Impromptu Eulogy – Those attending were given an opportunity to speak of Dave.

August 31, 2024

I heard about Dave’s memorial yesterday, so he was on my heart as I prepared for our Men’s group this morning. He was my friend.

Justin 133 AD – “perceived the real nature of truth.” I believe Dave perceived the same about Jesus.

The reason I’ve always believed Dave cared so much is because he knew the Care Jesus has for him.

We are made In God’s Image. Dave understood this and treated everyone as such, with love and respect.

God knows our potential for good or evil – depending on the Truth we embrace. Dave chose the Truth from the Bible. The truth isn’t the prize, but Who is conveyed thru the Truth. Jesus’ patient explanation of His Truth to His enemies in John 8:31 – The Truth Shall Set You Free

Dave understood Jesus’ patient nurturing of us through the Truth is in the hope we’d be Saved. I know these are the things Dave, too, cared very much about.

Dave is unusual in a BIG heart as well as a BIG devotion to the Truth. You may notice I speak of Dave in the present, not the past. It’s because the Truth tells us that for a follower who belongs to Jesus, to be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord. Dave’s spirit is not dead, just as Jesus’ Spirit is not dead.

I’m so pleased he basks in the Truth and love of our Lord now, face to Face.

Richard Hilgert Eulogy

March 25, 2023

Lucy, Chris & (Adrienne), Alyssa & Phil, Kevin & (Claire), Gabriella & (Anton), RJ, Jensen, and Russel – We share your hope in our Lord and His comfort in your grief.  Thank you for the opportunity to share our love for Richard together.  May the Lord bless and keep you.

If a Eulogy is a commendation of the character and services of a person, I believe someone like Rich would expect his Eulogy to include the evidence of Jesus’s work in his life.  There will rightly be much discussion about Rich and who he has been in our lives.  But now, let’s consider Who Jesus is in Rich’s life and why it matters.

A Eulogy can be an occasion to testify, to examine, to consider and to challenge.  See this person’s life, look for the evidences of Christ’s work in him, taste and see that the Lord is good, give an opportunity and reason to answer Father God’s command to “Listen to and obey His Son” unto repentance and Salvation.

I’d like to tell you a bit about how I know Richard.

A close group of us gather for a couple of hours each Saturday morning to discuss life in the Word, and the Word’s direction for our lives.  The Holy Spirit always provides something to unpack from the Word of God. 

We want to be as the Bereans, those Jews who in Acts 17:11 “…received the Word (from the Apostle Paul) with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.“

What does God think about our lives?  How do we order our lives in accord with His Word?  How do we have His mind?  What would Jesus do?  These are the type of the things we’ve discussed together through the years.

We nurture a close trust and we share the details of our week as we’ve pondered and experienced God, where we’ve seen God leave behind His wake, and what’s on each man’s heart.  We, with Rich, are Berean Brothers.

I want to report to you, to testify to what I’ve seen of Rich and the evidence of Jesus in his life.

I do this to give witness to Jesus, and to convey hope to you.  I don’t speak about Rich in the past tense, but the present tense.  Do you know why?  It’s because our faith informs us that while Rich’s body has died, his eternal soul has not.  It cannot.  That is how God has made all of us – with a soul that is eternal.

Listen to the Apostle Paul’s assurance in 2 Cor 5:8 “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”  Our faith informs us that Rich’s soul, the eternal seat of his person, is now with Jesus because of his faith and trust in Jesus.

I’d like to share an example of another Jesus-filled person who faced death.

Our group recently discussed a 2^nd century Church father named Polycarp.  He was a disciple of the Apostle John, and the Bishop of the Church of Smyrna.  Hunted down by Rome, his captors found him and he welcomed them inside to eat while he prayed, before being taken to die publicly and brutally in an arena.  They entreated him to embrace Caesar as God and deny Jesus, to escape a horrible death so late in his life.  Polycarp’s response is recorded as “86 years have I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”  With that, they murdered him.

Christianity has scores of reports of how followers of Jesus have faced death.  The deaths of hundreds of Christians throughout history are detailed in Foxe’s Book of the Martyrs.  While the courageous response of these Christians is remarkable, I believe the book is actually more about the evidence of their spectacular faith shown through their actions.  We are not to marvel so much at the martyrs’ courage, but in the manifold evidence of Jesus in them, the product of His Work being shown through them.  The courage these people exercised was their unflappable trust in Jesus; it was God’s gift.

So, why is faith so important, and what role should it play in our lives?

Our faith, which doesn’t come from ourselves but is a gift from God, is not meant to be lived in a vacuum.  “…Faith without works (actions) is useless…” (James 2:20).  Our actions are actually the product of the work of Jesus, Who is “…the author and finisher of our faith…”. (Heb 12:2)

We are called to cooperate in the faith He gives us and nurtures in us.  So, let’s consider the evidence of Jesus in Rich’s life and ask how we could also Walk with the same Jesus – the Author, the Cultivator, the Protector of our faith.

Rich was a sinner, hopeless, but for the cleansing Blood of the Lamb.  Up through the end of his time here with us, he continued to strive as Col 3:9-10 says to “…put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him”.

What we witnessed was the response of Rich and his family in the face of a rapidly developing disease ending in his body’s death.  How a person faces death, and how those around him respond, can offer a window into the heart, for Jesus explained that “…those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart…” (Matt 15:18)

So, how did we see the effect of Rich’s faith in Jesus?

Just a few short months ago, Rich arrived to breakfast with an oxygen tank and a new concern.  This was the beginning of a rapid journey, and what we saw through it was evidence of his faith in his Lord.

It began with the shocking diagnosis and what it might mean, and Rich quickly shifted to his response as he understood what may lay ahead in transplant recovery or death.

We saw his response as the disease progressed faster than we expected, and his openness to candid discussions about his circumstance and emotions.

We saw the love shared with his family as he found comfort and joy in their response, in their Walk with Jesus.

Now, Rich too had fears and anxiety. Towards the latter part of this journey, when I asked him how he was feeling emotionally, he told us that he was conscious that every breath was a task, and realized just how great the smallest graces from God actually are. I was later told that when faced with anxiety, Rich responded by singing hymns in Praise for comfort.

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

We finally saw his faith as he had peace even in the hours before he was taken to surgery.  Rich responded to Jesus’ care as he knew Him through the Bible and through his experience.  Richard was assured of His Savior.

These responses point to another reason for our hope and faith.

