Funeral sermon for Clifford Platz based on Hebrews 11:1-2, 13-16 and John 14:1-6
Pastor Troy Slater - Our
Dear
family and friends of Clifford; brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace, mercy,
and peace be to you from God our Father and from our
crucified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. …
I would like to begin by reading a
verse from Genesis, chapter 1. It comes
from the sixth day of creation, right after the Lord
had made the jewel of his creation - man and woman - Adam and Eve - there in
the Garden. But I would like to read
where scriptures tell us, "God saw
all that He had made, and it was very good." (repeat) Today we
come together because that is no longer the case, is it? As we look around at the world; as we gaze at
this casket; as we lay to rest a loved one, I don't imagine we need any more of
a reminder that the Lord's once perfect creation is no longer "very
good."
And you know I don't think that is
something that any of us would have had to explain to Clifford over the past
few years either. Life in this sinful,
fallen world is not what God intended for us - not what God made it to be for
us. No, life is no longer "very
good." And Clifford realized that;
I think it is very safe to say that Clifford realized that. After all I don't think it would be a surprise
to any of you for me to say to you that Clifford was ready to leave this world
- he did not keep it a secret - he was not afraid to say it. Not that I think he didn't love the many
gifts the Lord had given Him in this life - most notably his family whom he greatly
loved. And certainly thank you Evan for
sharing with us this morning about your grandpa. Certainly you and all the grandkids had a
grandfather you can be proud of. A hard-working, honest man who loved you. Family was obviously something very, very
important to Clifford. But yet he was
ready to go. He was ready to leave
behind the pains and the frustrations of this world, the nursing homes and
hospital beds; he was ready to leave behind the walkers and the wheelchairs and
the catheter tubes of this "no longer very good" world. He was ready to go because he knew there is
something more - something infinitely better awaiting
for him on the other side of that doorway we call death. Yes Clifford knew that as long as he remained
here, things were no longer "very good", and so he desired to go. …
In our first reading for this morning
we heard a definition of faith. "Faith is being sure of what we hope
for and certain of what we do not see." In other words faith is being able to look
beyond the present - knowing there is something more than this present
reality. Faith is "longing" as our reading also describes it - "longing for a better country"
- a better place - "a heavenly
one", it says. Clifford longed
for heaven - you could see it in his tears - you could hear it in his voice. That was faith. That was faith.
That was a faith that knew that
heaven was secured for him, by Jesus. Clifford's
faith was a faith that knew that when he prayed, there was a Lord God in heaven
who heard him. His was a faith that knew
that when he laid his dearly departed wife to rest that she was with the Lord
God - that same Lord who had come to live and to die for her, and for Clifford. His faith was a faith that knew that because
Jesus lives, he would see his beloved Evelyn again. His was a faith that was ready to face death
because that faith was in his Savior, the Lord Jesus who is the resurrection
and the life. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do
not see." Faith looks beyond
this "no longer very good" world to what Jesus has won for us. Something I would often say to Clifford here
over the past couple of years was to not give up but to keep his eyes fixed on
Jesus, He'll see you through. Clifford
would almost always respond, usually with tears in his eyes, "I know. I pray to Him all the time." "I know." That's faith.
That's faith in Jesus. …
In our Gospel reading Jesus
encourages our hearts - encourages His people's hearts as He says and as He
promises, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God,
trust also in me. In my Father's house
are many rooms."
Though our hearts may ache knowing that we are now separated from one
who has journeyed with us down life's road - a grandfather, a father, an uncle,
a brother; though we are now separated, though we mourn, faith tells us, our
faith in Jesus tells us that we can mourn knowing our separation is but
temporary. For Jesus' work of preparing
a place in our Father's house is also for us.
Jesus went to His cross so that all might have that gift of the
forgiveness of sin. Jesus rose from His
grave so that all who believe in Him as the way,the truth and the life might
have a room in His Father's house. With
Jesus our separation from those who go before us in the faith is only
temporary. Death does not separate
forever, there is a reunion awaiting us at our heavenly Father's house.
And so it is that
this morning I encourage you to find comfort in Jesus; I encourage you to fix
YOUR eyes on Jesus. He will see you
through also. As we continue to journey
through this world that can be so not very good, we can know that the Lord God
who went to the cross for us, who shed His blood for us; He has our brother
Clifford in His care, and He has you in His care.
Here in a few
minutes we'll close our service with that much beloved hymn, "Abide with
Me". And that hymn closes with the
words, "Hold Thou thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the
gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heav'ns morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; in life in death,
O Lord, abide with me." That hymn
is a hymn of faith. Those words are
words that direct our eyes towards Jesus and His cross. As we walk through this world - this once
"very good" creation of our Lord God that is now marked by pain and
suffering, aching hearts and lonely tears; as we walk through this world we
look to Jesus. We look to Jesus and we
give thanks. We give thanks for His
cross and resurrection. We give thanks
for faith in Him. And we give thanks for
Clifford. Yes he had grown tired from his
journey, but he knew where his home is.
For he knew Jesus. And so thanks
be to God for Clifford. Thanks be to God
for bringing him to faith in Jesus and for keeping him in that faith. And thanks be to God that because of Jesus,
Clifford, me, and you, we all can have a room in our Father's house. And there - yes there - it will once again be
very, very good. Amen.