Funeral Sermon John Tetz

Funeral sermon for John Tetz; based on Rev 14:13; Rom 5:1-8 & Jn 14:1-6; by Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson; at St Peter Lutheran Church; Medicine Hat; one o’clock; April 13, 2011.

We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of your loved one, John Tetz. John has been a very important person to each of you as members of his family; as a friend and neighbour; as an active member of this congregation and in the wider community. There is no question, you will miss him.

John was a faithful Christian man. His faithfulness shone through his many acts of kindness towards others. He attended Worship Services here regularly and served on Church Council. While living in our GSS facility, South Ridge Village, John participated in our Hymn Sings, and Sunday Worship Services.

John’s family members knew him as a giving and hard-working person. He had a very strong work ethic; and even while on his holidays he would help other people out with various jobs such as painting and fixing things and volunteering over at the Stampede grounds. John was also a quiet man of few words and a lot of inner strength. These qualities in John influenced and inspired his family members.

John was also committed to the wider community. He was president of CUPE for the custodians and housekeepers and an active contributor to negotiations. He was very involved over at the Veiner Centre; participating in the Thursday Night Club; 50 Plus Club; and Meals on Wheels. He also volunteered for the Salvation Army Christmas Kettles program.

John also enjoyed curling, dancing, playing ball in the old-timer’s league, making wooden bowls, travelling to places like the British Isles and the southern United States, and reading-especially westerns.

John’s children described him as a good man who stood by his word. He did the best he could; the family knew that; and God knows that. He was not a man who needed a lot of recognition.

In our passages of Scripture, we learn of what God has done for John; and we celebrate what God was able to do through him.

Our passage from Rev 14:13 emphasises at least two things concerning the death of faithful Christians. The writer tells us that those who die in the Lord are blessed. In other words, those who are people of faith; who place their whole life into God’s hands; those who trust in the Lord above everyone and everything else are blessed. Such people of faith are blessed because of their relationship with Jesus their Lord and Saviour. The deaths of faithful people like John remind us then of the need to be in a loving and trusting relationship with Jesus.

The other important thing we learn from this passage is that faithful people like John now rest from their labours—their time to work is now over. The passage also points out that their deeds follow them; their labours were not in vain; they bore fruit and live on in the hearts, minds and lives of others. Just as the labours and deeds gave John meaning and purpose in his life; so now others find meaning and purpose from such labours and deeds. For that we give the Lord our thanks. Eugene Peterson, in The Message, puts it like this: “None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end.” May that be true of John and of all of us here today!

In our passage from Romans, the apostle Paul tells us of what God through Jesus Christ has done for John and for you and me. In Christ he has given us so much: we are justified by faith; through Jesus we have peace with God; we have access to God’s grace; we are given the hope of sharing the glory of God. The verse that stands out for me though is the last one, verse eight: “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Or, as Eugene Peterson puts it: “But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”

For me, this is one of the most important verses in the Bible. We are all sinners in rebellion against God. We are enemies of God in our sinful state of being. Yet, it was at precisely that time when we were farthest away from God that God sent Jesus into the world to die for us all; to show his love for us; and to forgive us. Our sin and rebellion hurt God and his Son Jesus deeply. Yet, that hurt and pain of God was crucified as an act of sacrificial love for you, for me, for John, and for the whole human race.

We may be grieving today, and it is appropriate to grieve the loss of our loved ones. Yet, in our grief, we are in the presence of a faithful, loving God. On one occasion, I heard someone say: “To forgive, you have to first of all be hurt.” The point that person was making is this: forgiveness is not easy. Until you’re hurt and hurt deeply, you don’t have anything to forgive. The pain of Christ’s death is the greatest act of love and forgiveness. As you hurt and may be suffering pain over the death of John; I hope and pray that you will be given the love and grace of Jesus to forgive those who may have hurt you and caused you pain. I hope and pray that Christ’s example of reaching out to us in love and forgiveness will influence you and strengthen you to do the same towards one another. For the greatest power in this world is Christ’s love and forgiveness; and that too is what we celebrate today and during this season of Lent as we move closer to Holy Week and remember what Jesus did for us on the cross on Good Friday.

In our passage from the Gospel of John, the theme of Christ’s love for us continues and moves us beyond death into a new, joyous state of being of resurrection and eternal life. Jesus, speaking of our eternal, heavenly home has this to say: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” That is Good News for John and for everyone who believes in Jesus. Then, Jesus makes this wonderful promise: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” What a message of comfort and hope that is! We can take Jesus at his word on this wonderful promise. In love he has prepared an eternal dwelling place for us. One day, Jesus shall come and take us to our eternal home where everything is ready for us when we arrive—where John is now.

