+ Donald A. Flugge +

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

Donald Flugge was not what you might call an “easy to get along with” person. He liked to argue, about pretty much anything. He had his ideas and his opinions, and he enjoyed verbal sparring with anyone who would come out and sit and talk with him. I once spent three hours in his living room, arguing with him, and and the end of it, we got up, laughed about the whole thing, and I went home. Once Don's mind was made up about something, come hell or high water, you were not going to change it.

In many ways that tenacious quality of Don's personality may have been a source of annoyance or frustration to his family and friends. But there is one place in which that tenacity served Don well, and which would serve us well in his memory. Don was stalwart in his profession of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Through the ups and downs, through the good days and the bad days, Don knew that his Redeemer lives and that the Lord's promises to him held true, no matter what. It is this that brought today's Scripture readings to my mind.

The voice said, Cry.
And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh is grass,
and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 the grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it:
surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (Is. 40:6-8)

Don was a great lover of nature. He had his woods down in Lucas County, and he was fond of the trees, plants, and animals on his acreage here near Elma. And I am sure that he would readily affirm the way that the things of this world have in coming and going.

The grass grows and the flowers bloom in the spring. The fruits of the earth come forth in the summertime. And then comes harvest in the fall, and the death and dormancy of winter. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth.” At this time of year, we are anxious to see the return of spring and the new growth of this year. But even in the midst of springtime growth and joy, we know that a time will come when those newly-budded flowers will fade and fall, and the bright young leaves will blow off the trees, and snow will cover the much-anticipated green grass.

And so it is with mankind also. “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field,” declares the Lord. As soon as a person is conceived in his mother's womb, he begins dying. Skin cells are sloughed off in the amniotic sac. Throughout our lives, we are in the midst of death all our days. Our flesh is grass, and it is just as fragile. The beauty, the strength, the vigor of the human body is fleeting and transitory, having its time and season, just like every flower of the field and tree of the forest.

The Lord appoints the boundaries of each life, and Don knew that his life had its boundaries fixed. He knew that he needed to enjoy the time he had, and perhaps that is why he spent so much time doing what he enjoyed, experiencing the joys of nature which he cherished. But Don also knew that death was the wages of sin, and that death comes for all mankind.

The wages of sin is death, and we have all inherited the sin of our forebears Adam and Eve. We live with that terminal condition in this body and life. Each of you lives with the frailness and fragility brought about by your particular circumstances, but you share the same mortality of all humanity. Death comes to all upon this earth.

“But the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Although Don experienced many ups and downs in his life, he knew and confessed this truth. The Word of the Lord endures forever. What God says, is truth. There is nothing Don, or you or I, or anyone else, can do to change that.

The Lord says that you, O Man are a poor, miserable sinner. You have failed to live up to the standard of divine Law. And for this transgression, you deserve nothing but wrath and punishment. Don knew this, and freely admitted that he was an imperfect man, fatally flawed in many ways and subject to God's Law.

However, Don trusted in the Word of the Lord to him. He trusted that the Word of the Lord endures forever. He trusted that what God says, He does. He trusted that God does not lie. He trusted that the Word of Christ is true when He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

Don knew the voice of his Shepherd, because it was the same voice who, all those years ago, had called Don to faith in Jesus Christ. It was the same voice who had called down out of heaven, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It was the same voice who, upon speaking those words, proclaimed, “You are My beloved son; in you I am well pleased.”

Don was not a perfect man, but he was a son of God, washed in the water and cleansed by the Blood of Jesus shed for the forgiveness of his sins. Though his mortal flesh may have withered and faded like grass, though his earthly goodliness and strength may have been blown away like a wilted flower, the Word of the Lord remained ever faithful and never changing. And no one could snatch Don out of the hand of our Lord. This is the faith we confess, and this is the truth in which Don now rests securely.

Whatever or whoever Donald Flugge may have been in this body and life, the fact nevertheless remains that the Word of our God stands forever. The cross of Christ stands forever, as the symbol and seal of the redemption and salvation which our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished once and for all upon Mount Calvary. His Word – “It is finished!” – remains forever true; He has completed all things necessary for us men and for our salvation.

Every man, woman, and child who lives upon this earth has his own set of sins, faults, and failings. Every one of us is irretrievably corrupted with sin, and is unfaithful to anything but his own sinful desires. But thanks be to God that even in the midst of your unfaithfulness and self-centeredness He is faithful and true. His Word stands forever. No one can snatch you out of His hand, nor bring a charge against God's elect.

The Lord knows your works, your tribulation, and your poverty – just as He knew the circumstances of Don's life. But the Lord declares to you, just as He did to the church in Smyrna, and as he declared to Don: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

The grass withers, the flower fades, flesh and blood fail. Moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. Kingdoms rise and governments fall. Men are born and men die. The faithful experience great joy, and great tribulation. But the Word of our God stands forever. The Word Incarnate has been raised from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. He stands forever, holding the little flock of God in His mighty right hand, and none shall ever be lost from them. We believe the forgiveness of sins that was spoken to Don is true, just as it is true when spoken to us. And we confess the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. This is the reward that the Lord brings with Him, the crown of life which the Lord places upon the heads of His saints.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings,
lift up thy voice with strength;
lift it up, be not afraid;
say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Behold your God! Be not afraid! Lift up your voice with strength, and rejoice in the God of our salvation! Proclaim to the world that in the very midst of death, we are among the living. Don is dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ.

We mourn those who have died in the flesh because they are no longer with us in this life. However, we do not mourn as those who have no hope. For we know that though the flesh withers and fades, all things shall be made new when our Lord God comes again and raises the living and the dead and grants us all entrance into the kingdom prepared for the Lord's saints.

Our Lord Christ was faithful unto death, so that He might give to His saints – to Don – the crown of life. Our flesh withers, our life fails, but the Word of our God stands forever. And we believe that we shall stand with Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, worshiping around the throne of God forever.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.