressors and with love, harmony and peace practiced everywhere, there’s no need for intervention, rescue, or redemption. But ours is not a situation of utopia but of dystopia. Things are out-of-place in our world. They are dysfunctional. The world is hurting, broken, dying, decaying.
Often, we try to cover things with quick fixes and so-called miracle cures. But the brokenness of sin cannot be remedied in that way. Managing sin with our own abilities is like a ‘catch-22’ conundrum- like the woman who walked into a pharmacy asking if they had any tablets to help her memory. The first attendant enquired about whether she had seen a doctor first. Overhearing the conversation another pharmacist said, “Your prescription has been ready for two weeks, but apparently someone has forgotten to ring you!” It’s like going to the bank to get a loan but the bank wants to first know that you don’t really need one! It’s like people with poor eyesight looking for their glasses: You need to be wearing them to be able to find them!
And so, it is with sin; we can’t even diagnose sin properly, let alone, remedy it. The cardiologist can’t perform his own heart surgery. But we have the Physician of body and soul.
The naming of Jesus was fulfillment of the prophetic word “you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”4 And again, “…the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wing.”5 The proverb, “Physician, heal Yourself!”6 was quoted to Him, and He did! His qualification is a crucifixion and resurrection. His attending physician is the Holy Spirit. His primary medication is the sacrament of Holy Communion.
The year 2020 is now upon us. Maybe your view of the future is filled with excitement and anticipation, or fear and trepidation; or perhaps a mixture of both hopes and doubts? If you’ve made it through the past calendar year without any experience of brokenness, without any failures, without any griefs or sorrows; if you’ve been spared all forms of pain, trauma, hurt or offence, then either you’ve been exceptionally blessed or you’re in a little bit of denial. Conversely, you might be saying, “Good riddance!” Sometimes people are happy to see Christmas in the rearview mirror, or even the past year entirely.
Christians need never despair that the future is lost because Christ is already there. He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega…who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”7 He doesn’t promise your journey will be easy. He doesn’t promise your 2020 will be prosperous in a worldly sense. He doesn’t promise you won’t face challenges, suffer heartache, endure loss or trauma. He certainly doesn’t promise your faith won’t be tested.
But He does say this: “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”8 And He does promise this: “…to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”9 And this: “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.”10 And again, “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”11
At the end of the genre-defining movie ‘The Truman Show’, Truman, the main character who had been unknowingly living in an artificially fabricated reality endures a mighty struggle and then ultimately realizes the deception. As he stands at the threshold between the real world and the fake one- the only one he had ever known- all eyes are focused on him to see what would happen. Would he remain in the familiarity of the world he knew- confined, but comfortable? Or would he step into the real world, the unknown?
It’s a fitting analogy for our transition from this world to the next, and even for our stepping out in faith each day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting for moment this world is fake. It’s not an illusion. It’s not a Hollywood movie set. All the good that we experience is a blessing of the Almighty God that is real and tangible. And the evil is very real too. But this world is on life-support. It’s on its way out. The Scripture says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”12 And again it says, “The world in its present form is passing away.”13
Of course, God has the resources to keep it on life-support for as long as He wishes. He could even completely revitalize it. But He says He won’t. One day, a little like Truman stepping into the real world for the first time, believers will step in resurrected glory into that celestial dimension of peace, and light, and permanence. Everything that was will be the past and we will dwell only in the present.
Dear friends, you bear the name of Jesus, the Christ. He gifted it to you in baptism and it is the most secure and irrevocable thing you will ever possess. Christians need not fear the future because God is already there. He lives in 2020 just as certainly as He lives in eternity. He has consecrated you for this time and place and He will not fail you. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
New Year’s Eve
31 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 See Matthew 27:16 2 See Acts 13:6
3 Colossians 2:11-12 4 Mathew 1:21
5 Malachi 4:2 6 Luke 4:23
7 Revelation 1:8 8 Deuteronomy 13:8
9 John 1:12 10 Ephesians 2:4-5
11 John 6:40 12 Romans 8:22 13 1 Corinthian 7:31
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Funeral of Betty Lyniece Lloyd (28 December 2019)
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 14:3
Theme: Safe in God’s Presence
Dear family, friends, friends and loved ones of Betty, and especially you; Tracy, Matthew, and Sam, her children,
Betty has returned here, to the place of her baptism. That fact doesn’t change the primary reason we’re here- Betty is safe in God’s presence through trust in the mercy of Christ and it wouldn’t matter where her funeral was held. But it is a nice way to picture the Christian journey. Betty entered God’s kingdom through baptism, becoming His child, and now her soul has been received into His eternal care and we recognize that at the place where everything started. All of Betty’s struggles with the complications of sin have come to an end. She has been relieved of all pain, anxiety, worry or doubt. Her faith rewarded; she is at peace. Thanks be to God!