In my last few visits with John, he told me that he was ready to go to his eternal home. He was prepared; he was longing to go; John had the sense that his life here was complete; he had lived his life. How fitting it is to know that; and to know that Jesus has prepared a place for him. He is in his perfect home with Jesus now. My hope and prayer for all of you here today is that when your time comes to leave this world; you too shall be prepared like John was; you too shall place all of your trust and your life into the loving hands of Jesus who comes to give us resurrection life; eternal life; and one day take us to our eternal home.

The story is told of an old man who everyday took long walks with the LORD. While walking, the LORD God and the elderly man talked about all kinds of things—about the important times in the old man’s life: when he met his wife, the birth of his children, special Christmases, and so on. One day while they were out walking for a very long time, the LORD looked at the old man and said: “We are closer to my house than we are to yours. Why don’t you just come home with me.” And that is what he did! That too is what John did. The LORD has come to him to take him to the Father’s house, where he shall live forever with Jesus and his loved ones who have gone before him. One day you too can be in the Father’s house, in a room which Jesus has prepared for you if you trust in him and believe in him with your whole life. That is worth celebrating and to that we say: thanks be to God! Amen.

What’s in a name?

Paul Dickenson, in his 1986 book, A Collector’s Compendium of Rare and Unusual, Bold and Beautiful, Odd and Whimsical NAMES; the author cites the following names of people who become a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy:

Will Drop was a Montreal window washer who died washing windows. Joe Bunt was a baseball coach. Dan Druf was a barber. Mr O’neil and Mr Pray became business partners in church equipment. Will Burn died in an electric chair. Go, Forth, and Ketchum were motorcycle police officers. Zoltan Ovary was a gynaecologist. P.P. Peters was a urologist. Will Crumble was a plaster contractor.

Do you know what's in your name? What significance is your name to you? Those of us who are batized members of God's family, were/are called and named by God; whose name means life; and who gives life. Now that's worth remembering and celebrating every day!  

Another Canadian Election

Well, Canadians are going to the polls again on May 2, 2011—the fourth time in seven years. Is this an indication that our democratic system is in decline? Does it reflect a lack of political will among our MPs to work together for the good of the nation? Or do our politicians have a deeper commitment to our democratic system by trying to engage Canadians more in politics through the process of elections? Or are there other factors at work as well?

The chief reason for an election this time round is the charge against the conservative government of contempt of parliament—which, until now, has no precedent in Canadian political history. The charge is a serious one, yet many Canadians who have been interviewed about the issue don’t seem too concerned. Rather, they complain about wasting taxpayer money on another election. Is such a complaint a clue that voter turnout is going to drop even lower than the last election? I hope not, but I think it is a possibility.

So far in the national media and on the web, one of the big stories is that of excluding Green Party leader Elizabeth May from the televised leaders’ debates. This is a broken record from the 2008 election. Eventually, thanks to plenty of citizens lobbying in protest, May was included. This time, the party has decided to go the route of a law suit after a decision of the media moguls to exclude May. Who are they to make such a decision? About one million Canadians voted for May in the last election, and now their voice is going to be silenced if the media moguls get their way. Equally as troubling is the lack of support among the present political party leaders to insist that May has as much a right to be present at the debates as they do. Why are the party leaders so silent and unsupportive of May being included in the debates? Does their silence and lack of support for May and willingness to go along with the decision of the media moguls not indict them? One would hope that common sense and the Canadian constitution would prevail on such matters to the extent that litigation would not be necessary and everyone involved in the exclusion of May would come to their senses.

On the home front locally, here in the Medicine Hat riding, our recently re-elected mayor, Norm Boucher has stirred up quite a bit of controversy by deciding to take a leave of absence without pay to run as a candidate for the Liberal Party. He has not been happy with the performance of our present Conservative MP, Lavar Payne. While the city councillors are by and large supportive of Boucher’s decision, many Hatters are not. His critics are wondering now about the ethics of such a decision—does the mayor not have a responsibility to commitment himself to the office of mayor rather than make a personal decision which takes precedent over his public office? Moreover, shall the mayor be able to garner the public’s respect and trust as mayor should he not be elected as the riding’s MP? The riding itself has been a Conservative stronghold for many years—in fact, I think one could likely register their pet dog or cat as a candidate and they’d be elected!

Whether the voters, politicians and leaders will be able to drop the focus on personal matters, and mud-slinging rhetoric and address the pressing, real live issues of our nation remains to be seen. A few musings on this late Thursday evening. Now I'd like to read your comments on the election, what do you think?

