Funeral Service for Reinhold Schaffroth

Call to Worship

Invocation

Scripture: Psalm 42:1-4, John 11:17-27, Erica and Christian

Meditation:

Special Music: Anderson on the saxophone

Reflections: Eric Seiser

Benediction

We gather here to glorify God, as the Giver and Sustainer of life. We are also here to honor the life of Reinhold Schaffroth.

On behalf of the Central Schwenkfelder Church, deepest sympathy is extended to Reinhold’s sisters: Analise and Betty, as well as his niece Susan and great niece Erica and great nephew Christian.

Two Scriptures were chosen today. God’s word has always given Christians comfort in a time of loss.

Psalm 42 is was a musical arrangement, depicting one’s devotion to God, when experiencing adversity. He makes a self comparison to a deer who is thirsty. In Palestine, as the arid climate grew hot at different times of the year, it was not uncommon to see animals looking for hydration. He says: Psalm 42:1-2

Psalm 42:1–2 ESV

1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

It reminds us that a relationship with the Lord is the most important things we can ever cultivate in our lives.

God provides a means of satisfaction that we were meant for. It was the 4th century church father Augustine who said: “You have made us for yourself. And our hearts are restless, until they find their rest in You.”

The other passage shared is from the gospel of John. Jesus comes upon a family that he is close with. Lazarus was friends with Jesus, as was his sisters, Mary and Martha.

Here, Martha makes the statement: “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died.”

But Jesus was waiting for the right time to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus said: “Your brother will rise again.” Martha affirms her belief in the resurrection and assumes that Jesus is talking about the last day. And then Christ makes that statement which is a proclamation of hope to everyone who believes:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me shall live, even if he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Now Jesus says something interesting here. He states that there is a way to overcome death.

Death, of course, entered for a reason and that reason is because of sin. Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

All people die because all people sin. And at the end of our life, we must stand before a holy and righteous God and give an account of our lives.

But as dismal as that sounds, it was for this reason that Jesus Christ came to this world long ago. He was God incarnate and lived a sinless life and died as a criminal, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and overcome death.

Lastly, you can access this gift of life after death if you want it enough.  How do we access this gift of life after death? 

It is not through being a good person or being religious for the sake of religion. Human nature always grades on a curve, yet God’s standards are irrefutable and perfect.  We can never be good enough. 

Only Jesus was good enough.  It is through Him that the gifts of repentance and faith come.  Jesus preached at the outset of His ministry in Mark 1:14:

“The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"  

Repentance means to turn, a change of heart and mind.  It is implied in the act of confession; asking God to forgive you for your sins and offenses done to Him and to others. 

The other act is faith.  Faith is not just believing that there is a God but embracing Him; following Him; becoming a disciple of Jesus. So, there is urgency for you to repent of your sins and place your trust in Jesus Christ, in order to possess heaven as your home. 

Consider that God reached out to you in the gift of His Son, so that you could be reconciled to Him.  How could you not respond to such a gracious invitation?  Jesus said:

“Come to Me, all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) 

Today, we gather to celebrate the life of a dear Reinhold Schaffroth.

Ron, as he was known, was an outdoorsman. He loved to go hunting and be outside.

His personality was described as honorable, quiet, meticulous and stubborn. He was private.

Ronny would help the family in any way possible. He would help his niece Susan with inventory at her businesses until 2 a.m.. he would devote his life to A and P and Super fresh grocers.

Whatever he set out to do, he did it with attention to detail. He would cut the lawn for family members and others in the neighborhood would remark how good his work looked.

Ron loved sports of all kinds and was especially fond of Philadelphia teams.

Ron was an inclusive man and loved his family. He would do anything you asked of him. Susan remembers Ron working on inventory until sometimes 2 a.m., outlasting those who were generations younger.

Ron was a Giver. He served our country in the US Army from 1964-1970 at the Dimilitarized Zone in Korea.

Ron loved Lansdale and family. He took seriously the request from his mother just before she passed: “Love each other.”

This love came with a sense of humor and a certain amount of ribbing. He liked to tease and give his sisters a hard time. Any gift you gave Ron, he would say, “Take it back; I don’t need it.” He did not like you spending money on him. In reflection, his family stated: “He loved us.” He took it upon himself to be the caretaker of his sisters.

Ron was great friends with his brothers-in-law. Myron and Leo became the brothers he never had.

Ron was especially proud of his niece and nephews.

Ron retired in 1998 after working a management career that lasted for 65 years. He was strong and helpful, the perfect person for working retail.

In his latter years, he was a courier for Lansdale Chrysler, a job that he loved for the social interaction.

Ron made an impact on your life and gave you a sense of self-giving and service as the evidence of his love.

Ron would like to be remembered as a kind, hard-working friend and brother. He loved people.

As you say goodbye to him today, may God give you comfort and strength. And may your memories of Ron be a treasure in the years to come. Amen.