“Pastor, I wish you could have known Virgil in his younger years, before Parkinson’s took its toll on him.” I’ve heard that said quite a bit by both Virgil’s family members and friends since I came to Audubon last fall. From the things I’ve heard from his family and others in the community, I find myself standing here and in agreement with that statement, and yes, even a bit envious of those of you who’ve known him most of your lives. Yet, as I shared with Gladys, Mark, Cindy, and Rod at the funeral home this past Tuesday afternoon, I considered it a blessing and a joy to have been Virgil’s pastor in the final months of his life and to have had the chance to get to know him a little bit. For those of you who have known him a lot longer, you have some very special memories of Virgil. Gladys I’m sure has many precious memories of nearly 55 years of marriage that she will continue to treasure, Mark, Cindy, and Rod will have delightful memories of their father, his grandchildren have grand memories of their grandfather, and for his family and friends who knew him from all of his activities, you each have special, unique memories of Virgil. In the days that follow someone’s death, those who are left behind to mourn often share those memories with each other. Perhaps you’ve already done that in the last few days, and I encourage you to share those with each other and with Virgil’s family during the funeral lunch after the burial service at the cemetery, and also in the days and weeks to come. This morning, though, my task is to share with you the reason that being Virgil’s pastor was such a joy and honor for me, because I’m going to share with you the most important thing in Virgil’s life.
When Gladys called me Tuesday morning and told me that Virgil had passed away the previous evening, I had in my mind the words of our Epistle reading, remembering that on Saturday afternoon, when I had last visited him, he had shared with me that he was ready to get his running legs back. These two verses talk about the Christian faith and life in this world as running a race. Those of you who knew Virgil knew he was a good athlete, loved sports, and was quite a runner in his younger years. So when you think about Virgil’s love of running, and these verses from Hebrews 12, you just have to know there’s going to be a great connection there. So, let’s run with it if you will, and find out what this race was all about, in particular, in the context of Virgil’s life.
Our text for this morning in Hebrews 12 gives us the image of an athletic contest. Since it talks about a foot race, it’s easy to picture a track meet. Virgil, being a runner, had participated in his share of races over his life. At this track meet, we’re told we’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, which are those who have gone before us in the faith, proclaiming the great deeds of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, or in the case of the Old Testament saints listed in Hebrews 11 just prior to this text, those who put their faith and trust in the promise of the savior to come.. The image of this race tells us that the Christian faith isn’t just a short sprint, started and over with in just a matter of a few seconds, but an endurance race, which lasts for a considerable distance and time. At the time the letter to the Hebrews was written, there was a LOT of persecution going on with the Hebrew Christians, and many of them were being tempted to drop out, because they didn’t think the suffering was worth running the race any longer. In a similar way, seeing the suffering that Virgil had to endure over the last several years as Parkinson’s robbed him of many of his physical ability and left him in a great deal of pain, it would have been very easy if Virgil had looked up to God, and said “this isn’t the kind of life in my golden years that I had in mind when I was younger, so if this is what happens because I ran this race, count me out.” Yet, Virgil didn’t see his race as a sprint, he saw it as a marathon, with a great prize at the end. Even if it meant having to jump hurdles along the way, or encounter detours or hardships in finishing the race. And just as a distance runner places their focus not on their pain, but on their goal, the finish line, Virgil kept his eyes focused on the author and perfector of his faith, Jesus Christ, who was the beginning and end of that faith.
Virgil’s race in his earthly life began on October 19, 1928 when he was born. But, the race of his faith life didn’t begin until November 11, 1928 when his parents brought him to the baptismal font at Ebenezer Lutheran Church west of Audubon, and he was baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But, that was only the beginning. Virgil was brought to the services of God’s house at Ebenezer on a regular basis, where he heard the Word of God preached from the pulpit and in the Sunday School classroom. On May 24th, 1942, Virgil stood in front of the altar at Ebenezer, and through the Rite of Confirmation, boldly proclaimed that from his careful study of the scriptures and the Small Catechism, that he believed what the Scriptures had to say about him, and about Jesus, that yes, Virgil was a sinner, and by nature, separated from God, in desperate need of a Savior, that Jesus Christ was that promised Savior who had lived, died, and risen again to forgive him all of his sins, and promise him the gift of eternal life. But, that wasn’t the end of the race, either, just a milepost along the way. Virgil never stopped running that race, sharing his faith along the way with his neighbors, friends, family, and fellow church members. In fact, it was at a church event, in the gymnasium here at Our Saviour’s, where he met a special young lady named Gladys, and on November 22, 1953, they were united in marriage at Trinity Lutheran Church northwest of Audubon, a day they promised to love, honor, and cherish each other as husband and wife until the day God would call one of them home. As their three children, Mark, Cindy, and Rod came into the picture, the family joined Our Saviour’s, where Virgil became a very active part of the life and ministry of this congregation by serving as an usher, on the church council, and even as President of the congregation. But perhaps his most important role he fulfilled in this church was as a Sunday School teacher, where he had the opportunity to share with countless children of this community what the race of the Christian faith was all about. He shared with his family, friends, and anyone else when the opportunity presented itself, that the Christian faith wasn’t about anything that we do, but it was all about what Christ had done for us on the cross through his life, death, and resurrection. Virgil was not ashamed to proclaim the truth of God’s Word, and because of that, seeds were planted in the students who were entrusted to his care. Think of how many Sunday School children’s faith was impacted through his teaching. Or how many of those conversations through the years got someone to thinking “hey, the Christian life isn’t about me, and this life, it’s about Christ and His promise of eternal life.” Virgil was a powerful witness for Christ. That faith legacy will continue to live on in his family. I’ve known Mark and his family for several years now, going back to my high school years. You were very active in the life of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Garner, where you taught Sunday School, sang in our choir, and did such a wonderful job of getting us to think about mission work at home and overseas, and that continues today through your ministry as a parish pastor. I’ve seen your children grow into powerful witnesses of Christ’s life, death and resurrection in their lives. Cindy, you and your husband Kirk have also brought that faith to your daughters. Rod, you and Tracy have been a blessing to us here at Our Saviour’s through all you do here, and it’s been a joy for us to watch your children grow into faithful servants of Christ as well. God promises in Isaiah that His Word will not return void, and through Virgil’s life, it’s safe to say that he was indeed a powerful witness, who’s witness will long be heard throughout the world, even though he is now a part of that great cloud of witnesses that our text mentions.
