Sermon for Ila Coziahr

I preached this sermon for Ila's funeral this week. I used the Old Testament scripture from Isaiah 43, 23rd Psalm, and a Gospel reading from John 14. This is a fairly straightforward sermon and speaks to who Ila was in her relationship with Jesus Christ. Ila was 62 and had been battling cancer for the past three years. She died at home with her family around her onFriday evening. Earlier in the day we had baptised her grandson, Carter, in the very same bedroom with the family all crowded together, fulfilling one of Ila's last wishes. When I finished baptising Carter, who is one year old, he looked at me and said, "Thank you!" First time I have been thanked in that way, but it seems to me to have some pretty deep theological message as well. Here is the sermon preached to a packed church on Tuesday morning.

SERMON – “Perfect”

(Informal comments Including: Three sons – There is a special place in heaven for the mother of three sons.)

Ila did not ask for perfect. She did not ask for life where the sky is always blue and the sun is always shining. Ila did not ask for perfect, nor did she expect perfection. But if you had asked her, she would have told you that she experienced perfect. The Perfect parents, Perfect husband, Perfect family, Perfect co-workers, the Perfect church, the Perfect life. But Ila did not ask for perfect; did not expect it.

Now; I know, I know, nothing is really perfect. I mean there were a lot of dark clouds along the way. As we examine Ila’s life we realize it was far from perfection. Not even counting these last three years battling cancer, there were some tough days, hard decisions, and some lucky bounces. And yet, today of all days, we claim perfection. Looking back with grace, seeing with eyes focused beyond the pain of grief, perfection is all that comes into view.

Perspective is funny thing; the further away from the trees we travel, the more our breath is taken away by the beauty of the whole forest.

In this passage of scripture from the Gospel of John, God in Jesus Christ is sharing with the disciples all that will take place in the coming days. He shares that he will be leaving them. He offers that he goes to prepare a place for them, and will come again one day and they will be reunited. Jesus tells them he will not leave them alone, orphaned, but will send the Holy Spirit to remind them of everything. They need not worry, nor be afraid of anything ever again. It all sounds perfect.

However, we know Jesus tells all this to the disciples just before he is arrested and then crucified for the sin of the world. Perfect just became un-believable, unbearable, un-thinkable; all in the matter of just a few hours.

If we were never to move beyond this point of the story; If we stopped here at the trees because the pain of perfection so close in hand, now seemingly lost, was too harsh, too ugly, or threatened to overwhelm us we would miss the perspective of the whole forest. We would miss the beauty of the resurrection and new life in Christ Jesus. We would miss perfection in all it’s glory. Sadly we would miss the greatest gift of love the world has ever known.

And yes, we are all temped to stop believing, to stop listening to Jesus just as the final call is about to be trumpeted. Our humanness tugs at our emotions; even as God is calling us this very moment to raise our heads beyond the grief of the day and look once again into His face of perfection.

We cringe before the mystery of death.
And we cry out to our God whose voice comforts us:
1 But now thus says the LORD,
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

If only we could fully accept the words of God’s prophet Isaiah:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Perfection, it seems is at hand in the Name of Jesus, the Holiness of our Redeemer,
the grace of our Savior.

Perfection is not a human trait, it is a Godly one. We become perfect only as God enters our lives and offers discipline and responsibility into our daily habits.

Perfection is impossible without God. But with God all things are possible.

Ila did not ask for perfect. She did not ask for life where the sky is always blue and the sun is always shining. Ila did not ask for perfect, nor did she expect perfection.

But if you had asked her, she would have told you that she experienced perfect through new life in Jesus Christ and will for all eternity. Amen.