We understand that faith must be informed and be based on truth, because faith in anything but God’s truth is just folly; it’s just wishful thinking.  God’s truth about Himself and His intentions towards us are reliable.  And so, I encourage those belonging to Jesus to take heart.  Richard, who we love, now experiences what we here currently hold among God’s promises:

We can trust that Rich has joined the “great cloud of witnesses” in Heaven who surround us. (Heb 12:1)  These witnesses are those who are forgiven in Jesus who have gone before us, already waiting in fellowship together.

We know that “…neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate (Rich) from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39).  In both life and death, believers are comforted and received by Jesus, and nothing can separate us from Him.  Likewise, Rom 14:8 tells us “…for if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”  Rich always seemed to strive to live according to the truth.

Rich also believed along with the Apostle Paul who wrote “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21), as well as “…in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim 4:8)

Why did Rich have hope?  What promise from Jesus would be a basis of his faith in Jesus?

Perhaps it was Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John: “… “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”  Jesus obviously didn’t mean that Rich’s body would not die, but that Rich’s soul would reside with Jesus, “…not the lake of fire. This is the second death…” (Rev 20:14)

The Bible reads “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1)  This faith in Jesus that Saves us, the faith that the Apostle Paul wrote about, the faith believers like Rich enjoy, offers us a view into God and the spiritual realm that is very much present that we cannot see.  Paul likened it to making out some of the details while peering into a dim mirror or glass.

In the presence of Jesus, now that these things are seen, Rich’s faith is fully realized as he sees Jesus face to Face.  While here, Rich knew Jesus dimly, but now Rich knows Jesus fully, as Jesus has always known him. (1 Cor 13:12)

So how does our faith in the realities of Jesus help us when someone we love – who belongs to Jesus – has died?

Consider this: Is there Joy on Easter morning for the person who loves Jesus?  Why?  Is it not the joy of Jesus overcoming Death and living again?

Does the reason for that joy, His defeat of death, also offer believers reason for that same Joy?  Shouldn’t that Joy also be for those who belong to Jesus, who proceed us?

Our faith informs us that Richard, his eternal soul, is in the presence of our Lord even now.  Jesus lives, and He has provided that Richard lives, with Him, as well.  And in this, Jesus also comforts us.

Someone might be wondering: How does Jesus feel when someone He loves dies?

Do you know what I think is the shortest yet perhaps the most telling verse of the Bible?  I believe it is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”  But what does this say about Jesus, and how does this assure us a measure of comfort?

Jesus arrived four days after His friend Lazarus had died.  Lazarus’ family and friends were greatly distressed not only in his death, but that Jesus had allowed it to happen.  Lazarus’ sisters had sent word to Jesus of his sickness, and upon His delayed arrival Martha even said to Him “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

There was much sorrow everywhere, and Jesus felt the pain in their loss.  He also felt the dismay of those He loved in that they knew He could have prevented it.  But in obedience to Father’s greater purpose, Jesus allowed Lazarus to die.  The Bible tells us that when Lazarus’ sisters sent word to Jesus, He said “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” (John 11:4).  Jesus knew that His friend Lazarus would be revived, even only to die again, and then to meet Him again in Heaven, because Lazarus believed Jesus when He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Richard has believed as did Lazarus, and has now met Jesus face to Face.  But Jesus also understands the pain of death felt by those left behind.  Jesus weeps with us, He comforts us, and He rejoices with those who believe Him.  His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is here among us even now.

You see, we have very, very good reason for our hope. (1 Pet 3:5)

Hope in forgiveness and rescue through Jesus; Hope in a Jesus Who understands and loves us; Hope in a genuine relationship with our living God; and yes, a defensible hope that our beloved Richard is with Jesus now, awaiting the rest of us who know Jesus.

Yes, we can have comfort in Jesus!

Do we believe God’s Word, the Bible?  Does our faith inform us we will see Rich again if we personally know Jesus?  Do you have faith that informs you that you personally know Jesus? That His Comfort is here for us even now?

Are you a believer, a follower of Christ?  Be encouraged, be comforted.  Are you not? Hear His offer of forgiveness, believe, and join us, join Richard, be joined to Jesus.

Kid’s Church

Socrates: ”I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”

PRAYER: I thank you Father, we all thank you, for Richard in our lives, and Yours in his.  We thank you that our faith assures us he has been gathered up to you, Jesus.  We praise You Jesus for the manifold and tangible evidence of Your Work in Richard’s life.  We praise you for the impact You’ve made on Richard, and in turn made on us.  We worship You for Your incredibly kind offer to belong to You.  Please Lord, have mercy and bring us all to heed Your Call to put our faith in Jesus.

All of us here knew and loved Cheryl.  Thank you for your love and support of her family during this time.  I am sure she would be happy to know you are here for them.

I also want to thank Mike, Steve, Jeff and the rest of the family for the privilege of ministering here today.  I, too, loved YaYa.  All of our lives here are intertwined.  Let’s reflect on who she was to each of us, and the impact she’s had on us.

Cheryl King was among us for 75 years.  During her time, she was notably a wife twice, a mother 3 times plus one (Randy), a grandmother 8, and a great grandmother 7.  Cheryl and Fred, her husband of 34 years until his death, raised three boys.  Cheryl would then be married in the eyes of God to Bill for another 20 years, who along with his departed wife, were lifelong friends and classmates of Fred and Cheryl.  Bill has consistently demonstrated his love for Cheryl as they lived out life together.  I’ve admired how Bill has attentively cared for her needs, even as her health failed.

Each of us as a person is reflected in how we order our life, how we direct our attention and time.  As we have spent time talking about Cheryl the past few days, we’ve counted many of her attributes and what she cared about.

I am a student and a study of people.  I tend to pay attention to a person’s attributes.  I’m especially interested in this because I enjoy seeing in people the echoes of God.  We are told that all men and women have been created in the Image of God.  We believe, that when exercised and displayed in a way true to God’s character, God’s attributes in people will shine through. People can reflect the echo of His Image upon themselves.

Myself, I knew Cheryl for nearly 40 years.  She immediately welcomed me as a teenager into the Clan, in her most gregarious way.  I found her acceptance of me to know no bounds, and I don’t think my experience was unique.  Considering my experience, as well as her list of attributes, I’d say one of Cheryl’s strongest qualities was grace.  Often times a huge, open armed, expressive grace.

As a God-echoing attribute, grace is one of the most important.  True Grace doesn’t brush aside what is right, because that would be cheap grace.  Instead, genuine Grace embraces the other person in truth and invites them in, usually at the expense of the grace-giver.  True Grace says “I accept you, even with your faults.  We’ll get around to addressing those, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want you.”  True Grace has never met a stray she wouldn’t allow in the house.

