Funeral Sermon for Paul Roberts

Funeral Sermon for Paul Roberts
11/24/10
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Bror Erickson


[3:1] For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
[2] a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
[3] a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
[4] a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
[5] a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
[6] a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
[7] a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
[8] a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
[9] What gain has the worker from his toil? [10] I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. [11] He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. [12] I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; [13] also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. Eccles. 3:1-13 (ESV)

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil-- this is God’s gift to man.

Bobbie tells me that this chapter of Ecclesiastes, with it’s poignant reminder that there is a season and time for every matter under heaven, was Paul’s favorite. I believe it. Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books. It has great advice on how to live life. For as long as I’ve known Paul he was one who seemed to know how to live life and enjoy it. I’d come by and spend an afternoon with him drinking wine and listening to stories about mining or growing up in Quebec, we’d exchange wine recipes and tips. And then he would always ask, well Pastor, should we have communion? And we would. Paul I remember when I first met him he told me he believed strongly in receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, some might say he lived for it.
Bobbie tells me that the one thing he enjoyed about becoming Lutheran was the freedom to read the Bible for himself and learn about Grace and the forgiveness of sins. I don’t know what he was like before he became Lutheran, Paul seems to be a man who couldn’t help no matter how old to enjoy life, to eat and drink and take pleasure in his toil. I think that has a lot to do with being French Canadian. He’d tell me stories sometimes and I’d shake my head thinking what a crazy Canuck, and he did much to reinforce my stereotype of what a French Canuck was. Like I say I don’t think he could help but to enjoy life the way he did, but I never knew him to feel guilty for it either. He knew what Jesus had done for him, and he was determined to enjoy the gift of life that Christ had given him, in the newness of life he was given in baptism where he was buried with Christ here in time, and now for all eternity. He knew that the joys in this life were but a shadow of the joys he now experiences with Christ in all eternity. Paul knew well his faith and the Bible. In fact, at times when I was struggling with a sermon, I’d come and have communion with Paul, I’d give him what I had, and Paul wouldn’t shy from asking me a few questions afterward to make me rethink what I was chewing on, and then he’d give me, “well I’ll take that pastor.” but not until it came around to what Christ had done for him, for you and for me on the cross and the forgiveness of sins.
And quite frankly as I’m writing this sermon I can here Paul telling me, Pastor quit talking about me, start talking about Christ. I didn’t die for these people, Christ did. I’ve never done anything for these people, but Christ has. It is Jesus who lived and died and rose again for me, that I could die and live in him in this life, and enjoy his resurrection to all eternity as a free gift of grace.
He’s right you know. If there is a season and a time for everything then the funeral is not a time to talk so much about the deceased, but the living one who died on the cross that we all might live. Because we couldn’t do it ourselves. Without Christ we have not life, though we breath. Oh we might eat and drink and take pleasure in our toils throughout the seasons and times of life, but without Christ we are also confronted with the fact that it is all meaningless and senseless this life. Without Christ, death is something to be feared, something that robs life of all meaning, and makes it fairly insufferable to enjoy to the fullest, always clouding even the innocent pleasures of life with guilt. Always nagging the back of our minds, have I done enough? Have I lived as good a life as I could, really? No. You haven’t. Nor will you. You can’t and you won’t. Truth be told you don’t even want to. The worse thing you could do is convince yourself that you try to, or that God should give you brownie points for trying. He knows better, and truthfully you do too. That is why God became man for us men and our salvation. That is why the God who gave you his image in creation, the image you tarnish with every sin little and small or even large that you ever commit, the lustful thought, the jealous coveting, the resentful attitude at work or home, and even the attempts to make up for past sins, adultery, fornication, fights, theft, lying and so on with so-called good works, they all tarnish the image given you by God in creation, the holiness he with which he created you, the sinless life he created you to enjoy. And God knows your sins better than you even do, and he knows there is nothing you can do about it. That is why He did it for you, the God who created this world, the God who gave you life, the God to whom you owe everything you have and are, and who wants nothing more for mankind than that they enjoy the life he originally created you for, became man for you and I that he might die and shed his divine blood for you and me, that our sins might be forgiven in it and through it. And that blood, that life of Jesus that he gave for you and I on the cross is our only hope of salvation in this life. But it is so much more than a wishful thought, it is the reality that gives life, because when God dies for your sins there is nothing left for us to do but celebrate the life he gives us in the forgiveness of sins, to be joyful and do good, and eat and drink and take pleasure in your toil. Just as Paul lived through the seasons of this life with joy, joy in Jesus Christ that Paul would share with you today. Joy knowing that Christ has taken care of it for you, your sins, yes, yours, are forgiven, you have life in Jesus Christ.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen.
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