Funeral Sermon for Clarence Malwitz
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sometimes a verse pops out as the one and only verse to use for a funeral sermon. For Clarence it wasn’t that way. I toyed with a lot of verses including Genesis 10:9 “[Nimrod] was a mighty hunter.” ‘cause I’m still amazed at that newspaper picture of the pheasant pelts covering his whole yard. Of course Clarence loved hunting. You could have nicknamed his room at Good Sam Pheasants Forever.
I also thought of “Something old; something new; something borrowed; something blue.” But that of course isn’t even scripture no matter how well it goes with the antiques that he and his wife loved to buy and sell. Many of you know about the “coke clock” that hung in his kitchen at the house and in his room at Good Sam. Clarence and I marked the time till his death by that coke music and hiding polar bear. As his family and the staff at Good Sam gathered for a memorial service shortly after Clarence died it went off again, and seemed very fitting to us all.
So I struggled a bit… and then I read this one:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
You know, it was common for Clarence and me to talk about his troubles, his burdens, and his fears. He was well cared for at Good Sam but he would have rather been in Howard. He missed his friends. He missed his church. He missed his home. He missed is garden. He understood why he had to be there, but he really wanted to be home. Clarence often talked about being lonely, too. His family visited him, but his loneliness was deeper than that. He really missed Dorothy. When she died four years ago, a very real part of Clarence died with her. There was nothing that was ever going to take her place. He felt very dependent, too. There was an all too brief bit of independence that he enjoyed before he dumped over his motorized wheel chair and the Good Sam staff had to take it away. Really that was the beginning of the end. Clarence never quite recovered from that disappointment.
In the face of those burdens Clarence and I talked about this verse more than once.
“I don’t know why God has given me all these burdens.”
“I don’t know either Clarence.” I’d answer.
He’d reply something like “I just have to give them to him. He knows best.”
I guess it’s true that Clarence never really had an easy life. Money was short, and all those kids ate a lot. I was told how you all piled in the back seat of the car to get to church. That was important to Clarence and Dorothy, and it seems to have rubbed off on you guys too.
Now you all knew Clarence better than I did. I knew him for a year and a half, you knew him a lifetime. He was a great guy. He was gentle and kind. But you know most people are on their best behavior around the pastor. Clarence was, I’m sure, no exception. Of course I know that he was a sinful person. You know he was sinful person. Some of you might talk about a time when he played hard ball in business. Some of you might remember a time when he took advantage of you. Some of you might remember at time when his attitude was anything but Christian. And not to excuse any of that behavior, because that kind of thing is definitely sinful, you wouldn’t have to talk about any of that for me to know that Clarence Malwitz was a sinful man. Those things are true, that too was a part of who Clarence was. I don’t have to hear specific stories to know that he deserved death. I’m not really speaking ill of the dead either. I’m speaking the truth. What I really want you to understand is that he was no different than anyone. No different than you. No different than me. We, too, are sinful people. One day you and I will join Clarence in death. We’ll be the guest of honor at our own funeral and in spite of the joke to contrary we won’t be late. We deserve death, too. At least that’s what God tells us in His Word. For the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23a, ESV) Nothing brings that truth home like a funeral. And Clarence felt that burden at the end, too. From the first day I met him he longed for death so that he could be with Dorothy again. But in the end he did not greet death warmly. It was another burden he had to bear. There was some fear there, some regret and some anger, too. Well, that was just a part of the burden Clarence carried.
I was there with him when he died. That’s why I selected this verse, because it really is true for Clarence. Finally, after all his burdens, after all his wanting to die, Jesus finally said to him,
Come to me, [Clarence you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
He died peaceful and quiet, which was a change from the previous several days.
Now there is something you should know about Clarence. In fact, it is the most important thing you should know. Clarence was a man of faith. That’s why we can use this verse about going to Jesus in reference to him. Of course he was sinful, but more than that he knew who his Savior was, and he knew how much he needed a Savior. Clarence’s really heavy load was his sin. When his soul was burdened by it he turned to his savior in repentance and faith. He saw Jesus clearly on the cross suffering and dying for him. He clung to God’s promise that death would not lead to what he deserved, eternity in hell, but to eternal life with Jesus.
It really is one thing I’ll never forget about Clarence. I would go into his room or sit outside on the sidewalk at Good Sam and chit chat for a while. But he really could only take so much and he wanted something more than talk. You see, he knew I wasn’t there primarily to visit. He had something else that he wanted. I could tell when it was time because he’d begin to look at the stack of stuff I carry with me to shut-in visits to make sure I brought it. He was looking to make sure I brought the communion set with me. You see chat about the church and Howard and his family was all fine and good, but that’s not the real reason he wanted to see me. He wanted to see me so that he could receive The Lord’s Supper. He longed for it. He ached for it. He believed with all his heart that Jesus truly comes in, with and under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins. You can hear what Clarence believed, what he knew, what he longed for in the second part of the text:
I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29 (ESV)
In that wonderful gift of Jesus, Clarence found rest from his burdens. He found a gentle Lord Jesus, who loved him more than he could understand. He was a different person after he received Jesus in the Lord’s Supper. I usually left as soon as possible after that. What could I say that was more powerful and more meaningful that what Jesus Christ had just done?
What was Clarence’s faith? Well, he saw it in red and white right there in the Supper. Jesus blood was spilled out on the cross. Jesus body was broken on the cross. Clarence believed that his burdens, his troubles, his loneliness, his shortcomings, his temper, his forgetfulness, his pain, his lies, his grief, his self-centeredness… his sin, all of it, was nailed to the cross with Jesus. That’s what Jesus means when he says, you will find rest. He means that we find rest in Him because He has died the death we deserve for our sin. He suffered the punishment of hell in our place. Now instead of death meaning separation from God and God’s people forever in hell, we pass through death to eternal life. What’s so special about that? Well, it’s is eternal life in God’s presence. There will be no fear of punishment for our sin. There will be no burdens to bear. No weariness. No loneliness. No sin. And, now this was really important for Clarence, eternal life in the presence of all those who die in faith. Here’s the picture: Clarence and Dorothy standing before Jesus, shouting out His praises together forever and ever.
What is your burdened? Are you weary? Do you miss Clarence already? Do you miss another loved one who died with faith in Jesus? Are you lonely, afraid? Jesus is where you will find rest for your burdens. Jesus Christ crucified for sinners is where you’ll find hope for hopeless sinners like you. Jesus says to you,
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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