Following the Good Shepherd: Sermon for the Funeral of Helen Klinsing
Dear family members, friends, and neighbors of Helen,
Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
We have the same readings
for today that were read at the funeral of Helen’s husband, Jim, over 11 years
ago. We were pretty sure that since Helen picked them out then, she would be happy
to have them read today as well. Perhaps you noticed that three of the readings
have a common theme: Following the Good Shepherd.
In our Gospel, Jesus,
the Good Shepherd, says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me.” Then He promises: “I give them eternal life, and they will never
perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given
them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the
Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).
The Good Shepherd
called Helen to His flock when she was baptized as an infant at Immanuel
Lutheran Church in Scarville, Iowa. There, in the water and Word, Helen
received the gift of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. As Helen listened
to the voice of the Good Shepherd, she grew in her faith and the Lord kept her safe
in His flock.
Helen was united in
marriage to Jim Klinsing on July 12, 1964. That was a special day, not just for
Jim and Helen, but also to David, Diane, Mary, and Steve. I think it was Steve
who talked about his memory of that day. He was about four years old, crawling
on the pew, trying not to make too much noise, and he saw them by the altar. After
the festivities they all got into the car and from the back he hollered, “Hey
Mom!” He didn’t really have anything important to say, he just couldn’t wait
for the first time that he could “officially” call Helen “Mom.” All four
children talked about what a special person it takes to be willing to take on a
family of four young children and what a wonderful mother Helen was for them.
A quick look through
her life history shows that Helen lived a full and productive life, facing each
day with humor and grace. Juggling a career and caring for a husband and four
children couldn’t have been easy. When she retired from teaching after 37
years, 27 in the Pipestone Area School system, she remarked that it was “time
to get out while I still have a few of my marbles.” Even then, Helen kept busy
volunteering at church, the Ladies Guild, sewing, working on crafts, and making
quilts for the hospice program. I appreciated her guidance as I learned the
various traditions at Our Saviour’s such as the gift of quilts for baptisms and
graduations. Helen was especially proud of her involvement in the Hospice Program
in Pipestone. A quick look at the list of honorary casket bearers tells you
that Helen’s social calendar didn’t have too many empty spaces, either.
That’s not to say that
there were no difficult times in Helen’s life. But Helen was, and is, one of
the Lord’s sheep. In the hour of trial, the faithful Christian knows where to
go. They go, as Helen did, to the Good Shepherd. Such people seek the Lord and
His Word of comfort and hope. One of the favorite places of refuge in God’s
Word is the 23rd Psalm that we recited just a little bit ago.
The 23rd
Psalm helps us to answer the question, “Who is this Good Shepherd? The answer
is that this is the Lord God, Yahweh Himself. He is the One Who sent His Son
into this world. He is the Son of David Who was born in Bethlehem. He is the One
Who works faith in our hearts through the Good News of His love. In particular,
we like to think of Jesus Christ, the Shepherd Who died for us and rose again.
The Lord Jesus holds out His nail-pierced hands to receive us and to accept us
and to keep us forever… in His hands.
The Lord, this King of
creation and Lord of Life knows our every need… knows our greatest needs. “The Lord
is my shepherd; I shall not want,” we say. “You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies.” What enemies? Surely, someone like Helen didn’t have
any enemies, did she?
Oh yes! There is the
greatest enemy that each of us must face… the enemy within. No good thing
dwells in our old sinful nature that clings to us from the beginning to the end
of our days on this earth. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
Helen knew that was true for all people and confessed that it was true for her
as well. The last time I saw her, Helen confessed her sin and heard the
forgiveness that Christ earned for her in His sin-atoning death on the cross.
She received the true body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of her sins
and strengthening of her body and soul unto life everlasting.
There are also enemies
all around us. Temptations of pride, money, power, position, academics, and sex
come from every sector, calling us like side-show hawkers. The prince of this
world, Satan, does not leave us alone. During the time of trouble, he attacks
with doubts and on a day when the end is in sight, he defiantly asks, “And
where is the Lord your Shepherd now?”
However, the Christian
who keeps his or her eyes focused on Jesus… recalling His devil-defeating death
and trusting in our Lord’s triumphant, victorious resurrection… hears the Word
of confident faith. David said it in the psalm: “Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” Many
times, Helen confessed these very words, including the last time I visited with
her, as it seemed death was drawing near.
The Lord leads His
people by the still waters of Baptism, restoring our souls… not just once, but
a thousand times each day. Those who know His voice and follow Him are led in
the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
The Christian is
empowered to believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ and that He is with
us always to the end of the age. The psalmist declares that truth boldly, “for
You are with me.” What an assurance, not only on the good days, but especially
when one’s death draws near. When death casts its dark shadow, we need not be
afraid. Helen wasn’t, because she knew the Good Shepherd and said to Him, “I
will fear no evil, for You are with me.”
Faith and trust look at
all that the Lord God has done, is doing, and will do and says in a confident,
bold declaration, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
In Revelation 7, we
have a picture of the great multitude of believers gathered before the throne
of God, and one of the elders says these are those like Helen who have come out
of the great tribulation, who have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb. “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the
sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of
the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living
water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16–17).
John gives a glimpse of
the glory that is Christ’s. Because John’s vision includes the faithful from
every nation and every time, it is appropriate to see us who yet live
faithfully here on earth as part of that great gathering who have followed the
Good Shepherd. In fact, when we Christians gather for worship in this world, it
may be understood as participating by faith in the ongoing heavenly praise. Drawn
onward and upward by the magnificence of this hope in Christ, God’s people join
in the heavenly chorus even now. How incredible to be part of that blessedness!
That is where Helen is at right now. She followed the voice of the Good Shepherd,
her Lord, who led her to springs of living water.
What about you? Are you
able to say, not only with your mouth, but with your heart, “The Lord is my
Shepherd?”
The story is told of a
famous orator whose voice and articulation were exceptional. He recited the 23rd
Psalm and it was beautiful. Then He listened to an old woman recite the same 23rd
Psalm—not as well, not so clear, not so articulate. The orator marveled at the
old woman and said, “Something is obvious to me. I know the 23rd
Psalm; she knows the Good Shepherd!”
Which one are you?
Perhaps you have wandered away from the Lord and His Church. If so, then may this
sermon text be the time when the Good Shepherd finds you once again. If you
have never known the Lord or if you have had a faulty understanding of Who He
is and what He has done for you, then may God grant you the faith to hear His
voice and be one of His own. And if you have never wandered away from the Lord
and His Church, then may the words you have heard be an encouragement to remain
steadfast in the Word and the work of the Lord. May God grant all of us today,
the clarity of mind and the sincerity of heart to be able to say… the Lord is
my Shepherd! Amen
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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