Gerry DeHeer's Service

It is a real honour to lead this service today. I’m humbled that Gerry asked me to serve his family and friends in this way. I’m grateful, Coby, that you and Gerry invited me into your hearts, your life.

Gerry was a friend of God. He loved the Lord, and he sought to please Him, to glorify Him in his life. He passionately served the Lord throughout his life, wherever he lived, particularly in Lethbridge, volunteering his time and talents and especially at Maranatha Christian Reformed Church. He cared deeply for this congregation, for God’s people, and for this building—no, seriously, he loved this sanctuary and he wanted it to stay exactly as it is.

We all know his opinion on this building, on the pews, on the bricks. Gerry freely shared his opinion, at times even when his opinion wasn’t sought. The truth is, Gerry wasn’t always an easy person to get along with, to work for, to love, as husband, father, grandfather.

No, Gerry wasn’t a perfect person. In fact, none of us are. We all sin. We all have fallen short of the glory of God. Not a single person here needs a Saviour less or more than Gerry did. He knew it. He knew the kind of man he was. And he really knew the kind of Saviour Jesus is.

Gerry put his whole faith and trust in Jesus. When he and Coby were married in Holland, just before emigrating to Canada, their pastor chose John 6:21 as their wedding text. “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went (KJV).”

Consider the circumstances. The disciples left Jesus praying on the mountain. They headed out onto the Sea of Galilee without him. As they were making their way across, a storm came up and a great wind was blowing against them. After rowing about three or four miles, they saw Jesus taking a stroll on the lake in the midst of the storm. Immediately, they were afraid. Their minds couldn’t make sense of what they were seeing with their eyes. Jesus, seeing them, seeing their terror, calmed them with his words, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

The disciples did the most logical thing they could do. They willingly received him into the boat. It makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean, if you’re in a boat in a storm, and you’re wondering how you’ll get through the storm, or if the storm will get far worse, or if the boat will be smashed to pieces and your pastor, your teacher, is walking on the water to you, you’d willingly take him in, right? Clearly there is more to Jesus than meets the eye. They willingly took Him into their boat because they trusted His testimony, that he was no ghost, they had no reason to fear. They knew Him. They trusted Him. And immediately they arrived at their destination.

Gerry and Coby’s pastor chose this passage, not only because they were going to be on a ship to Canada in a little while but because he wanted to underscore the importance of inviting Jesus into their lives, their married life, their Canadian life. He wanted them to remember, to willingly receive Jesus everywhere they were, everywhere they would go.

Now, I’m not sure if your pastor thought you’d have as quick a sailing as they did, after receiving Jesus into the boat, but I’m sure he hoped it was a good one. What I’m sure your pastor wanted you to do was to trust Jesus with your lives, by inviting Him into your hearts, by inviting Him into your marriage, and by inviting Him into your family, your business, your whole lives.

Until Jesus joined them, the disciples were struggling through the storm. And as soon as they invited Jesus into the boat, the storm died, and they arrived. The same thing happens when we invite Jesus into our lives. When we invite Jesus into our lives, he brings a sense of calm. He brings His peace into our hearts, no matter what storm rages outside. Jesus brings us to our destination, everlasting life, immediately.

But there are times when we forget. There are times when we feel as though Jesus is far from us. A while ago, Gerry’s faith was shaken by a storm of doubts. The storms were circling around, the wind and waves of doubt were causing him to lose confidence. At that time, Gerry was reminded that his trust, his faith, his closeness to God didn’t depend upon him, or his upbringing, or what others in his life had done, it depended upon Christ, what Jesus had done. It depended upon God’s faithfulness. It depended upon the gift of faith that God had given to Gerry.

Then, just a wee bit ago, once again he began to have doubts. He began to question whether or not he was saved. He was miserable, and terribly afraid of dying. Then, one night, Jesus visited Gerry. He reached out, he touched him, and He assured him that he belonged. Jesus reminded Gerry that He died and paid for Gerry’s sins. He was made right with God. Jesus would come to bring him home in just a little while.

After that, Gerry had peace. He was no longer afraid to die. He was no longer afraid of what would happen next. He knew Jesus was with him, and that it had nothing to do with Gerry’s faithfulness, it had everything to do with God’s faithfulness. All Gerry had to do was accept it, believe it, trust in it. He did. And God granted him peace.

Where are you today? What fears and concerns are you facing? What struggles do you have? We’re all in the same boat as Gerry was. We worry about ourselves, we know we’re not who we’re supposed to be. We know we’ve sinned. We have doubts and fears and worries and concerns.

Through the midst of the storms that Gerry was experiencing, Jesus walked up to him and said, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Gerry willingly took him into his heart, his life.

What storm, what fears, what worries are you facing? Jesus is here, right now, saying to you, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Gerry took Jesus at his word, and found peace. Let us all do the same. Amen.