Funeral Sermon
for Keith Leroy Knight, based on Ps 23; Prov 3:13-14; 22:6; Eccles 12:9-10,
12b; Rom 6:3-5; Lk 24:36-47; by Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
We are gathered here today
to thank God for the life of Keith Leroy Knight; to commend him into God’s
eternal care; and to remember him. Those who knew and loved Keith shall surely
miss him; as we realise that we are all the better off for having the privilege
of his presence among us.
Although Keith’s death was very sudden, and
that can be rather shocking and upsetting for loved ones; we can take comfort
in the words of Psalm 23. The psalm gives us a picture of our LORD being like a
loving, caring, protecting and providing shepherd. The psalmist reminds us that
even during the time of dying and death, God is with us. God walks with us
through death’s valley; we are not alone. God is with us as we mourn the loss
of our loved one; we are not alone. God, like a good shepherd who knows and
loves every sheep; knows and loves each one of us; and will never abandon us.
What a wonderful promise that is!
When I think of Keith and the times that I
spent with him; I think of him as the family does too—as an intellectual, a
teacher, and a thinker who was curious, and wise, insightful and understanding.
Keith and I had numerous engaging conversations, which were thoughtful and
eclectic—and I am grateful for those times I spent with Keith.
The gift of faith given to Keith was
certainly activated in the form of teaching. Keith, I think, was a devoted
teacher. His interests were eclectic, everything from math and the sciences, to
Lutheran theology, history—especially current events, and biblical studies, and
more. Keith enjoyed sports too—basketball, track, he was an ardent Saskatchewan
Roughrider fan and Toronto Maple Leaf fan. Keith had an active mind as a scholar;
he loved books, reading and studying. However, I think he knew, and would agree
with the writer of Ecclesiastes who said: “Of making many books there is no
end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” I’m sure Keith became
flesh-weary at times as he poured himself into his study, learning and
teaching. Quiet and introspective person that he was—there were times he needed
to be alone too in order to reflect, think deeply, be at peace with, and
integrate what he had studied, learned and taught.
Speaking of integrating, the apostle Paul,
in our passage from Romans, speaks of a wonderful promise that involves
integration, solidarity and more. We have been baptised into Christ’s death and
resurrection. Wow! Now, says Paul, we do not have to be afraid of death. We
know death is not the end. Thanks to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, death
was defeated and we too shall inherit new, eternal life through resurrection.
So we have hope for today, tomorrow and all of our future. Hope that we shall
be with our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ when we die as well as with all of
our loved ones who have gone ahead of us to their eternal reward. All of this
because we’re baptised into Christ’s death and resurrection. We want to respond
to this saving grace by living a God-pleasing life. That doesn’t mean we have a
holier-than-thou attitude toward others, no. Rather, we recognize Jesus Christ
has made a difference, a basic fundamental change in us so that we are set free
to love and please him because he has loved us so much.
Keith most likely would agree with Martin
Luther, when he spoke of faith in this way: “God our Father has made all things
depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever
does not have faith will have nothing. The true, living faith, which the Holy
Spirit instils into the heart, simply cannot be idle.” Keith’s active faith has
certainly contributed richly to the life and well being of this family and
those he taught. His faith was, is and shall be an inspiration to many people.
I’m sure Keith’s daughters have benefitted immensely from Keith’s gifts as a
teacher-parent. As the proverb states, if one is taught sound truths as a
child, one will not depart from such teaching. For that we give thanks to God
the Giver of all faith.
I know too that Keith always expressed his
love for his family; they were all very near and dear to his heart. He
willingly made unselfish sacrifices in order to provide for Cheryl, Melanie and
Rhonda. He also gave generously to his grandchildren. He was a loving, caring
companion for Jean right up to the end. Such love is rooted in and presupposes
the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Keith’s love was definitely displayed through
his hospitality. Whenever one visited him, one always met with a warm welcome
and was made to feel at home, and treated royally. Such love also was made
known by Keith through a deep respect for others. Keith respected others by
taking time to listen, care for, and encourage them. In so doing, he showed
that he valued living a respectful life, a life of integrity and honesty.
This faith, love respect, integrity, and
honesty which we’ve been reflecting on, is epitomized in Jesus’ farewell
conversation with his disciples in our Gospel text from Luke 24. I’m sure,
Keith, being the intellectual person that he was, would be most grateful to
have his mind opened by the risen Christ
so that he could understand the scriptures. Now, as he has gone through the
door of death, into life eternal with his risen Saviour, I wonder if Christ
isn’t doing that right now for Keith? Now those opened-ended thoughts and
questions and curiosities; those mysteries of the faith; those unanswered
questions may very well be resolved and answered.
In closing, if Keith were able to say
something today to you, maybe he would say: “I did appreciate the time I spent
with all of you.” Then, he might say, perhaps with some humour: “Why are you
having this service? I told you not to!” Our answer to Keith, I think, is
rooted in the passage from Romans and Luke’s Gospel. We are a resurrection
people. Death does not have the last word. So we give God our thanks and praise
for Keith’s life, as we send him on his way to his eternal reward. Amen.
