John 14:1-6; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Isaiah 43:1-3a, 25
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Leo shared that singular focus on Christ expressed by St. Paul. What Christ’s crucifixion meant for St. Paul, what it meant for Leo, and what it means for you is that everything that was necessary to make you right with God has been accomplished, has been fulfilled in Christ’s selfless, sacrificial, substitutionary death upon the cross. In His own words, “It is finished.” Therefore, God is for us. Who can possibly be against us.
It's not surprising that Leo would be drawn to such a verse as this, so focused, exclusive, and singular, for that’s the way Leo approached nearly everything in his life. Leo was a man who had very strong convictions. Don’t hear me wrong, he was very kind, patient, loving, and gracious, but if Leo believed in something, if Leo was convicted that something was right, wrong, true, or false, then you weren’t going to budge him, no matter what. He would hear your argument, he would listen to your advice, but if he was convicted, he couldn’t be swayed. If he was convicted, then Leo was resolute and confident. And Leo was convicted, resolute, and confident that he was right with God, that God loved him, and that upon his death he would be with Him, all because Leo believed, knew, and confessed that Jesus Christ was crucified for him and that nothing could separate him from the love of God that He poured out in His Son.
The past several months Leo struggled with bouts of pneumonia, becoming gradually weaker and weaker, requiring constant supplemental oxygen, to the point that his lungs hurt nearly all the time. Throughout it all Leo remained resolute, not one to complain, but ready for it to end whenever the Lord knew best. He was not despairing or defeated, but he was confident, resolute, hopeful, and ready. Leo was ready to be freed from weakness, loneliness, and suffering, to be sure, but ready to meet his Lord Jesus and to be reunited with his wife Marie, his parents, and his brothers in heaven. There was no doubt in Leo’s mind or heart because he knew, he believed, and he trusted that Jesus Christ died for him and for all, and that He lives, the first fruits of those trust in Him.
Leo was born in rural Emmetsburg, Iowa and was baptized on a neighbor’s farm because the church hadn’t been constructed yet. He was raised in a faithful Lutheran Christian home and was confirmed when he was aged sixteen, a bit later than others, because he had to wait until one of his younger brothers could be confirmed as well, killing two birds with one stone, as they say. As a boy, Leo loved baseball and he could hit like Ted Williams, left-handed, tall, and thin. Leo was a starter on his eighth-grade varsity team. The boys on the team all called him “Slim.” Leo was a fast runner too and hurdled fences in the pasture. But Leo only completed one and a half days of high school, leaving to help his parents on the farm. One wonders what might have come had he continued to play baseball. After that, Leo’s love for the game was mainly as a fan of the then Brooklyn Dodgers, because of Joe “Lefty” Hattan from Bancroft, IA, while Jackie Robinson was still with them, and then cheering on Rich, who was a pitcher, and playing catcher for him. Leo also enjoyed gardening and canning. He and Marie had a 30’ x 90’ garden. Rich and Laurie didn’t purchase a single green bean the first ten years they were married. And Leo loved his yard and landscaping. Rich wasn’t allowed to play on the lawn, but only on the sidewalks and drive.
Leo was probably the most social self-proclaimed anti-social guy you’ve ever met. He would say that he didn’t much care for crowds and small talk, and that he had very few close friends, yet you could find him any day at Burger King with the guys talking sports, at Hy-Vee for breakfast, or coffee at McDonalds, having conversations with people everywhere he went. Leo enjoyed going out to lunch with Luke and Adam and attending their concerts and other school activities. When Marie was in the Shell Rock Nursing Home, Leo met Dale whose wife was there as well. The two talked in the hallway every day and they continued to talk every night on the phone for the next ten years. In fact, Dale was trying to get a hold of Leo Thursday evening and couldn’t reach him. Perhaps you noticed that Leo always mispronounced names. He called Wal-Mart “Walmark” and the Dodgers pitcher Clayton “Kerschev.” Leo spoke two languages: English and “Leo.”
Leo was a creature of habit. He was meticulous in his care of home, regularly replacing filters, checking the furnace, replacing smoke detector batteries, etc., and he was meticulous in his care for his automobiles, changing the oil and fluids, tires, battery, etc., even to the point of driving the car around a bit before a trip in order to warm it up, and then driving it around a bit before putting it away after a short trip in order to keep moisture from building up in the exhaust system. Leo loved routine and order. He vacuumed and did laundry every day. He also prayed his devotions every day. He loved to read Portals of Prayer daily. Leo loved worshipping with his family and with his family of faith at St. John. And, when he could no longer come to church, Leo loved to worship on Thursday mornings at Bartels where he told me only a week before he died, “Pastor, I so enjoy coming to church. If I couldn’t go to church, then I wouldn’t want to be here anymore.”
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Leo had decided to know nothing except that Jesus Christ was crucified for him, and that, when he died, he would be with Him in heaven. Leo’s heart was not troubled, and neither should your heart be troubled. Leo believed in God, and he believed in His Son Jesus Christ who was crucified, died, and buried, descended into hell, and on the third day rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven where He prepared a place for Leo, and He promised to come again to take Leo to Himself. Our Lord Jesus has kept His promise to Leo, and He will keep His promise to you as well.
Leo was ready. I know we hear people say this all the time, but you should have no doubt of any kind that Leo was really, truly, sincerely, and completely ready to go home. There are few people that I’ve ministered to over the past twenty years that were more content, at peace, and simply ready to die in the Lord and be with Him than Leo. And that is because, spiritually, Leo died in the Lord a long, long time ago, when he was baptized. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.” In a sense, throughout his long life, Leo lived having one foot planted firmly in heaven while the other was planted here on earth. Now Leo stands with both feet firmly planted in heaven, “with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven,” where they hunger no more, nor thirst anymore, where breathing is easy there is no pain or suffering, sorrow, or death, and where God Himself wipes away every tear from their eyes.
Leo was convicted in this belief; he was resolute and determined. Leo’s faith provided him immense comfort, contentment, and peace in his last years, months, days, and hours, because that faith was focused on and clung to something that was outside of himself, unshakeable, and certain – Jesus Christ and Him crucified. God so loved the world; God so loved Leo; and God so loves you in this way – He gave His only Son to be crucified. It is finished. Yet there’s more: Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Thus, there is comfort for days, months, and years to come, and hope for eternity.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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