I love true and pure Grace, because this is what Jesus has offered to me and everyone else ever to exist.  His Grace says “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt 11.28-30) “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14.6) Jesus, the truest expression of God, offers a boundless Grace as He invites us all into the House, if only we will accept.

You certainly experienced that echo of God, that grace from Cheryl.  If you think her huge displays of grace were wonderful, then consider the magnanimous Grace of God in His offer of forgiveness. The first step is to accept Jesus’ offer to let you into the House.

We’re all glad she was a part of our lives, and we’ll all miss her.  Thank you, Lord, for YaYa.

9/21/20

God is Good

Psalm 27.13-14

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

God is our Protector

Isaiah 41.10

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

God is our Provider

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Assurance of the Resurrection

2 Corinthians Chapter 5, Verses 1 – 8

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.  For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.  Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.  So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.  For we walk by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Burial Rite

Please, All Stand to Pray

In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life

through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty

God our brother David; and we commit his body to the ground;

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless

him and keep him, the Lord make His face to shine upon him

and be gracious to him, the Lord lift up His countenance

upon him and give him peace. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

    hallowed be Your Name,

    Your kingdom come,

    Your will be done,

        on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

    as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

    for ever and ever. Amen.

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Hello, my name is Mike, and I am one of Lefty’s friends. Nikki and the family kindly asked me to speak to you today about her Dad.

When I was a younger man, I recall being at a funeral. One thing that made an impression on me was a bagpipe. The sound of a bagpipe is curiously somber and vaulted at the same time. It really set a tone for the service. Afterwards, I approached the player and said to him “Thank you, that was outstanding. I’d like to have something similar one day, at my own funeral.” He looked at me, and said “That’s nice, son – but remember, your funeral will be for the living, not for you.”

I was at another memorial a few months back for a friend of mine, named John. He and I went back several years, and I think I have a pretty good idea of who he is. His Service was unsettling to me, however.

John belongs to Jesus, and his life reflected that fact. One by one, people approached the lectern and relayed stories about how John had helped them, how he had treated them well. These things are good, yet the sad part is that I am sure John would have clarified things for everyone. John knew that if there was anything truly good to be found in him and his actions, the sole source would be Jesus in him. Everyone was making a big deal about John, but I believe he and I would have agreed the big deal should have been about Who made him who he is.

You might also notice my use of present, not past terms in talking about John. I did not say “Who John was”, but instead I say “Who John is”. I will speak of Lefty in the same way.

The reason for this is while John and Lefty – specifically their Eternal souls which are not presently with us – are quite existing and alive with the Lord, because they are His followers. Scripture tells believers “to be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord”, and promises that “He who believes in the Lord has everlasting life”.

Recalling, remembering, telling about the person we love is good. Believer’s Eulogies and Sermons will have a common Theme, but they serve their Theme differently. They look at the same Common Theme – Jesus – yet from two different approaches. A Christian Eulogy should expound a follower’s life and show how that life was impacted by the truth of Jesus. A Christian funeral Sermon will show Jesus calling us, should show us why we need Him.

All of that said, I do have words about Lefty and his exhibition of Jesus through him.

Critics of the Faith might say “For someone who claims to be a Christian, his behavior says otherwise”. That could be true, and it could be a damning indictment – if the issue was settled only on one’s behavior. It is also true that a genuine follower of Jesus can have flaws. What all of us should strive to see, however, is how God sees the issue. His first question is, “Do you believe my Son Jesus and do you belong to Him?”

Those belonging to Jesus are works in progress. One huge change that overcomes a Christian is he now belongs to God, and the training begins. Those who take up Jesus’ offer are in fact sold into service to Him. The great news is that He is a great Friend, a Friend Who will no longer allow us settle to live for ourselves. We now belong to Him, and He teaches us how to put Father God and others first. And, He understands that is counter to our old nature, and makes ample reasons and opportunities to accept this new nature, through Him.

Spending enough time with someone who belongs to Jesus, we have an opportunity to see the evidence of this. I believe I saw this confirmed through the years with Lefty.

There are many of us here who belong to Jesus, and who are friends of Lefty. We have seen him in action, and we know something of his character. Preparing to speak to you, I polled some of our mutual friends and asked “What are the core things about Lefty that strike you?”

 
Many answers, yet a common theme.

Caring, and God fearing

Blessed with perseverance

Described by his friends with appreciation and love

Adventurous, above his disability

A role model I thought of while studying the Book of Job

Ready to serve others, and be used as Father required

A positive attitude – always doing “Excellent!”

Faced adversity in stride; counted it Joy.

Alert to, and appreciative of, God’s Blessings

Compassionate towards others in need; a servant

If you are a student of the Bible, you will recognize passages that assure us this will be seen in a person who belongs to Jesus. In shorthand, much of this is ascribed to the Fruits of the Spirit. Specifically, the Fruits of the Spirit refer to the consequences of the Holy Spirit given to you, when you concede that Jesus is right, that you need Him, and you receive Forgiveness. The personality of the Spirit plays out in a cooperative follower, here in Scripture, called “Fruits”:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

Consider the list of answers from those who knew Lefty, and we see the obvious correlation. Lefty was a mere human like the rest of us. He had his days where he chose to exhibit more of his sinful self than the Spirit in him. Yet, with his life he showed the infusion of God’s Spirit. This Spirit is call the surety, or the guarantee, of our belonging to Jesus. Besides having repentance as well as asking Jesus to be Saved from Judgement, it is the closest way we can suppose if we or others belong to the Lord. And when He is in you, and through you, and about you – you increasingly succumb to His reality as He plays out in your life.

I can stand here today and comfortably say three things about Lefty, and I ask you to consider:

1. As we find good things about Lefty, it is the result of Christ’s Work and the Holy Spirit
2. Lefty’s eternal soul, the eternal part we all possess, belongs to Jesus, and is with Jesus today
3. Lefty was unique, but he was not special. Any of us can have what Jesus gave to him.

Praise God, and thank you.

8/22/2014

Sanctuary, 11:00am

1. Call to Service, 1st song
2. Opening prayer
3. Message, Part 1

We, friends and family Kathleen Cooke, are here today to lay her remains to rest. Born April 4th 1923, deceased August 17th 2014, she was preceded in death by her husband William. Raising a family of six – Ted, Jackie, Joe, Sue, Penny and Danny – her family now numbers 66 people. The family thanks you for showing your love by attending today.