Yet, all races must come to an end, even endurance races. On Saturday, I received a phone call from Gladys, asking me to come and bring communion to her and Virgil as he was again struggling with his health, and it was only going to be a matter of time before his race in this earthly life was done. When I brought him communion, he once again heard His savior tell him through my lips and the bread and wine he received “Virgil, take, eat, take, drink, this is the body and blood of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of all of your sins.” Virgil confessed one more time that he was sinful in thought, word and deed, and that only through the blood of Christ could his sins be forgiven. It was my privilege to announce to him that indeed, Christ had forgiven him all of his sins. It was on that day that he shared with me he was ready to go home, ready to “get his running legs back” and be in the presence of His Savior Yet even though I had an idea this might be the last time I’d visit with him in this life, and even though he was pretty weak and had difficulty speaking, he still had a way of leaving me with a smile on my face, and with a powerful witness in how he spent his remaining days. Some people are afraid when that realization comes that they have a short time remaining in this life. Virgil was confident in his salvation through Christ alone, and made his last hours in this life a time of anticipation of the life to come. Virgil taught this 31 year old pastor quite a bit about the blessed assurance of the Christian, and about facing death. I will always be grateful to him, and to his family, for teaching me this lesson that I will always take with me. While I may not have known him in his younger years, I am still blessed to have known him and been his Pastor these last months of his life. I can say with great confidence as his pastor that indeed, Virgil ran his race with perseverance, keeping his eyes fixed on Christ, and today, he’s celebrating a victory that’s beyond description, unlike any other.
But that doesn’t make today necessarily easier for you and me who are left behind to mourn. The days, weeks, and months ahead without Virgil are going to be tough. And we’re going to miss him. We’re going to shed some tears of sadness. And that’s okay. It’s okay to be sad that Virgil isn’t with us anymore, or to miss having him here in this life. Our Old Testament reading reminds us that there is a time to mourn, and this is indeed one of those times. We won’t see Virgil again in this earthly life, and that hurts. Yet, we’re comforted in the fact that Virgil today is in a place that is so wonderful, so beyond description, that if he was given the choice to stay there, or come back to this world, even be free of the Parkinson’s and the other physical ailments he had, he wouldn’t want to come back, but he’d want to make sure that we’d all be with him one day, and to heed the words of our Gospel reading for today, which tell us the path of the race he ran: that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Christ. And today, because Virgil believed that, he is now free of sin, free from death’s clutches, free from the Parkinson’s disease, free from every ailment, worry, or care in this world, and is healed for all of eternity! Now that’s something worth celebrating.
There’s a story that Virgil’s son, Mark shared with me on Tuesday about his father that I decided to save for last, because it fits so well with our text for today. Virgil was running at a tack meet one day, and while he didn’t start out in front, he gradually made his way to the front, and finally passed another runner for the lead. Virgil was winning his race, and probably would have won that day, but an official said “I saw you elbow your competitor out of the way as you tried to pass him for the lead, so I’m going to have to disqualify you and give the win to him.” Now Virgil didn’t agree with the official’s call, but the ruling stood, and Virgil walked away from that race empty handed, with the humiliation of essentially being accused of cheating. Today, we’re celebrating the fact that the race that really mattered in Virgil’s life, the race of the Christian faith, didn’t depend on an official’s blown call, or even on Virgil’s own actions. The victory of that race was already won for Virgil on a hill called Calvary nearly 2,000 years ago, when Jesus Christ ran the race of a perfect, sinless life, took a cross up the hill, allowed himself to be beaten, spit upon, mocked, insulted, falsely accused, and nailed to that cross to die for the sins of the world. Virgil’s sins included. Because Jesus ran that race, Virgil’s race in this life has ended not in a disappointing defeat as that foot race did so many years ago, but in victory, eternal life with Christ. May we rejoice this day in the victory that Christ has won for Virgil, and has won for you and me, as we continue to run the race of faith with perseverance, looking forward to seeing that fulfilled for us, as it has now been fulfilled with Virgil, never to be taken away. Amen.
