Wayne Hollatz Funeral

Psalm 73:1-28 (NIV) 73:1  Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2  But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 3  For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4  They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5  They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. 6  Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. 7  From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. 8  They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. 9  Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. 10  Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. 11  They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?" 12  This is what the wicked are like-- always carefree, they increase in wealth. 13  Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. 14  All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. 15  If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children. 16  When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me 17  till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. 18  Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19  How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! 20  As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 21  When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22  I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

23  Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25  Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27  Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28  But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

A funeral is one of the most difficult events that we will ever attend in our lives. Unfortunately, it is not a one time experience. For some today, it may be one of the first funerals they have attended. For others, we may have attended literally hundreds in our lifetime. And yet, the number of funerals we have attended do not make them any less difficult.

What is it that makes this event so hard? It is the finality of death. It is the procedure we go through to get “closure” to emphasize that our experience with the deceased has ended for this lifetime. The question is: How do we deal with our grief, our sense of loss, and this dramatic change in our lives?

One way is to look to the past. A common practice at funerals is to celebrate the life of the individual and to use photos, stories, memorabilia, etc to bring back happy memories of the person whose memory we honor today. (Example of Dorcas). Acts 9:36–39 (NIV84)

36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” 39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

A common practice for many funerals is to have a formal eulogy. Certainly, the conversations at the visitation before the service and the meal afterwards will reflect on a decidedly happier time in our lives and the importance this person had to us. I have appreciated the information I have seen from the family this past week as they openly shared fond memories of Wayne and how much he meant to them and the things that were important to him. My own experience with Wayne pales in comparison for I only first met him just over two years ago. I do recall some extended conversations with him as he recovered from several surgeries and interaction at church and Bible class. I recall his goal of reading the Bible in a new translation (which he accomplished) as well as how proud he was of his family. I also cherish the concern he had for his great grandson Parker and that he be brought into the Christian faith through the sacrament of baptism. But your celebration of his life is much deeper than my memories of him because you knew him so much longer and better. We do this to lessen our grief and to be happy for the past.

But this celebration of life cannot remove the aching sense of loss that comes through death. Beyond this is the nagging certainty that things have changed and the past will not be repeated. No more . . . (list items from the obituary).

And yet, in the midst of grief, there is hope. Hope for what we believe Wayne’s soul is experiencing now and the promises that God gives to us in the future for all those who die who remained faithful unto death through trusting in Jesus.

Review of Wayne’s relationship with the Lord through the church. Wayne experienced pivotal moments in his faith life here at Grace.

Baptism:

Confirmation:

Worship:

Fellowship:

Bible Class:

Of the many passages in the Bible which speak of this, I believe that the Psalmist’s expressed it very well.

Psalm 73 starts out very negatively. It is a complaint about how the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. It just doesn’ t seem fair. But near the end the Psalmist expresses his faith in the Lord.

You hold me by my right hand (Explain and give a passage or two on this.)

John 10:27–30 NIV84

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

You guide me with your counsel. God’s Word guided Wayne. He didn’t just read the Bible to say he had done this. He sought the guidance of God’s Word. “All Scripture is God-breathed . . .”

Afterward, you will take me into glory. This hope of the resurrection based on Jesus’ own death and resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:12–23 NIV84

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

26  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Wayne realized his mortality. I’m sure he had hoped to live longer than he did. One wonders if he knew that he would die last week, whether or not he would have chosen the knee replacement surgeries that he had. Maybe he would have endured the pain of worn out knees instead of the pain of surgery and his recovery. I think we all plan to live a long, long time on earth.

But he realized as the Psalmist did that in time his flesh and his heart may fail. One of the grim reminders at a funeral is that like it or not, the time is coming when our own flesh and heart may (will) fail. You may have heard yourself what Wayne had said to me several times before he become sick, “If I get COVID, I’m going to die.” Whether it is this disease, some other disease, the effects of aging, a sudden accident or being the victim of a crime; our flesh and our heart will fail.”

End of existence.

All people go to heaven.

We become angels.

“To be or not to be, that is the question?”

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For Wayne, he believed that even though he would die; this would not be entrance into the unkown, the end of his existence, or something unknown, or eternal punishment for his sins. He believed that although the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And so at a funeral we grieve. But we don’t grieve for the one who has died in the Lord. We grieve because of our own loss but we can also rejoice for the gain that Wayne experiences. We rejoice that his soul is in the presence of God and enjoying his glory. May we all have this confidence in the Lord that even though our flesh and our hearts will fail, God grantes eternal life to all those who trust in Jesus Christ who gave his life for us and was raised again for our justification.