Dear friends, every funeral provides a clear opportunity to reflect on the universal human dilemma. When we’re in danger of losing perspective one simple question can shake us out of our lethargy: Have you forgotten that you’re mortal? The question was not posed by a DC comic hero to an ordinary citizen. Nor was it a satirical statement of an angry mother to a rebellious child meaning, “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it!” Rather, it was a rhetorical device used in conversation between Job and his friends. “Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?”1 After overwhelming tragedy Job was doing some serious reflection about the meaning of life. Though pious and god-fearing his world came crashing down. The devil targeted him, and he was stripped of everything but his life. His convictions and priorities were immediately reassessed.
Dear friends, the Holy Spirit, through the Scriptures constantly teaches us (sometimes gently, sometimes firmly) to recognize the limitations of our mortality. Are the goals you set, the time you spend, and the resources you invest consistent with the belief that you are a mortal? You are a composition of earthly elements spectacularly coordinated to form a living being that nonetheless is exceptionally vulnerable to injury, decay, and death. The sophistication of your capabilities- the capacity of the human brain alone- is only beginning to be understood. Your entire physiological structure is marvelous beyond description.
But you are more than that. You have a soul. You were made in the image of God. You were made for eternity. Your soul will not one day simply cease to exist. That truth alone necessitates recognition of mortality. That’s why the Lord Himself says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”2 There is only one judge. There is only one Redeemer. There is only one who can sustain life.
Have you considered what a profound blessing immortality will be? Beyond comprehension it still merits our reverent reflection. Not in a creative, imaginative way; rather in the way revealed by Christ who constitutes it. Immortality is not an entitlement and certainty not an inevitable achievement. Immortality is God’s gift of resurrection from sin’s death-imposing power. Sin exacts its divinely ordained punishment- the forfeiture of life. But Christ raises the frames of believers from their morbid slumber and restores them to incorruptible life.
We are not privy to the mechanism of this mystery, but God will achieve it in the twinkling of an eye3. The Scripture says Christ “…will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”4 If that isn’t something to look forward to, it’d be a challenge to name something better? The absence of all of the consequences of sin, pain, sickness, sorrow, trauma, and fear of death is a life we can now only imagine.
But believers are forward-looking people. It’s not a coincidence that the creeds of the Christian church emphasize the future resurrection of the body, as the Apostles’ Creed does, saying. “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” Christ has already shattered death’s power by His own resurrection. This same faith Betty confessed throughout her Christian life, struggling, as do all believers, to follow the words of the apostle who said, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”5 Betty’s faith is now obsolete for she no longer deals with things that are temporary.
Meanwhile, we’re still here in this transient existence and coping isn’t always pleasant. Here the consequences of sin and death are very tangible. Life is precious. When injury or death happen, our incapacities are candidly revealed. Grief takes no prisoners. There’s no use pretending. A loss has been incurred. A hole has been left. The loved one who has died cannot be replaced. There will never be another Betty Lloyd. There aren’t any shortcuts for grieving. We can’t rush through it or circumvent it. It will demand our energies and our resources. It will change how we approach things. Every reflection on death is an opportunity to reassess our own priorities.
Originally when Betty was diagnosed with cancer, she wasn’t too keen to take on the fight. The news gutted her, as you would expect. Darkness suddenly flooded her otherwise positive outlook. Her faith was put to the test. She said to me with humble resignation, “The medical resources may as well be used on younger people.” But then she came around to the notion that God might have some time and purpose for her yet. So, she pressed on gracefully, with some reluctance still. God blessed her with many more months and a matured perspective.
Betty was a genuine and sincere person. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, she cherished her family. Betty’s passion for fostering children helped to shape her into the mature Christian she came to be. She worked hard in the fruit industry. A realist; Betty was good listener and enjoyed a good laugh. Betty fought her fair share of battles in life. She didn’t blame others for her failures, mistakes, or shortcomings. She knew salvation was a gift. She knew Christ didn’t die pointlessly, but for her sins. She cherished that forgiveness, receiving it through the word of God spoken, and prayed, and sung, and in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Betty is safe in God’s presence. Hers is a profound and sublime peace. Thanks be to God!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Betty Lyniece Lloyd
28 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Job 4:17 2 Matthew 10:28
3 See 1 Corinthians 15:52 4 Philippians 3:21
5 2 Corinthians 4:18
Text: John 14:3
Theme: Safe in God’s Presence
Dear family, friends, friends and loved ones of Betty, and especially you; Tracy, Matthew, and Sam, her children,
Betty has returned here, to the place of her baptism. That fact doesn’t change the primary reason we’re here- Betty is safe in God’s presence through trust in the mercy of Christ and it wouldn’t matter where her funeral was held. But it is a nice way to picture the Christian journey. Betty entered God’s kingdom through baptism, becoming His child, and now her soul has been received into His eternal care and we recognize that at the place where everything started. All of Betty’s struggles with the complications of sin have come to an end. She has been relieved of all pain, anxiety, worry or doubt. Her faith rewarded; she is at peace. Thanks be to God!