Myself, I have known Kathleen for several years as a minister at Colonial Nursing Home in Crown Point. Some of the family I met at the home as they visited with her, and most everyone else last year at her 90th birthday party.

Kathleen is an interesting soul, a person willing to talk about her relationship with God. About a year ago as I visited, we talked about her life at Colonial, and about the end of her life here on earth that would one day come.

In times like this, we stop to look back and consider the person we knew, the person we mourn. For us here today, I believe there is an assortment of thoughts about Kathleen and the person she was. Who do you picture in your mind when you think about Kathleen? What attributes do you see?

4. Eulogy, open mic invitation
    
5. Message, Part 2

Matthew 11: 28-30
Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Our hopes for our loved ones. Anyone who has ever loved somebody knows of the hopes we have for them. We want what is best for them, for their care, for their comfort, for their protection, for their happiness. Most any parent cannot help but to have hopes for their children. Standing by a person we love who is ill, suffering, about to cross the threshold of death – we naturally have hopes for the ease of their suffering, hopes for what awaits them once they pass away.

Kathleen had hopes for what would be heard in this service today. Often times, we might think about what will be said of us at our own funeral – kind words, cherished memories, affirmations of our character. Stories even circulate about a man who faked his own death, only to listen with eyes closed to the comments of the passersby.

Kathleen’s hope was that her friends and family would hear about the reason for her hope, the reason she clung to when life was difficult, the reason she pursued as the focus of her life. I believe Kathleen knew the value of hope in things true, and avoided hope in things false. What good is it to hope in something that is false? Kathleen sought, pursued, and rested in the hope promised by Jesus – she rested in Biblical Hope. Biblical Hope is a strong and confident expectation, a trust that a certain thing will happen, a trust in the words of God to us through the Bible.

Kathleen hoped for us today to hear the truth about the Jesus she trusted. She wanted the reason for her hope to be explained, proclaimed, as an act of love to the ones she loved.
The Hope promised. Many of us here may not yet realize it, but we need what Jesus has to offer. Why? Because Father God is pure and loving, He’s without sin, He’s without fault, and He cannot wink at our refusals to acknowledge Him as the Supreme Center of all things. God is pure and loving. That is not the case with us. If we’re honest with ourselves and accept His loving diagnosis, we have no choice but to see that we need Him.

This is important! Jesus said He did not come here to condemn us, but to save us from the Judgment that Father God has every right to pursue. Father wants all of us to stand clean before Him, He does not want anyone to be removed from His Heaven. But, for this to happen, we each must see our sin, our need for Him, our need for the complete Forgiveness offered through Jesus alone.

Listen! Father is not a prudish tyrant who wants to catch and punish us at every opportunity. Father wants to see us – you and me – come back to Him and begin an endless, joyful, priceless relationship with Him. This lavish, loving, grace-filled relationship begins with recognizing that Jesus is the Answer, and then asking Him to restore us to the Family of God. Jesus is not simply the Way to avoid Hell; He is the only Way to be reconciled with God. Avoiding Hell is simply a consequence of reconciliation with God. Reconciliation with God is the whole point.

Jesus taught a prevailing theme: He did teach on Hell and removal from God’s presence, but He had much more to say on the offer of incredible, complete, and forever Forgiveness for all of the things we do against God. It is true that there are preachers who tend to focus on the rightful warning about Hell, but try to use it to someone scare people towards Jesus. But if we do that, we ignore the main theme of Jesus’ announcement – that we can be relieved of guilt and have the Spirit of God in us right now – just by simply asking. Right now, new believer by new believer, God’s Kingdom advances!
 
The Hope lived. Even as Christians, we are not without fault. Remnants of sin remain, but, sin no longer commands us. Once we are Saved by Jesus, we are progressively changed from the inside out, expressing more and more the miracle of God in us. As He patiently corrects our self-centered layers, He breaks out and expresses His personality through us. Throughout their lives, followers of Christ will increasingly show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is The Hope lived.

The Hope promised, The Hope lived, The Hope delivered. We each have one life, and while alive, have the opportunity to turn to faith in Jesus. That’s one reason why we’re here. The result of Hope delivered is at least three-fold: We are relieved of guilt and experience the reality of God’s Spirit in us; We are changed into new people with a new outlook, and finally; We will cross over from bodily life, into death, but with the promise of being received by Jesus Himself. The Apostle Paul wrote “while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.” Therefore, to die, to be absent from the body, followers of Jesus are instantly present with Him. This is an exclusive gift to followers of Jesus. Those who reject Him will not have any of these things. Every human being will stand before God one day, but only those who have yielded to Him will be treated as friends, and as members of His family.
 
What this Hope is not. In God’s presence, we find Heaven. God has clearly and rightfully stated that He must be acknowledged as first and supreme in every aspect of our lives, our fabric. The hope of every Christian who passes on is to gaze upon Jesus, to dwell with Him, to Worship Him.

God has explained Heaven through His Words in the Bible. It’s His realm, it’s His to explain. Heaven is not the ultimate retirement, nor our personal playground, nor anything other than what the Bible tells us it is. As soon as God brought Kathleen’s life here to a close, as a follower of Christ she immediately was ushered into Jesus’ presence to begin complete adoration and worship of Him. Being in the presence of God is not about our earthly desires fulfilled, but about the desires of God in us being fulfilled.

Kathleen’s Hope. Kathleen had two hopes as this day approached. She had the hope of meeting her Lord face to face, beginning a deeper and endless relationship with Jesus. She also had hope that this service would be a powerful opportunity for her family and friends to hear the truth about Jesus and the Hope He offers to us, if we would only consider our need and His Solution. She wanted everyone to understand what is essentially involved with knowing, trusting and hoping in Jesus. She has gone to embrace the reality she rightly hoped for.

Can you recognize your need?
Can you see Jesus’ offer?
Will you believe and rest your Hope in Him?

Let us pray.

6. Closing prayer
7. 2nd song
8. Dismissal to Graveside; Reception announcement  
   Graveside

God is Good
Psalm 27.13-14

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

God is our Protector
Isaiah 41.10

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

God is our Provider
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Assurance of the Resurrection
2 Corinthians Chapter 5, Verses 1 – 8

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

 
Burial Rite

In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

Almighty God, who has knit together Your elect in one
communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of Your Son
Christ our Lord: Grant, we beseech You, to Your whole
Church in paradise and on earth, Your light and Your peace.
Amen.

Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ’s death and
resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life, and
that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with
Him to our joyful resurrection. Amen.

Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as
yet by faith, that Your Holy Spirit may lead us in holiness and
righteousness all our days. Amen.

