John 5:24-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17; Isaiah 43:1-3a, 25
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
What is the meaning of life? There are many answers to that question, as you well know, and few of them are very satisfying. If you are a Christian, however, redeemed in the blood of Jesus Christ and baptized into Him, the answer is actually very simple, exceedingly clear, and profoundly satisfying: We belong to the Lord.
“Trust in the LORD, and do good. Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD. Trust in Him, and He will act.” Those words from Psalm 37 were very meaningful to Richard throughout his rich, blessed, and most meaningful Christian life.
“This is the day that the LORD has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Richard could often be heard saying those words out loud in the kitchen in the morning as he made his coffee or performed some little chore. This wasn’t just some random earworm. It was his confession of faith: Each day is the LORD’s. I am the LORD’s. What I do with what He has given me is the LORD’s. Whether I have or have not, whether I succeed or fail, I am the LORD’s. This is His day, the day He has given me, and I will rejoice in it. Richard began, faced, and lived each day in that confession, comfort, and hope. And he encouraged those he loved to do the same.
Richard was raised in the Reformed Church, but he was inspired and convicted by the sermons and writings of Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Though Richard and Sherry lived “over the hill” in Connecticut and attended their own Congregational Church there, they began attending the Lutheran parish I served in New York on Saturday nights. In 2016, I was blessed to receive them both as members of that little Lutheran parish through the rite of Confirmation. Richard’s confirmation verse was Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
His confirmation certificate, with that verse, hung in Richard’s office next to his desk. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Richard embraced those words. He understood that we are in the world, but we are not of the world. And he understood that God works through His people, through their words and deeds and vocations, often in ways that are subtle, hidden, and unseen.
God’s Word was part of Richard’s daily routine. His well-worn Bible was full of underlining, highlighting, and dates scribbled next to verses when specific prayers were answered. God used that Word to guide him through difficult situations and challenges in a God-honoring way. His coworkers recognized his Christian faith in his words and deeds. A former pastor once showed Richard’s Bible as an example of a man who loved the Word of God. Richard came home that night and said, “I don’t know how he knew I was a Christian; I never talked to him about it.” But that is how God works. The LORD works through His people and their vocations to reach others.
And the LORD touched many lives through Richard: coworkers, soldiers, nurses and caregivers, and so many others. When Richard returned to Capitol Rehabilitation, there was a flurry of activity as news spread from department to department. They were all so happy he was back. Staff members came and told the family how Richard had given them new insights that had changed their perspective and their lives.
Richard’s greatest desire was that those he loved would know Christ and experience the hope that sustained him throughout his life. And that is important for us to hear today. Because Richard’s hope was not ultimately in Richard. His hope was in Christ.
Our Lord Jesus says in the Gospel according to St. John, “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.” Notice what Jesus says: has passed from death to life. Not might pass. Not hopes to pass. Not perhaps will pass. Has passed. That is the promise of Christ to those who hear His Word and believe in Him. And then Jesus goes on to speak of something even greater: “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
This is our hope today. Richard’s body has died. We do not pretend otherwise. Death is real. Sin is real. The brokenness of this world is real. And we grieve because we love Richard. But death does not have the final word. Jesus does. And Jesus says that the dead will hear His voice. The same Lord Jesus who called Lazarus from the tomb will call Richard from his grave. The same Lord Jesus who Himself went into death and rose bodily from the dead will raise Richard bodily from the dead. Because Christ is risen, those who belong to Christ will rise.
That is why Christian hope is not wishful thinking. It is not positive thinking. It is not merely remembering a good man and carrying his memory in our hearts. Christian hope rests upon an empty tomb. Christ died for Richard’s sins. Christ rose for Richard’s justification. Christ claimed Richard as His own in Holy Baptism. Christ sustained Richard through His Word. And Christ will raise Richard on the Last Day.
Richard loved his family so very much. He prayed for you every day in his morning devotions. Jan said, “What an unbelievable gift to be prayed over daily.” He was your greatest champion. He celebrated your accomplishments, encouraged your dreams, and never stopped cheering for you. He believed in you, often long before you believed in yourselves.
Every day was a gift and a reason to celebrate. His favorite saying was, “Make every occasion a great occasion!” It wasn’t merely a phrase. It was a way of life. Richard made people feel special, welcomed, and deeply loved. And they truly were.
As Richard’s days were growing shorter, he became even more intentional with God’s Word and in showing his love to his family. He wanted you to know how very much he loved you, and how very much God loves you. He would give you his famous bear hug and bless you with God’s Word: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”
One of the final Scripture passages Richard devoted himself to memorizing was from 2 Thessalonians: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”
That is a fitting Word for us today. Eternal comfort. Good hope. Grace. Not because Richard was perfect. Not because we are perfect. But because Christ is faithful. Richard knew that. He knew that we have a living God who never changes, who guides us through the changes of this life, who gives peace to our hearts, and who teaches us to look toward tomorrow with confidence. He wrote, “God gives us peace today and allows us to smile at tomorrow.”
And now, in Christ, Richard has been given something far greater than tomorrow. He has been given the resurrection. The day is coming when the voice of Jesus will sound again. The dead will hear. The graves will open. And Richard’s risen and glorified body will stand again, not because death was not real, but because Jesus Christ has conquered death.
So we grieve today. Of course we do. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We give thanks to God for Richard’s life, for his love, for his prayers, for his witness, for the countless ways God worked through him. But above all, we give thanks for Jesus Christ, who loved Richard, redeemed Richard, kept Richard, and now holds him in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection.
The last song Richard sang on this earth was the Doxology with his granddaughter Sarah and her children: “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.” That is where we end today. Not with death. Not with despair. Not even with memory. But with praise. Because all blessings do indeed flow from God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit. And the greatest blessing of all is this: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. And on that day, Richard will hear the voice of his Savior. And he will live.
Until that day, may the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word. And may He grant us all, with Richard, the joy of that great and glorious day when we will stand together in the presence of our risen Lord and say with everlasting joy:
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.” [Sing!]
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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