Dear friends, every funeral provides a clear opportunity to reflect on the universal human dilemma. When we’re in danger of losing perspective one simple question can shake us out of our lethargy: Have you forgotten that you’re mortal? The question was not posed by a DC comic hero to an ordinary citizen. Nor was it a satirical statement of an angry mother to a rebellious child meaning, “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it!” Rather, it was a rhetorical device used in conversation between Job and his friends. “Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?”1 After overwhelming tragedy Job was doing some serious reflection about the meaning of life. Though pious and god-fearing his world came crashing down. The devil targeted him, and he was stripped of everything but his life. His convictions and priorities were immediately reassessed.
Dear friends, the Holy Spirit, through the Scriptures constantly teaches us (sometimes gently, sometimes firmly) to recognize the limitations of our mortality. Are the goals you set, the time you spend, and the resources you invest consistent with the belief that you are a mortal? You are a composition of earthly elements spectacularly coordinated to form a living being that nonetheless is exceptionally vulnerable to injury, decay, and death. The sophistication of your capabilities- the capacity of the human brain alone- is only beginning to be understood. Your entire physiological structure is marvelous beyond description.
But you are more than that. You have a soul. You were made in the image of God. You were made for eternity. Your soul will not one day simply cease to exist. That truth alone necessitates recognition of mortality. That’s why the Lord Himself says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”2 There is only one judge. There is only one Redeemer. There is only one who can sustain life.
Have you considered what a profound blessing immortality will be? Beyond comprehension it still merits our reverent reflection. Not in a creative, imaginative way; rather in the way revealed by Christ who constitutes it. Immortality is not an entitlement and certainty not an inevitable achievement. Immortality is God’s gift of resurrection from sin’s death-imposing power. Sin exacts its divinely ordained punishment- the forfeiture of life. But Christ raises the frames of believers from their morbid slumber and restores them to incorruptible life.
We are not privy to the mechanism of this mystery, but God will achieve it in the twinkling of an eye3. The Scripture says Christ “…will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”4 If that isn’t something to look forward to, it’d be a challenge to name something better? The absence of all of the consequences of sin, pain, sickness, sorrow, trauma, and fear of death is a life we can now only imagine.
But believers are forward-looking people. It’s not a coincidence that the creeds of the Christian church emphasize the future resurrection of the body, as the Apostles’ Creed does, saying. “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” Christ has already shattered death’s power by His own resurrection. This same faith Betty confessed throughout her Christian life, struggling, as do all believers, to follow the words of the apostle who said, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”5 Betty’s faith is now obsolete for she no longer deals with things that are temporary.
Meanwhile, we’re still here in this transient existence and coping isn’t always pleasant. Here the consequences of sin and death are very tangible. Life is precious. When injury or death happen, our incapacities are candidly revealed. Grief takes no prisoners. There’s no use pretending. A loss has been incurred. A hole has been left. The loved one who has died cannot be replaced. There will never be another Betty Lloyd. There aren’t any shortcuts for grieving. We can’t rush through it or circumvent it. It will demand our energies and our resources. It will change how we approach things. Every reflection on death is an opportunity to reassess our own priorities.
Originally when Betty was diagnosed with cancer, she wasn’t too keen to take on the fight. The news gutted her, as you would expect. Darkness suddenly flooded her otherwise positive outlook. Her faith was put to the test. She said to me with humble resignation, “The medical resources may as well be used on younger people.” But then she came around to the notion that God might have some time and purpose for her yet. So, she pressed on gracefully, with some reluctance still. God blessed her with many more months and a matured perspective.
Betty was a genuine and sincere person. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, she cherished her family. Betty’s passion for fostering children helped to shape her into the mature Christian she came to be. She worked hard in the fruit industry. A realist; Betty was good listener and enjoyed a good laugh. Betty fought her fair share of battles in life. She didn’t blame others for her failures, mistakes, or shortcomings. She knew salvation was a gift. She knew Christ didn’t die pointlessly, but for her sins. She cherished that forgiveness, receiving it through the word of God spoken, and prayed, and sung, and in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Betty is safe in God’s presence. Hers is a profound and sublime peace. Thanks be to God!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Betty Lyniece Lloyd
28 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Job 4:17 2 Matthew 10:28
3 See 1 Corinthians 15:52 4 Philippians 3:21
5 2 Corinthians 4:18
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