IN MEMORIAM
+ James Anthony Elenbaas (3/2/1935 - 1/30/2009) +
28 February Anno + Domini 2009
"The Good Shepherd Knows His Sheepâ€
John 10:11-18
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Yvonne, Mike, Corrine, Tom, Fran, family and friends, brothers and sisters in Christ: "I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me.†These are the glorious words our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fills your ears with this morning. They are glorious words because they are words of promise; words of certainty; words of absolute assurance. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. And, the "knowing†spoken of here does is not describing mere intellectual knowledge, but the most personal, intimate knowledge possible - a personal, intimate knowledge our sinful human reason cannot fully understand. The relationship the Good Shepherd has with His sheep is so close and so deep that nothing - not even death - can separate the Good Shepherd from His sheep. In fact, wonder of wonders, it is only when the sheep of the Good Shepherd die to this world that they begin to experience in full the eternal relationship they have with their Good Shepherd. Death is the passage way to eternal life for the sheep of the Good Shepherd.
That is not to say that death is good. Death is not good. Death is the wages of sin. Those who claim that death is natural and say such things as, "Death is just a part of life,†have no idea what they're saying. The Good Shepherd did not create His sheep to die, but to live - and to live forever. Death entered the world because His sheep went astray. They wandered away from the flock and followed the voice of the wolf, believing his lies, and, in so doing, brought sin into the world. And, with sin came death. Make no mistake, we are gathered here today to be reminded of the tragic results of sin. Sin is the reason we bury Jim's remains in the ground today. Sin is the reason none of us will make it out of this world alive, for we are all infected with this dreaded disease and there is no earthly cure. This disease, dear friends, is fatal. The mortality rate is one hundred percent. We are all sinners. We will all die.
Jim knew this. He knew that he was a sinner. He knew that he was mortal. He was reminded of this sobering fact daily as he placed the oxygen tubing into his nose and stopped whatever he was doing every few hours to do his breathing treatments. Jim had a long battle. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1995, emphysema in 1998, was put on oxygen in 2001, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002, and, to top it all off, these last couple of years, dementia began to slowly creep in. He underwent chemo numerous times, had a number of ablations, and spent countless hours receiving medical care for his many ailments. Suffice it to say, Jim knew he wasn't long for this world. He knew that the wages of sin would soon get the best of him.
And yet, Jim took it all in stride. In fact, amazingly, all Jim could ever talk about was how blessed he was. I'm sure he had his down days, and I know in the days immediately preceding his departure from this vale of tears, he was simply utterly sick of being sick. He was ready to go. Can you blame him? But, up until those last days, if Jim wouldn't have been wearing the oxygen tube, you wouldn't have known he was sick. He was always upbeat, always full of joy. I don't know how many times I had the privilege of visiting with Jim these past three-plus years, but what I do know is that every time I left the house, I was inspired and amazed. I always went away thanking God for blessing me with time spent with Jim, and, of course, with Yvonne, as well. And, I always went away praying that God would bless me with the faith and confidence that so filled the Elenbaas home, you couldn't help but be embraced by it every time you were there.
Whenever I asked Jim how he was doing, his response was always, "So far!†Not, "So far, so good,†or "So far, so bad,†but just, "So far!†He always said this in an upbeat manner, as if to say, "I'm still here; still alive and kicking.†But, there was always something else underlying this response from Jim, namely his recognition that how he's doing doesn't really matter all that much, since this earthly life is not all there is. "So far!†Jim would say, as if to say, "Even though I'm sick and dying, all is well with me.â€
This was Jim's attitude every time I sat and talked with him. He never really wanted to talk about his sickness. Yvonne would fill me in with the latest news from the doctors, but Jim always wanted to talk about other things, like how blessed he was to have such a loving wife. "Tell the pastor how long we've been together, honey. How many years has it been now?†And, after Yvonne would oblige Jim with the answer, he would proceed to tell me how blessed he was to have her. "Fifty-five wonderful years, pastor, and in all that time, not a single argument.†Then, Yvonne would chime in and say, "Well, let's not get carried away, dear.†And, if Jim wasn't talking about how blessed he was to have Yvonne, it was how blessed he was to have Mike, Corrine, and Tom. "Tell the pastor about that time when . . .†was how Jim began most sentences during our visits. He loved to reminisce about the wonderful times he spent with his family. And, whenever Yvonne and I would try to bring the subject back to what Jim was facing with his failing health, all he wanted to talk about was how blessed he was to have the doctors he had. "Dr. so and so is so wonderful,†he would say. "We've been so blessed, pastor, with such wonderful doctors through the years.†And, after Jim would talk about what a blessing his doctors had been, he would cap it all off by acknowledging how blessed he and Yvonne were to have such good friends and neighbors. That's how it always was with Jim. He was piled on with ailment after ailment and all he wanted to do was talk about how blessed he was.