Grant to Your faithful people pardon and peace, that we may
be cleansed from all our sins, and serve You with a quiet
mind. Amen.

Grant to all who mourn a sure confidence in Your fatherly
care, that, casting all their grief on You, they may know the
consolation of Your love. Amen.

Give courage and faith to those who are bereaved, that they
may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a
reasonable and holy hope, in the joyful expectation of eternal
life with those they love. Amen.
 
Help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand,
to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness
of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting. Amen.

Grant us grace to entrust Kathleen to Your never-failing love; receive
her into the arms of Your mercy, and remember her according
to the favor which You pour out to Your people. Amen.

Grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of You, she may
go from strength to strength in the life of perfect service in
Your heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Grant us, with all who have died in the hope of the
resurrection, to have our consummation and bliss in Your
eternal and everlasting glory, and, with Kathleen and
all Your saints, to receive the crown of life which You
promise to all who share in the victory of Your Son Jesus
Christ; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 
Please, All Stand to Pray

In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life
through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty
God our sister Kathleen; and we commit her body to the ground;

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless
her and keep her, the Lord make His face to shine upon her
and be gracious to her, the Lord lift up His countenance
upon her and give her peace. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be Your Name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

The shadows had been long, and it was brisk, cold. “Mike! Mike!” he whispered as we sat in the deer blind. A beautiful mulie buck had topped the crest of the hill between the draws, and he was on the move in our direction as he crossed the hay field. My friend had brought me to hallowed ground, a place he cared about, and shared two of his most intimate gifts with me – his family and their Nebraska farm. I really felt loved that day. And that deer was tasty.

---

Kent and I have spent a lot of time together as friends, and I suppose I could enumerate our friendship as the times we’ve shared. I will always remember our experiences with love and happiness. And as I consider how to eulogize Kent through our friendship, you need to know the basis of our relationship was not just our activities and time together, but more so our mutual love and pursuit of our Lord. Our friendship endured as the result of pursuing God together, not the other way around. I’d like to tell you about Kent’s walk with Jesus.

 
Nobody begins life in sync with God’s expectations. In the last years of his life here, Kent grew to bring himself increasingly under God’s Word, and as a result, those of us who know him have judged him to have lived a good life as a servant of Jesus. When we recognize and strive to change and to live according to what is right in God’s eyes, the result must be a life well ordered and one bearing good fruit. I believe Kent understood this, and in his pursuit of Jesus, he became an excellent and useful man.
I often explain to my own children that the world is in sore need of useful men and women of God, and Linda and I encourage them to continue to grow into their role. Kent has been one of the people we can point to as an example of what that can look like.

---

The person of Kent who left us to be with the Lord is not the same person I first met 10 years ago. I dare not say this to point out his faults, because who of us under conscription to Jesus hasn’t improved as a person compared to when we first found Salvation in our Lord? What I want to point out is that Kent began to follow Jesus, and he ultimately died a fine Christian man. However, he did not achieve this on his own volition, but through his willful cooperation in Jesus’ Sanctification of his life. I believe it is right to look to the many results of Kent’s life. But more so, we must acknowledge God’s willful shaping of him and his circumstances so that he, and more importantly Jesus, are given recognition for their contributions. Kent is a most notable person, who was made so in cooperation with the work of a most exemplary and merciful God.

---

My relationship with Kent truly began almost 4 years ago. When God reintroduced us, we were both quite different than we were 7 years before. We had no idea where God was about to take us, but as for me, I believed Kent was a quality person with whom I wanted to forge a closer relationship. In our first year we chose to go deeper into each other’s lives, and in turn, our love and appreciation for each other also grew, as did our growing sense of brotherhood in the Lord. One year later, to the day, God would begin to reveal the sad news of Kent’s disease.
Kent is a caring, thoughtful, and sacrificing friend. On Memorial Day weekend 2006 Kent began to understand he had a problem. We spent a long weekend of shooting, worshiping, and fishing. All the while, he chose not to tell me so as not to upset our time together. He put me before his own needs, in a time when he felt scared and vulnerable. Later in our relationship he would invite my family to join his, as he offered his family as a surrogate to ours. Kent and Bridgett’s families would show us much needed love, and embrace us. Finally, Kent and Bridgett allowed Linda and me to walk with them as they faced his cancer. Kent shared the best of what he had to offer me – he offered his friendship, his family, his hurt, and his heart.
I believe that weekend was the beginning of our realization that God had brought together two friends of like mind in God’s purpose, two men who at least wanted to frame our perceptions in agreement with God’s perspective. I believe we began to realize we were as Prov. 17.17 states: ‘…Friends who would love at all times, and brothers born for adversity.’ We knew this would be difficult, yet we had faith that in cooperating with God’s Word we were sure of our task, that it would surely bear fruit through the Grace of God Himself. From that point on, though we didn’t know what would lie ahead, we were assured of our Lord’s call to His expectations. We understood the work at hand, and we chose to pursue it.

---

This isn’t what either of us wanted, in our own desires. We wanted a long life together as friends, and we had only begun enjoying the sweet fellowship of two men who love each other as brothers. However, through all of this, we both strived to check our desires against our Lord’s commands. The rest of Kent’s life would flourish as a result to his surrender.
Looking back, I now see that Kent had an appointment to die. I now see that Father would ultimately allow Kent’s disease to take him away. However, most important from my perspective, have been the manifold intercessions and blessings of God that would show over and over that Father is merciful to us as he eased us to the appointed conclusion at Kent’s death bed. I believe many of us understand the work at hand is not yet finished, and we shall still choose to pursue it.
Jesus has repeatedly shown Himself through the loving and obedient intercessions of people of faith who, in belonging to Him, have demonstrated Jesus’ love through their service to Kent and his family. Many people, children of God through Salvation in Jesus, have been His hands and feet. Many people have shown the benefit of Jesus in them as they have been known by the love they have displayed. To these people, may the Lord say “Well Done!”

