Grace,
mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen. Our text today is the epistle lesson just
read.
Dear
friends in Christ, especially family and friends of Cliff. I saw Cliff in the hospital a number days
before he died. He was calm, enjoying a
lunch and a visit with family. He looked
at peace, and calm about what was happening.
We didn’t speak specifically about this text for today, but I imagine
that if we did, the words would ring true for Cliff much as they did for St.
Paul.
“I
have fought the good fight. I have
finished the race,” and most importantly “I have kept the faith.” Cliff knew that his end was near, he knew
that he would soon leave this world, and its suffering and cancer behind, and
he trusted in the grace of Jesus Christ to save him. And because of that he knew that there
awaited him, the “crown of righteousness” which he would wear forever and ever
without end with his Lord Jesus Christ.
This
past Friday evening, the time of departure came for Cliff. He left this world, and now he rests with
Jesus forever and ever. He rests in the
arms of Jesus, at peace, cancer free, until the end of eternity.
Let’s
not get confused about what has happened.
Jesus came and called Cliff from this vale of tears to heaven. It wasn’t because of Cliff’s greatness, or
kindness, or anything about Cliff at all really. It was because of God’s great love, a love so
deep, and broad and high, that no price was too high to purchase and win Cliff
from this world. And so it is that God
so loved Cliff, that he gave his only son into death on a cross, so that
Cliff’s sin would not mean Cliff’s end. Rather,
Jesus’ righteousness would become the crown that Cliff would wear.
And
the fight that Cliff fought in this world was really fought by Christ as
well. Jesus, by suffering and dying on
the cross, defeated Satan, death, and sin forevermore for Cliff. Satan had no power over Cliff in life because
of Jesus, and now in death Satan still stands defeated. For, as Paul writes, “Death has been
swallowed up in victory.”
In
fact, death has been destroyed by life.
A life that nothing can conquer, or deter, or swallow. Our Redeemer lives, as Job writes, and we
shall see him, just as Cliff sees him now.
With our own eyes. Face to
face. With joy, with smiling, with
familial recognition. How our hearts
should faint within us.
And
the truth is, that Cliff, and us as well, have the same promise for us as Jesus
now experiences. Bodily
resurrection. Today we lay Cliff to rest
– not in a final resting place, but in a place where his body will rest until
Christ calls it forth on the last day, to live and reign with Christ in the new
creation forever more.
Cliff’s
fight has been fought – and Christ has won it.
The race has been finished, it is complete. And throughout it all, by the Grace of God,
and by the work of the blessed Holy Spirit, Cliff has kept the faith, and now
that faith bears fruit to eternity.
We
still hurt. We still mourn. We will still miss Cliff day in and day out,
we’ll remember the times that we had together.
We will continue running our race, and fighting our fights, awaiting the
day when we too will be called by the voice of our lord to live forevermore. Awaiting our eternal life and our
resurrection. Cliff is with Christ. One day we shall be as well. In faith, we will wear the crown of Christ’s
righteousness.
In
the name of Jesus. Amen.
