+ Deane Elwin Flackey +

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 EHV

1 For everything there is an appointed time. There is an appropriate time for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to give birth and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot plants, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time not to embrace, 6 a time to search and a time to stop searching, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to rip and a time to sew, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Psalm 23 KJV 1900

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Matthew 8:5–13 EHV

5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am also a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled. He said to those who were following him, “Amen I tell you: I have not found such great faith in anyone in Israel. 11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Jesus said to the centurion, “Go. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

The Faith of Private First Class Deane Flackey and the Faith of the Centurion Is Also Our Faith.

Deane Flackey is a Marine. He took great pride in the fact that he served our nation with distinction and honor during the Korean Conflict. As we gather in this place today, we come to give honor and praise to God for the blessings that he extended to Deane during his earthly life. Among those blessings were his dedication to Beverly—his wife—to Steve and Susan—his children—to his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and his commitment to his country, his love for the Corp., and his concern for those he knew.

As I prepared for this service today, I gave thought to Deane’s military service. Like a good Marine, Deane knew what it was like to take orders as well as to give them. He was dedicated to those above him and devoted to the Corp. As I gave thought to these things, I was reminded of a story of another Marine who had a conversation with our Lord Jesus Christ. That episode is found in Mt 8:5–13.

Today I want to talk to you about a Marine’s faith, because

The Faith of Deane and the Faith of the Centurion Is Also Our Faith.

I. Faith realizes its unworthiness.

The Marine in our text was a centurion. A centurion was a Roman soldier in charge of a garrison of one hundred men. Therefore, he knew how to give orders and how to take them. We are told that he had a servant who was quite ill. The centurion came to Jesus and asked him to heal his servant. Jesus responded by saying, “I will come and heal him” (v 7). It is the dialogue that follows that is so interesting.

“The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof’ ” (v 8). We are not quite sure why the Centurion said that. Perhaps he had a sense of moral guilt, or perhaps he realized that, according to Jewish law, Jesus would have defiled himself by entering his home. Whatever the reason, he realized that the healing he sought was neither earned nor deserved.

In the same way, we, too, are not worthy of God’s grace and mercy. He does not answer our prayers or receive us into his kingdom because we have achieved some great honor, attained some great rank, or completed a great task. The hymn writer said it best when he wrote in the great hymn “Rock of Ages”: “Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to Thy cross I cling” (LSB 761:3).

II. Faith acknowledges the power and authority of Christ.

The centurion said, “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (vv 8–9).

What the centurion recognizes is that Christ is a person who has authority, and not just any authority, but a divine authority, the authority of God himself. Christ has the authority to forgive sins, to order and direct our lives in relationship with him. His authority comes not just from his being God but by virtue of his victory in the battle against sin, death, and the devil. This Marine—Jesus Christ—was the ultimate sharp-shooter who fought in our place, died in our place, and rose again for our salvation. He is Christus Victor, Christ the Victor!

We human beings often resist authority. From the time we are very young, we want to establish our independence and control our own lives. Often we resist God’s authority. We fear that somehow we may lose our freedom. Nothing could be further from the truth. God desires to have authority, not to dictate over us, but to deliver us from things that would enslave us.

We carry many heavy burdens in the course of our life. Many times we carry a burden of guilt over things we have said and done or a burden of grief because we did not say or do other things. Today I proclaim to you the Good News that the same Lord who brought healing to the Centurion’s servant can bring comfort and relief to you as well. Today Christ’s authority over death assures you of Deane’s eternal life!

III. Faith trusts the Word.

The Centurion said, “Only say the word” (v 8). That’s faith. That’s trust. Our text tells us that Jesus was astonished at the man’s faith. The faith that the Centurion exhibited is the faith that we are called to have as well. Whether that faith involves daily needs or the last hour is of little importance. We can trust the Word of God because of the authority that was given to Christ Jesus.

I wish I had an opportunity to get to know Deane. But what I do know in talking with his daughter Susan is that he was baptized in the Christian faith, and he had faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was also a faithful Marine who understands concepts like, “Duty, Honor, Country.” One of the motto’s of the Corp at such a time like this is, “We take care of our own.” And from what I know of Deane, he epitomized that motto in his life, as a caring husband and father. Dear family, in our daily struggles, we, too, can trust the Word of Christ. He has not only delivered your husband, father, and grandfather from trial in the past—including on the battlefield—but will continue to keep you safe in times that lie ahead.

There is another reason for our coming together today. While we give honor and praise to God for the blessings he extended to us through Deane during his earthly life, we also give thanks for the gift of life itself and the promise of eternal life.

As the centurion would say to his servant, “Come,” and he comes, so our heavenly Father said to Deane, “Come, and inherit the place I have prepared for you.” Deane, as a faithful Marine, heard the order and departed this earthly life to be with his Lord and Savior for all eternity. For this great gift, we say, Thanks be to God.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In a few moments the Chippewa Falls Patriotic Council will conduct Military honors. I normally don’t do this, but because it is for your husband and father, I would like to say a few words regarding what you will witness.

Military Honors

The rendering of military honors is a way to show the nation’s deep gratitude to those who have served. The symbolism of this ritual, rifle volleys, taps, and folding of the flag, is ingrained with gratitude our nation has for Private First Class Flackey.

Three Rifle Volleys

This tradition comes from traditional battle ceasefires where each side would clear the fallen. The firing of three volleys indicated the fallen have been cleared and properly cared for.

Taps

24 notes. A melody both eloquent and haunting that elicits deep emotions when heard. Taps is played every day at all military installations. It is done at the end of the work day signifying “it is the end of day, you can rest now”. — It is proper to stand for Taps.

The first playing of Taps at a military funeral was in 1862. In 1891 it was decreed that Taps formally become a mandatory part of military funeral ceremonies.

13 Folds of the Flag

The folds are ingrained in symbolism. I encourage you to google them this evening to understand what each fold means. For example, the First Fold is the symbol of Life and the Second Fold symbolizes our belief in Eternal Life. It goes on from there, with the final two Folds representing an emblem of eternity in the eyes of the Christian, and belief in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the Final fold represents our Nation’s motto, “In God we trust.”

It takes 13 folds to properly fold our Nation’s Flag, which represent the original 13 colonies of our great Nation.

After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, you will note that only the blue and white will be showing. No red will show, symbolizing our Marine has no more blood to give for his country.

It has the appearance of cocked hat, ever reminding us of the military personnel who served under Gen. George Washington, the sailors and Marines who served under Capt. John Paul Jones, and were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the U.S. Armed Forces, preserving for us the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today.

Your husband and Dad is a faithful Marine, and I’m sure he would appreciate this brief explanation so you will know what is happening and why.

Sempre Fi, Marine!