---

I have observed others who have faced devastating news, or the hardship of a terminal disease. In these times I believe it is easy to withdraw into self-focused despair and bitterness. We are only human. I believe it is easy to circle the wagons and fight for the desires of self. Again, we are only human. Yet in this, I witnessed Kent and Bridgett’s willingness to deny themselves and surrender to others that everyone might help them and thus serve the Lord. It is not easy allowing others to see your need, to know your weaknesses, to let others participate in your pain. However, in recognizing this as an opportunity to allow people to serve, they allowed Jesus to glorify Father as His disciples carried out His Work. In understanding and cooperating with God, Kent and his family have been benefactors of Jesus’ glorifying Work.
For the sake of Christ, we have seen many, many acts of service and love to the Eloes. These things do not happen by chance. These things do not persist solely by the efforts of determined men. These things happen through the intent and willful volition of a transcendent God, through the submission and obedience of God’s people in Christ.
Kent has been a good example to look up to. That means he is also a good example to follow in our own walk. I’d suggest it would be wrong to only admire Kent. Do these words and this day touch your heart? Then let us fear God’s Word. Let us follow and serve and love Jesus. Let us purposely forge friendships and give ourselves to those people. Let us be known by the love we show each other. I believe Father’s lesson for us is that we should strive to follow Jesus as Kent did. We should watch people like Kent and learn how to run the race.

---

I have witnessed others, suffering from terminal disease, dying without the accompaniment of these Works of God. I have seen others suffering by themselves, without any idea what to do, without anybody around them when they die, without embracing God’s Will or having His people to help them.

In Kent and Bridgett’s case, I have seen the total opposite. Kent has left us, but we know he now lives with our loving Lord. We have witnessed a useful man, dying well, as he strove to cooperate with God and see Him glorified. We have seen the benefits of a loving Savior through Kent and the many others who lived out the Spirit of Christ, as He compelled them. Do you like Kent? Do you admire him? Then follow his example and pursue Jesus, surrender to Him, acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior. Order your life according to His expectations and enjoy the benefits of being a child of God.
We began this journey almost 3 years ago, bracing for impact. But in the end, all of us – Kent and those in the midst of Christ’s Work – have been shuttled to this day by a gentle, and compassionate, Savior.

We praise You, Jesus! We worship You, our God!

December 27, 2007

I have known Rick for almost two years now. The members of our ministry team visit the Colonial Nursing Home residents several times a month, and Rick and I came to know each other along the way.

In times like this, we stop to look back and consider the person we knew, the person we mourn. For us here today, I believe there is an assortment of thoughts about Rick and the person he was. Who do you picture in your mind when you think about Rick? What attributes do you see?

Perhaps your first thoughts are of a man in the nursing home, slow of speech and set in an electric wheelchair. A kind man, in need of help throughout the day. A person getting along in life, like many of the people he lived with.

Perhaps you remember him as a 19 year old, young and able. You think of Rick as the person he was back then, and recall how life was for you and him. You see the loss he suffered and the life that he had after his accident.

These are reasonable pictures to have of Rick, and yes, they are true.

Our ministry team currently holds a Church service twice a month at Colonial, and each team member is assigned to a resident so they might get to know the resident better and help take care of their needs.

I first came to know Rick when I couldn’t enter the Home without passing his room. He was resident number one in my mind, the first person I would get to see. He didn’t know what to make of me at first, but slowly, our friendship developed. Later, I would also meet Cheryl during her visits.

In our Church services, we follow a predictable schedule – once everyone interested is gathered, we begin singing hymns together, then a message from the Bible, then Communion, and we finish together with prayer. Week after week, we worship God and grow together in our relationships.
This year for our Christmas service, after singing carols with the residents, I asked everyone what one thing every person on earth would experience. Many residents called out answers, including Rick. They ranged from death to taxes, but we finally settled on the answer I was looking for: We will all face God and answer for ourselves, for the life we have lived.

I asked if anyone was scared about that. I explained that I knew some people who were so scared about facing God that they couldn’t even bring themselves to talk about dying. However, as we and the residents all clearly know, everyone can expect to die. The Bible tells us we each will face death, then God.

Some of the residents replied they too were afraid to face God. They were not referring to the act of dying, but to the fact of giving an account to God. All of us know we have disobeyed God, and He can not let our sins pass without penalty. I explained that Jesus offers us forgiveness, and that He paid the penalty for our sins when He faced God for us, on the Cross. I explained that if we accept Jesus’ payment for our penalty, we no longer face a reckoning with God. Jesus will change our relationship to God, and we can be God’s friend. I explained the Bible tells us we don’t need to be afraid of God if He is our friend, through Jesus.

Rick said he understood he had sinned against God. He also said he wasn’t afraid to meet God. People who give their lives to Jesus for His protection and care do not have to be afraid.

In considering Rick myself, I look to my experience with him and the details Cheryl told me. The fact of the matter is, Rick was a whole person who did not cease to exist after his accident. It is true he was changed in many ways, but the personality inside of him, his soul, continued to be and to grow.

He continued to enjoy music, singing, and drama. Always on the go, he was still motivated to live and be active. He was happy-go-lucky and willing to help other people. His wry humor shone forth through his disability and revealed a thinking man. He had his bad days like the rest of us, but overall, he was content. Rick was still a whole person.

How is this? Does anyone here wonder how you might respond to a life situation like this? To face a life like the one lived by Rick? How is it that Rick could be at peace? Likewise, how can we be at peace with God?

In all cases, it seems to begin with facing the facts. Fighting against something we cannot change most often leads to resentment. But in recognizing where we stand and living within that truth, we can apparently find peace. Was Rick at peace? Are you at peace?

The man who wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” penned those words in 1873 as his ship sailed across the very spot where his four young daughters drowned just weeks before in a tragic shipwreck. Yet despite the horrible reality and loss, he sought and found peace from Jesus, who he personally knew most of his life. Was he a grief stricken fool? Or, was he a man who took Jesus for His word and found peace, and found relief? Apparently, he had learned he could say to Jesus “I trust You. I know You will take care of me.”

We are all personalities, souls most precious and special – the result of a lifetime of experience and growth. Rick was no exception, a unique soul who found peace. We can have peace with God if we will believe Jesus and trust Him.

Rick Spoerhase
Committed, December 27, 2007

It is well with my soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

1961 – 2007

This hurts very badly.  Al’s family thanks everyone for being here today and showing your love.  Thank you for caring.

Grief, sorrow, and despair have at least one thing in common, and that is the absence of Peace.  Peace is something we all want in our lives, and in the midst of grief, Peace has been stripped away.  Not knowing why things happen or what to do about it often invites despair; it allows despair to take root. 

Every one of us looks for Peace to ease our pain.  So then, where can we find Peace, that the pain might go away?

As the days unfolded, I witnessed many aspects of this reality.  There were many, many painful questions.  Why did this have to happen?  How is this going to end?  What do we do next?  Sorrow.  Anger.  Confusion.  Often times, a sea of grief, thick in despair.  It has been hard for everyone.