There's a reason for that, dear friends. Jim knew the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd knew him. The Good Shepherd, Jesus, called Jim into his flock when he was less than three weeks old through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. There, Jesus led Jim to the still waters of the Baptismal font and marked Jim as a member of His flock, washed away all his sins, and made him a child of God. And, Jim continued to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd his whole life long. He remained in the green pastures of the Good Shepherd's Holy Church, where his soul was continuously restored and followed the path of righteousness in Jesus' Name. Jim clung to the promises of his Good Shepherd and knew that, no matter what he faced in this life; that even though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death here in this dead and dying world, he had forgiveness, life, and salvation. For Jim knew that his Good Shepherd lived the perfect, sinless life in his place. And Jim knew that his Good Shepherd went willingly to the cross to shed His Holy, Innocent Blood in payment for all his sins. Jim knew this because His Good Shepherd comforted him with the rod and staff of His Holy Word, and fed him with the Bread of Life, His very Body and Blood, from the Table He prepared for him. The Good Shepherd knew Jim and Jim knew the Good Shepherd. Jim had faith in Jesus Christ. That's why Jim was able to face his sickness and death with such peaceful calmness. That's why he always spoke of how blessed he was. Jim knew that this earthly life is not all there is, that it is nothing more than a speck of dust in the hour glass of eternity, and that he would be spending eternity in Paradise with his Good Shepherd; that he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
And now, Jim has come to his faith's reward. No more pain and suffering. No more disease. No more sin and death. He basks in the unspeakable bliss and joy, the unknowable peace and comfort, of heaven, not because he was so good (and he was very good), but solely because He knew the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd knew him. And, I have no doubt that as the angels carried him to Paradise that Friday evening nearly a month ago, Jim filled their ears up, telling them how blessed his life was here on earth. "Let me tell you fellas about my wife and kids, and so on . . .â€
We will miss Jim dearly. He was a wonderful man of faith and such a blessing to all who were privileged to know him. As far as I can tell, the only downfall about Jim was that he loved polka music. Well, that, and he was a big Indiana basketball fan. But, I know the Lord has forgiven him for both. Seriously, Jim's love of life was contagious. You couldn't be around him and not be infected with it. And yet, his love of life paled greatly in comparison to his love of his Good Shepherd. Oh yes, we will miss Jim dearly. We have, and will, shed many tears. There's no shame in that. Jesus wept, and it's okay for us to weep, too. But, we do not mourn like those who have no hope, for we know where Jim is and we rejoice for him, for Jim is not dead, dear friends, but very much alive - more alive than he ever was here in this world, and more alive than we can ever know here on earth.
The same promise that was for Jim is for you, too. Like Jim, you will one day meet life's end here on earth. Sin will eventually have its way with you and lead you to death. That's a guarantee. But, the same Good Shepherd who lived, died, and rose again for Jim did so for you, too. Jesus came to save all sinners and accomplished that salvation on the cross. His Blood covers the sin of all people of all time. Do as Jim did. Recognize and confess your sinfulness and cling in faith to the One who died in your place for your sins. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, except through Him. There is no other way, dear friends. The only entrance to eternal life is through faith in the Good Shepherd, Jesus the Christ.
And this Good Shepherd says to you today, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come to judgment, but has passed from death to life†(John 5:24). Today, we celebrate this glorious truth, recognizing that our dearly departed Jim has passed from death to life. And, we who hear and believe the same Word of the Good Shepherd know without a doubt that we shall see Jim again. Jim does not only live on in our hearts and memories, but he lives on for real. And, so shall we who know the same Good Shepherd he knew. Lord, grant this faith unto us all. In Jesus' Holy and Precious Name. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.