A Service of Thanksgiving, in Loving memory of a Christian Brother.
By: Rev. Reginald Knight
1 Corinthians 15: 54.
"Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15: 54.
St. Paul must have been a very brave man to write this and to believe this because we all think and know that it is death which swallows up everything up in victory. We all know that we must die one day. Whatever we do we shall die but we do not know the time or hour. We are certain death awaits us all and yet we are uncertain when it will come. Therefore death is the uncertain certainty.
There is also something about death, we know. We will die but very few people want to die. It is only the very bold who court martyrdom but most of us fear death. Indeed if we were told that the angel of death was standing in front of our doors, I believe that almost all of us would, if we were in the house, try to find an escape through a window, or if outside the house, we would not go near there.
We know we will die but each one of us at one time or the other has said 'not yet, please not yet.' And yet each day of our lives is a day's march nearer home it is a step towards the grave.
The writer of The Book of Wisdom tells us in Chapter 3: 1-9. The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God.
"Death is swallowed up in victory."
St. Paul saying here that death has been conquered. For the Christian death is not the end. It is not journey's end. The resurrection of Jesus shatters and disallows any theory that man goes down into darkness and ceases to be. The crucifixion was not the end of Jesus. He rose from the dead and by the power of his resurrection he gives us spiritual strength in the face of all calamities including death. Whatever the calamity we know that the love of God is stronger and God never forsakes those who put their trust in him. God's love never forsakes those who are baptized into Christ and are therefore baptized into his death and raised up with him in his resurrection.
It is true we must die. We shall not take our earthly bodies with us. They remain here because they belong to the stuff of the material world. But the person, the individual -- whatever it is that makes you and me -- shall be raised and clothed with a body adequate for the condition of its new existence. Before Christ's resurrection death brought an end to life but after his resurrection a new hope was given. This caused St. Paul to write with confidence `Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your sting? O grave where is your victory?"
To every Christian who believes in "the life of the world to come" death is but a gate which leads into fuller and more beautiful life in which God shall wipe away all tears from all faces where there shall be no more pain, no sorrow, no crying and no more death, a life in which we shall see God as he is and be with him forever. To the Christian who believe, this, Death cannot come too soon either to oneself or those we love. We need not fear for ourselves or our loved ones to enter a life which we believe to be infinitely better and happier.
We may grieve because of the separation but our hope must be maintained that the dead do live. If our belief in the Communion of Saints brings us nearer to those who are gone from us then it encourages us to do the good things they did that we may after this life be where they are.
The life on this earth is not all, it cannot end here. There must be a life beyond where the tangle of the present will be revealed and the inequalities of today put right.
Today, we have come to celebrate the life of our brother Andrew and we are mindful of the faith he has placed in God, we are mindful of the love he has developed over the years for his ministry in his church. He was strong in his resolve that Christ died for us and that one day, even though he too might be separated from us by death, he will live on in Christ, he will live on in the hearts of those whom she has come into contact with and love.
We have a faith which tells us that this is not the end of the road, but, it’s the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, where we can find something no matter how small, or how big, something about his life’s contribution that we can adopt as our own code for living a wholesome life.
As we reflect on life and on death – as we reflect on our relationship with our brother Andrew, as we think about those qualities of his which impacted on us in positive and wholesome ways, we also see that Jesus demonstrated how we ought to live our lives so that we impact positively and meaningfully and richly on other people’s lives – that the gifts we have been born with, the skills we have acquired, the talents we have honed may all be used for raising up our families and by extension the folks in the communities around us.
The message that Jesus offered was that we are already dead when we fail to care for each other, when we fail to reach out to help each other, when we fail to share burdens and sorrows, when we fail to celebrate blessings and when we fail to forgive.
The message that Jesus offered is that we are already experiencing eternal life when our hearts overflow with compassion and grace, not underestimating the power he has given us to make a difference every day of our lives.
In short, it is ‘the small things, every day deeds of (us) ordinary folk, that keep the darkness at bay – simple acts of kindness and love.’ (Gandalf – The Hobbit)
This morning, as we commit our brother to the full care of our Gracious Lord, we recall his faith and his loyalty and commitment to his family and those he loved and respected, and we hold to our hearts, the words of promise uttered by Jesus and which will complete his wonderful act of kindness on that day when we shall join our brother Andrew, in that place which he said he would prepare for us so that where he is there we may be also – that place which we will someday call home.
To the family, we know of your faith – a faith passed on to you through possibly the several generations, or maybe through struggle. Your task today is to draw from that faith which Andrew turned to for strength a faith which will strengthen you in the days ahead. Remember that you are not alone. As I said to you Deborah, Andrew will always be with you, the fond memories – good and bad will not always bring tears to your eyes, but, you will remember and you will smile, you will laugh, you will give thanks for all you shared.
To friends and neighbours, one of the secrets of life is as was already expressed is to add value to other peoples’ lives – to lift stress rather than add. As friends and neighbours we do that for each other. Your presence here is a wonderful indicator of your commitment to share a burden, a sorrow, a loss and to join in thankful remembrance with the family who mourn.
May he rest in peace and may his memories be a blessing.