Talking with people about my cousin Al has confirmed much of what I already knew about him.  And I doubt the stories we hear about Al surprise anyone.  I would categorize Al as one of those people anybody could enjoy.  Personally, any time I think of him he has a smile on his face with his characteristic laugh.  He may have been one of the easiest going people we have known.

Preparing for today, I’ve talked with many family and friends about him.  We know he was a hard working professional, a painter who cared about delivering excellent work.  As a son, he started early in life driving his folks crazy, only later to have his mom enjoy a deep relationship with him, especially in the last few years.  As a father and family man, he continued to love his children and Anne.

A father’s love is special, and Al hardly had any choice but to love Ian and Elyse.  Both of them appear to be growing up to be people who care, and I’m sure he was proud and loved them very much.  And as a part of the big Midwestern Scheffer Clan, we all have our memories and stories.  Myself, I’ll always remember the times when Bert held me by my ankles and dunked my head into the water off of various Minnesota fishing piers.  Except the last time, when he went into the water, instead.  Whatever our relationship to Al, and many called him their friend, his death leaves a big hole in each of our lives.  His love for life was admirable.

As Aunt Claire counted off the hours and days, her question revealed that she sought Peace.  She did not ask “Where is God in all of this?”, but instead, she asked “What does God expect me to do about it?”  It wasn’t a question of God’s involvement, but in His expectations through this awful trial.  A good answer would be able to point her to that Peace.  A good answer would need to make sense and apply to the situation.

Caring advice is intended to explain what and why, in an effort to bring Peace.  Without guidance, without answers, despair will flourish.  Likewise, with good guidance, with good answers, Peace can replace despair.  God offers good guidance and answers.

God expects us to turn to Him – for real, perhaps for the first time in our life, on His terms – to turn to Him as the only one who can truly help a helpless situation.  True healing, true help, true Peace, must eventually come from Him.  People who personally know God can point us in His direction, but only He can actually help. These are some of the reasons that He is God.

This terrible situation will not disappear.  Time will pass, but this loss still won’t be taken away.  But, that’s not the point.  God’s offer of Peace is genuine and has been here all along.  This loss won’t be taken away, but His Peace alone can heal us of our hurt, if we ask Him for help.

Over the course of living through all of this, have you found any Peace?  Have you seen Peace at work?  As we’ve tried to sort this out, have God’s words and His perspective made sense?  Is it possible that you have come to understand a bit more of what Jesus is about?  I hope so, because I care about every person who is hurt in this loss – and I hope you will find the Peace that God promises.  Yes, Aunt Claire, that is what He expects from you, and from all of us.  He expects us to find and accept Peace for our whole life, by turning to Him.

The man who wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” penned those words in 1873 as his ship sailed across the very spot where his four young daughters drowned just weeks before in a tragic shipwreck.  Yet despite the horrible reality and loss, he sought and found Peace from Jesus, who he personally knew most of his life.  Was he a grief stricken fool?  Or, was he a man who took God for His word and found Peace, and found relief?  Apparently, he had learned he could say to God “I trust You.  I know You will take care of me.”

Life is indeed fragile, and we are but mere men.  However, we are also personalities, most precious and special – the result of a lifetime of experience and growth.  Al was no different than any of us in that way, but he was surely a unique soul.  Remembering the special person God made in Al is also a measure of Peace.

Al Scheffer

Committed, October 3, 2007

It is well with my soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well (It is well) With my soul (With my soul),
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Some of the things Al Scheffer loved and made a part of his life:

All of you knew and loved Nick. Please accept my thanks for your love and support of Claire and his family during this time. I am sure he would be happy to know you are here for them.

I also want to thank Aunt Claire, and Mark, Tom, Nicki, and Al for the privilege of standing here before you today. I, too, loved Uncle Nick. And because all of our lives here are intertwined, we can all reflect on who he was to each of us and the impact he’s had on us. Actually, probably one good measure of a person is what can be said of him in the final summary of his life.

Historically, Nick Scheffer completed nearly 79 years amongst us. And during his time, he was quite notably a husband once, a father 4 times, a grandfather 10, and a great grandfather 11, with one more on the way. I also consider him to be an uncle/grandfather to me of sorts, in that he seemed to have been a surrogate father to my own dad, his nephew. Nick was a World War II Navy Veteran, serving in the South Pacific while driving a troop carrier from the USS Gilford. Afterwards, during his long career, he was recognized as a fine painter and decorator in the Region, a craftsman profession now spanning four generations of Scheffer’s.

Along the way, he found a love for fishing. He had the opportunity to twice fish Canada with longtime friends Dick Pruitt, and Bob Sheldon, and Andy Swart, and Bill Blackmore, and Harry Jasperson. Over many trips to Minnesota – his favorite times were the family fishing trips to Minnesota – he sent countless panfish to the fryer, and taught almost as many kids how to love it, too. I doubt I’m the only person here who was convinced I had caught my first “big one” all by myself off of the pier while my fishing pole was left unattended. He and Uncle Bob taught us youngsters how to water ski with our sneakers in the ski boots, too.

Retirement brought the opportunity to travel; several times to Florida and Hawaii, and even once to Australia and New Zealand – and with it new friends wherever he went. Nick was easy to love that way.
These are some of the notable things I have to say about Uncle Nick. But I believe, even more notable, is the truth spoken to us in a marriage of 53 years to his Bride, Claire.

This lifetime they have shared together has, without doubt, brought its share of ups and downs along the way. Any of us who have also been engaged in matrimony know this is certainly true for all of us, and it’s an expected part of the territory. The part I especially admire is their devotion to one another, especially during the trials of the past few years as Nick’s health waned.

Marriage has been given to us for many reasons, but one of the main purposes is that we might understand God better. He gave it to us, in part, that we might really understand the love He has for us.

To see this, don’t make the mistake of confusing love with affection. In a good marriage, self-sacrificing love is the basis, and affection is one of the results. A marriage built upon self-sacrificing love will withstand the ups and downs, but a marriage relying on affection alone will fail when our affection wanes. Real love serves the other person. Affection is a wonderful emotion in response, but it is still merely an emotion, not a devotion of our will to love and serve somebody.

My observation has been that Aunt Claire and Uncle Nick loved each other, sacrificing themselves for each other. I have heard and seen Aunt Claire’s devotion to Uncle Nick, even if he was having a bad time of it and wasn’t always so loveable. Claire remained devoted to him. And through the course of their marriage, they have both surely seen times when affection faltered, but love and devotion remained. That is why their marriage survived, and thrived, a lifetime. Affection is conditional; love is not. Real love is patient, kind, forgiving, and slow to anger.

