A Character Unto Eternity
By Larry Beane
[Note: I had the bittersweet privilege to preach this sermon today at the funeral of my beloved parishioner and dear friend, John Ryan. All of the Lord's sheep are unique, but some are quite outside the bell curve. John will be sorely missed, and I join many other Christian brothers and sisters who look forward to seeing John again in eternity! + LB]
Sermon: Funeral of John Timothy Ryan
[Note: I had the bittersweet privilege to preach this sermon today at the funeral of my beloved parishioner and dear friend, John Ryan. All of the Lord's sheep are unique, but some are quite outside the bell curve. John will be sorely missed, and I join many other Christian brothers and sisters who look forward to seeing John again in eternity! + LB]
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| John Ryan and Rev. Larry Beane after John's baptism, July 23, 2010 |
13 May 2012 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA
Text: John 10:10b-15, 27-30 (Rev 21:1-7, 1 Cor 15:51-57)
In the name of + Jesus.
Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Dear Mary, Denny, Tammy, Tracy, relatives and friends,
brothers and sisters in Christ, honored guests: “Peace be with you!” These are the first words spoken to the
disciples by the risen Lord Jesus, announcing His victory over death, and
comforting them in their mourning.
Again, “Peace be with you!”
When I would tell people that I was John Ryan’s pastor, they
would smile and say: “John’s a character.”
I would smile back, and agree with them.
Indeed, John is a character – right out of the parables of Jesus: a true
example of the unexpected grace of God.
The first time I met John, he tried to shock me with an
off-color joke. He didn’t shock me
then. I gave it right back at him, and
we became good friends. But John did
shock me when after a few months, without nagging or prodding, this 68-year old
retired chief petty officer of the Navy Seals asked me to baptize him.
For that’s what is truly and joyfully shocking: God’s sudden
grace, mercifully answered prayers, the unexpected call of the Holy Spirit, and
John’s faithfulness even in this cynical and faithless world.
In being baptized nearly seven decades into physical life,
John became a character out of the Lord’s parable of the workers, in which
those who labored in the fields for a single hour, by the master’s mercy and
kindness, were paid as much as those who labored all day long.
“The first will be last, and the last will be first,” says
our Lord. John is that character.
“The sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me,” says our Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd Himself. John is a character in this metaphor, hearing
the voice of His Good Shepherd, who promises: “I give them eternal life, and
they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” For “I nothing lack if I am His, And He is mine
forever.”
John is also that character.
St. Paul wrote: “I know how to be brought low, and I know
how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of
facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who
strengthens me.”
John is also that character, who knew the glory of world
travel and the humility of being wheelchair-bound. John knew what it was to golf with admirals
and to be attended by healthcare nurses.
He knew what it was to be in faraway places and he knew what it was to
be unable to get out of bed.
And it was indeed Christ who strengthened him in his own
time of struggle and trial.
John is indeed a character!
And we honor Chief John T. Ryan’s courage and service to his
country, rightfully so. For in this world,
honor is earned. The Navy’s motto “non
sibi sed patriae” – “not for self but for country” calls to mind our Lord’s
words that the greatest love is demonstrated by those who lay down their lives
for their friends. But John Ryan has
another country, not a republic but a kingdom, governed not by a president but
rather ruled a King, Jesus Christ. And
this King comes not to be served but to serve.
In this country, honor is freely given and cannot be earned. In this country, the King bleeds and the
church militant reaps the reward.
John Ryan is also that character.
For ultimately, dear friends, as much as we love and admire
John, this isn’t about John. Like all of
us, John was a sinner in need of a Savior.
And thanks be to God that in response to prayers, in answer to the work
of the Holy Spirit, by means of the grace of God and the atoning work of Jesus
Christ our Lord at the cross, John Ryan is one of the redeemed in eternity. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with
man…. He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor
crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Blessed John Ryan is also that character!
And today, we are the ones who mourn – not John. We are the ones in the church militant,
continuing to wage war against the forces of evil: the world, the devil, and
our own fallen flesh. But John is today
part of the church triumphant, no more to be a warrior, but rather to be the
eternal victor by means of Him who won the victory for us at the bloody cross
and the empty tomb.
It is okay to mourn.
Of course, physical separation from our beloved John is painful. But again, as St. Paul teaches, we do “not
grieve as others do who have no hope.”
For John is now reaping the peace dividend of Christ’s victory, and we
can pray with John and with all the saints of every time and place: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
John is that character as well.
It was a military man who confessed at the Lord’s crucifixion:
“This man is truly the Son of God.” It
was also a centurion who said: “I am also a man under orders.” John Ryan understood that he was under the
orders and command of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He knew it and confessed it like the biblical
soldiers who saw Jesus.
John is that character also.
As is fitting for a man who retired from the Navy after a
long life of honorable service in the water, it was good, right, and salutary that
John should have gotten this victory over death through water, in the honorable
service of Holy Baptism. It was my honor
on July 23, 2010 to bring John the gift of Holy Baptism, walking with him “where
streams of living water flow,” John’s “ransomed soul He leadeth.” It was always my privilege to bring the Holy
Supper to John, “where verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feedeth.”
John Ryan is that character, the sheep led by the Shepherd,
the lamb redeemed by the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Like every Christian of every time, John is
the character of the child of God redeemed by the Lord’s water-borne grace,
mercy, and love – even unto the resurrection of the body and the life
everlasting.
Indeed, dear brothers and sisters, dear fellow baptized and
redeemed, we can join John Ryan in all eternity in singing:
Death, you cannot end
my gladness:
I am baptized into
Christ!
When I die, I leave
all sadness
To inherit paradise!
Though I lie in dust
and ashes
Faith’s assurance
brightly flashes:
Baptism has the
strength divine
To make life immortal
mine.
There is nothing worth
comparing
To this life-long
comfort sure!
Open-eyed my grave is
staring:
Even there I’ll sleep
secure.
Though my flesh awaits
its raising,
Still my soul
continues praising:
I am baptized into
Christ;
I’m a child of
paradise!
John Ryan is that character! Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.