Funeral of James Mortenson

All men must die. Such is the fate that hangs over our fallen race. There is no question about whether this is true. The Word of God is clear: “The soul that sins, it shall die.”(Ezek 18:4) Jimmy was a sinner, and now he has died. You are a sinner, and one day you too will die.

If these words seem unnecessarily harsh, it is only because we have made a habit of ignoring this truth. But that only makes it harder to deal with the reality of death when it comes. Whether we will die is not a question. It is a certainty. When we will die is out of our hands. That hour is in God’s keeping. The only question that remains to us is how we will die.

The church fathers spoke of two kinds of death: a blessed death, and an evil death. What does it mean to die a blessed death? It has very little to do with age. We tend to think that the 103-year-old woman who dies in her sleep has died a blessed death. If she died in the faith of Christ, then yes, it was a blessed death. But if she died apart from Christ, no matter how long and happy her life was, no matter how many friends she left behind, no matter what a good and kind person she was, she died an evil death. Conversely, if a sixteen-year-old dies tragically in a car accident, if he died in the faith of Christ, it is a blessed death, however untimely we may consider it to be.

Jimmy died a blessed death, of that there is no doubt. Many here today will speak of Jimmy’s character, that he was a good person, that he was kind and generous, at least when he wasn’t up to mischief. All of these things are true. But this is not why Jimmy died a blessed death. When your time comes, your friends and family will appreciate that you were a good person, but this is not what opens the door to heaven. Jimmy died a blessed death because he died in the faith of Jesus Christ. Of that I am absolutely certain.

And what does it mean to be in the faith? Faith is not this mysterious substance that you collect as you go through life, hoping that you’ve got enough, but never quite knowing. People talk about faith all the time in the abstract—“I’ve got my faith”—but it’s rare to hear anyone talk about what that actually means. What does it mean that you have your faith? What does faith mean? I’ll tell you. Faith is simple. It is nothing other than believing the promises of Jesus—not abstract promises—very real, specific, concrete promises.

And so when people say to me, “I have faith,” I want to respond, “Wonderful! Tell me about your faith. Tell me which promises of Jesus you believe. What are the words of Christ that you cling to in the day of trouble? That is faith—tell me about it!”

Let me tell you about Jimmy’s faith. Jesus promised, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”(Jn 5:24) Jimmy believed this promise. Jesus said, “Those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2). Jimmy believed this promise. Jesus said, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev 21:5). Jimmy believed this promise. And Jesus said, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn 6:54). Jimmy heard and believed this promise. (By the way this is the reason we go to church—not to earn brownie points with God, but to hear again and again the promises of Jesus in order to be strengthened in the faith.)

I was with Jimmy just over a week ago when he confessed this faith as he received the Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all his sins. It was the last time on earth that he would come to the Lord’s Table, holding his dear Maryann’s hand as he did so. It was the last time he would receive this precious gift as a sinner.

And I confessed to Jim at that time that I was just a bit jealous of him. He stood on the threshold of heaven, just hours away from the end of all sin and suffering, pain and sorrow. The promises of Jesus that had sustained him through his earthly life were about to be fulfilled, completely and eternally. Yes, sinners must die. But our Lord Jesus has refashioned death itself into the gate of paradise, and Jimmy was about to step through it. Yes, Jimmy died, but in dying he lost nothing and gained everything. It was his sin that died. His cancer died. His suffering died. Yes, his body also died, but that is only temporary. For remember Jesus’ promise, “Behold, I make all things new!” Jimmy’s ashes are with us here, but his spirit is with Christ awaiting the day of the resurrection of all flesh.

I will leave you with one final promise of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25–26). I know Jimmy’s answer to Jesus’ question. Yes, he believed this. He confessed this faith up until his blessed death. And now, according to Jesus’ promise, even though he has died, yet shall he live. For Christ Himself will raise Jimmy and all believers to eternal life on the Last Day. Amen.