This can give us a proper perspective of God’s love for us as people. The Bible says that everyone has offended God, and fallen far short of His requirements. We all have. The Bible also says that every single offense against God must be paid for, and that anyone finally found guilty of any offense will be cast away from God, into Hell. If this were the end of the story, all of us would be in deep trouble when we finally give an account for our lives. But the good news is that the Bible says God loves us and offers His Son Jesus, who has paid for our offenses. Jesus loved us and died for our punishment, in our place, even though we aren’t always so loveable towards Him. This is again a self-sacrificing love from Him, offered to anyone who would take Him for His word and believe Him. But to have it, we must take Him for His word and believe Him – that is the condition. Jesus is the only way God offers us for forgiveness. And our forgiveness is not automatic – we must ask Jesus for it and believe He will follow through. Otherwise, we can’t have it. If I don’t ask, I won’t be forgiven, and I will be in deep trouble.

I am so thankful for His unconditional love and His offer to Save me. As Aunt Claire and I talked outside the hospital room, I saw a picture of love for another person, and I admired it, and I was thankful again.

As I met with Tom to prepare for today, he told me one of the main things most of us will surely remember about Nick is his sense of humor. He kept it intact through all of his trials, right up to the end. Even as I was getting ready to say goodbye and leave the hospital, he was trying to get me to “pull his finger”. Ha Ha! That was Uncle Nick, too. He was and will always be loved by us who knew him, and he leaves us with many good things to remember about him, now in this summary of his life.

Nick Scheffer
Committed, February 27, 2006

10/27/2005

All of you knew Frank.  Please accept my thanks for your support of his family during this time.  I’m sure he’d be happy knowing you are all here.

There is one point I want to make today about the focus of our life.  We all know life is complicated, even chaotic – and it seems to get harder as we get older and more involved, if we’re not careful.

Now, while there is one focus we are to have in life, it is obvious that there are many competing entanglements – even very worthy ones – that make up the stuff of an interesting, productive life.

That said, however, we are only lying to ourselves if we fail to see what we are actually here for.

So, if I asked you, ‘Why are you here in life, and what for?’, what would your answer be?

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The answer is before us in God’s Word.  So, if I’m going to do things right and as our Creator expects, I can always be sure He has revealed what we need to know in the Bible.

Jesus actually answered this very question.  It’s not personal satisfaction, nor even focusing on doing good deeds.  Instead, Jesus calls us to see God Himself as Supreme:

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  This is the first commandment.

God is the center of all things, bar none.  He is the Almighty, and we are here for His good pleasure and to worship Him.  We have nothing higher to be concerned about.  So how shall we love Him?   By believing the Father when He said:

“This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

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Jesus goes on to answer the second part of our question, ‘Why are we here in life, and what for?’  He said:

And the second (commandment), like it, is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.

Loving God, and loving our neighbor.  Loving another person often has little to do with a feeling you have towards someone you enjoy.  True love is expressed as a deliberate choice, in service to another, even if the other person is not acting loveable.  And True love, as God is True Love, comes first, from Him alone.  We are to ask for the capacity of that kind of love, and then spend it freely on the other person.  We cannot see a better picture of love than that of Jesus dying for us, even while we wanted nothing to do with Him.  The Apostle Paul wrote:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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Frank and I became friends several years ago as I was working on a building project.  I came to know him through his son Tom, who has been a good friend of our family for over fifteen years.  The fact Tom saved my life one day probably helped to seal our friendship, but I’d also admit to loving Tom as a brother, despite both of our quirks.  Life is rich with friends like us.

Frank might not have been accused of being the easiest guy to get along with at times, but no one could convince me of his lack of devotion to someone he loved.  I know, because I saw his love for me and his family, especially Derek and Alex.  Now, just like Tommy and I are different people, so too were Frank and I.  But it was a commonality in a serving love that we found unity.  Jesus said His followers would be known for their love.  And He also commanded us to love our neighbor in a self sacrificing way, so as to obey and glorify God.  This love is ours to give because of Jesus’ love for those who belong to Him.  The Apostle James wrote:

We love because (Jesus) first loved us.  If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Even as we prepare to inter Frank’s body, all of the people here who cared about him are performing a service of love.  It’s what we do for people we care about when they die.

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The only way of fulfilling Jesus’ answer to ‘Why are we here in life, and what for?’ is by embracing the declaration of His Supremacy as our only Savior.  In this, Jesus absolutely lays down the line, proclaiming:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus leaves no other means for forgiveness and peace with the Father God Who demands justice for our sin.  All of us are guilty, and we all must recognize it.  We recognize it now while there is still time for forgiveness, or later at Judgment, when it is too late.

Eternal peace in God’s presence, or eternal punishment under God’s wrath.  Which do we choose?

All of us have the opportunity to settle our debt now by accepting Jesus for Who he says He is, else we will face Hell as payment.  Beware!  Any other route to Heaven is a lie.  The wonderful news is that Jesus’ offer is simple, it’s free, and it’s guaranteed.

Me, you, Frank – anyone who trusts in faith that Jesus alone will save him and bring him into peace – will meet the Lord at their body’s death during these ‘last days’.

The funeral of a believer is a joyful time, not a sad one.  Salvation guarantees us a life in Christ, even if we die here.  There is victory in a believer’s death because our victory is already won by the Lord Who overcame death itself.  Paul noted that for a believer, “To be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord.”  Where is your sting, O Death?  I am with my Lord even now, before you can open your jaws to consume me.  Neither Death nor Hell can touch a child of God bought by Jesus.  He has defied you and conquered you, laying waster to your claims to me!

And why is this so?  Because those who believe in faith will be Saved:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.   He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

and

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”that is, the word of faith (I am) proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you WILL be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

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So, why are you here in life, and what for?

See God.  See His expectations.  See your sin.  See Jesus.  See eternity in the balance.  Read your Bible and honestly ask God to show you the truth, ‘and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’

Mark 12:30-32 (New King James Version)

³⁰And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  This is the first commandment.  ³¹And the second, like it, is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Luke 9:34-35

³⁴While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

Romans 5:8 (New King James Version)

⁸But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:19-20 (New International Version)

¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

John 14:5-7 (New King James Version)

⁵Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”   ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

2 Corinthians 5:8 (New King James Version)

⁸We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

John 3:16-18

¹⁶For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  ¹⁸“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Romans 10:8-10 (New International Version)

⁸But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: ⁹That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

John 8:32 (New King James Version)

³²And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”