A call to prayer for Ethiopian Church Mekane Yesus

Today I received the following letter in my e-mail inbox for a call to prayer for the Ethiopian Evangelical (Lutheran) Church Mekane Yesus. What a sad and tragic situation. The members of Mekane Yesus are certainly following the way of the cross this Lent. May Christ be with them to provide for their needs during this time of persecution. May the international community also intervene in a timely and appropriate way to facilitate a just peace in Ethiopia.

Dearly beloved,

Grace and peace to you,

I am sure by now you have all come back to your normal routines and back to the family and ministry you love. Thanks be to God for the privilege of having most you in Ethiopia on those historic few days in Addis Ababa.

I am writing this email to share with a prayer call I am asked to pass on to you by the President of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, the Rev. Dr. Wakseyoum Idossa.

In the last few days over 41 churches and several evangelical mission stations or mission congregations were burned down. There are thousands of people expelled from their homes and some who are even badly beaten and killed. The perpetrators are Radical Islamist and Jihadist elements who are now operating in the western and south western parts of Ethiopia. I have spoken with Rev. Wakseyoum as he was visiting Mekane Yesus Churches and Synods close to the border of Sudan. The Voice of America (VOA) called, got in touch with him and interviewed him today and he spoke to the world from that remote spot through this international VOA radio streamed out of Washington DC.

On that interview given in Amharic he stated that, the Mekane Yesus have intentionally worked hard to establish good relationships with Muslim Ethiopians and that work have resulted in so much good and positive relationship. However he is shocked and saddened by this outbreak lashing out in heartbreaking atrocities. This brutal act is not the first of its kind. Three years ago Muslim fundamentalists have burned down several churches, killed evangelists, pastors and lay leaders. They are now repeating the same attacks. Today thousands have lost their homes, churches, family members and their rights to safely worship and conduct their ministries.

The Ethiopian government officials and security forces have intervened. The out come of their work is yet to be known. Some leaders from the central office of the Mekane Yesus Church in Addis Ababa have traveled to the area today to start getting help to the victims. There are many people who are now waiting to get some emergency aid in a camp. President Idossa is going to release another statement in the next few days as the investigation continues and as the government tries to bring these acts under control and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Persecution is not new to our church, however every time it happens it opens up old wounds and breaks the heart of many. In the middle all these our brothers and sisters are walking into this holy Lenten season not with ashes on their forehead but carrying the cross of Christ and confessing their faith in the words of Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd!"

May God renew our world in this Lenten season through the Holy Word of God and through power grace of God through Christ, Amen!!

Peace and Blessings,

The Rev. Dr. Gemechis D. Buba

drbuba@gmail.com

Cell: 773 678 2513

Living in God's Amazing Grace

Bruce Cockburn’s latest album

Canadian singer-songwriter, Bruce Cockburn is one of my favourite musicians. He is both a masterfully creative and extremely accomplished musician—always on the cutting edge by experimenting with a variety of genres. Bruce is an inspiration for other musicians, now active in his art for over four decades. In addition to this, I respect him because of his gift of incorporating his faith into his music—which is reminiscent of the Hebrew Bible prophets and their passion for social justice. Bruce, in my humble opinion, is the prophetic voice of our nation. You can read this CBC interview and listen to his latest album, Small Source of Comfort here.

The pope's new book

According to breaking news at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the pope, in his new book Jesus of Nazareth-Part II, absolves Jewish collective guilt for the death of Jesus. I think Christians (not only Roman Catholics) have been slow in absolving the Jews. Had Christians done so centuries ago, history may have been much different, a lot less antisemitism. It is, nonetheless, better late than never, especially in light of the growing antisemitism in many countries. It is too early to know how the church and the world shall respond to the pope's latest gesture, we'll have to wait and see. You can read the news release from SWC here.

A prayer by Soren Kierkegaard

Father Celestial! You loved us first. In a world where we are seduced by false loves and lovers, where restless souls succumb to specious but spurious affection and we are submersed in the agony of the past and the fright of the future and the distress of the present, assure us that we still can love. Remind us that we love because You first loved us; thus, our love can be that pure and holy affection, which only God and His beloved people can know and show! [From: Soren Kierkegaard: The Mystique Of Prayer And Pray-er, Translated by Lois S. Bowers, Edited by George K. Bowers.

This little volume is a real gem, not only providing readers with a window into the personal devotional life of S.K., but also including his prayers that have never before been translated into English with special permission of the Det kongelige Bibliotek of Copenhagen.