I Am with You

Beloved family—biological and spiritual—of Rita, the Lord Jesus says to you today, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Who is this Jesus? The author of Hebrews goes through great lengths to show who Jesus is. How he is absolutely supreme and sufficient to meet our deepest longings, our deepest needs. He is God’s Son, the second person of the Trinity. He is God with us. He took on human flesh, was born of a woman, suffered and through his death, resurrection and ascension has won complete salvation for all who trust in him. Therefore, in life we all who believe, strive to imitate Jesus, as did those of the faith who have gone before us, like: Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David and Samuel, Corny and Rita.

None of the people I just mentioned were perfect. Noah was a drunk, Moses was a liar, Gideon doubted, Samson and David were adulterers. As children, siblings, friends, you know that Rita wasn’t perfect either.

Rita served the Lord, she took her responsibilities seriously. She loved to sing. She loved Corny, she loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I had the privilege of visiting Rita and Corny together on a number of occasions, sharing the Lord’s Supper together. I visited Rita several times in the hospital, and in Edith Cavell.

When Rita and Corny were together, they had a very interesting relationship. Their love for each other was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It was different, but it was love. God’s love for them, held them together for 64 years, long after others of lesser faith, lesser love, lesser determination may have quit.

God’s love covers over everything. Jesus was straight-up honest with us when he said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33b). As Christians, we find ourselves in two worlds. In one world, we are with Christ, already seated with him in heaven. In the other world, we are with fellow believers, family of God, family, all good things, but not perfect things. We don’t always love each other as we ought. We don’t always show our love. We are not always at our best.

We strive to be our best, our most loving, but we honestly admit, we fail. In spite of our failings, God loves us, perfectly. And because God loved us first, we love. And so we acknowledge we are not perfect, we reflect on the good of what we see.

When Pam asked me to conduct this service, I was honoured. I was given a glimpse of Rita’s heart for all of you. She really, truly loved her family. She knew she didn’t always show it. She loved you, Marian. She deeply, deeply loved Corny and whenever she was in the hospital, she pined for him. When they moved to Edith Cavell, they were not able to share a room, and she longed to be together. She loved all of you, Jeanette, Gord, Debbie and Pam. She loved her in-laws.

She loved, because God loved her first. She never wanted to leave Corny. She never wanted to leave her family. For this reason, she underlined these words in her Bible: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” She knew she couldn’t always be with her family. But she knew that Jesus was with her, she knew Jesus is with you.

May we, like her, hold onto that loving promise. May we be content with all the Lord has given us, for He is our helper; we will not fear. What can man, or what can any circumstance, virus, economy, or anything do to us? Jesus himself is with us. Jesus is with you, even as Rita is with him.

Trust in Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Amen.