Dear Debbie and Steve, Brandon, Nicole and Pat. Today is a day set aside as a memorial day for your father, grandfather and friend. We mark this day to remember Howard’s passing from this life on earth to glory in heaven. Howard has now received the object of his faith, of his trust. He now has what he had hoped for, eternal life with Christ his savior.
Sometimes when someone dies people want to talk of angels. They speak of there being a 'new angel' in heaven. I don’t think Howard would have approved of that. When you look at the library he had, of the resources he used to study God's word with, he knew too much of holy scripture to buy into such talk.
Angels, scripture tells, long to know what Howard knew. Angels don’t know about what Howard knew and lived with everyday, faith. Angels aren’t made from humans who’ve died. They’re not made to bear the image of God as we are. They are created beings, as we are, but they’re not made of the same stuff. They’re not made of earth and dust; and of the breath of God breathing life as we know it into them. Angels, 1 Peter tells us, can only wonder at what Howard knew and lived. Angels know nothing of faith or hope. Howard did. Howard had faith, but he doesn’t any longer. And we’ll come back to that in a moment but first remember this.
It isn’t Howard’s faith that we take comfort in – your comfort, our comfort, is in Who Howard had faith in. Faith, you see, must have an object, faith must have a ‘something’ that its directed towards. It’s like sitting down in a chair; you can look at the chair, study the chair and know all about the chair, but you only demonstrate that you have faith in the chair when you sit yourself down in the chair. You have to trust what you have faith in.
And Howard put his faith, his trust, in the person of Jesus. Now faith in any thing will always leave you cold. Faith in another person like yourself, will always have some level of disappointment. But faith in Jesus, the Son of God Who died the death that we each should die for turning against God; Faith in Jesus never fails. Jesus is the one, the first born of the dead, who overcame death through rising again to new life. Faith in Him will never leave you cold.
The reading from 1st Peter today speaking of Jesus says, "8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Howard would want you to know that, to know what he knew, that the salvation of your soul through trust in Jesus Christ brings you ‘an inexpressible and glorious joy.’ But he’s departed this earthly life for the new life in Christ that is something he now has possession of, the goal of his faith, the salvation of his soul. Howard no longer has faith, as we spoke of. He doesn’t need it anymore because he now possess the new life in Christ that he trusted in Jesus for.
Debbie tells me that Howard’s favorite verse was Romans 1:16 which reads"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." There it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who… believes. That ‘believes’ is the trust, the faith, that Howard possessed in such abundance, by God's power and grace.
And Howard lived out his faith. That is, he took the power of God that was given to him and he acted on what he believed. In the two years or so that I got to know him, I could see his faith in action. As the power of speech was taken from him before he came here he had to write or e-mail to communicate… or he could act. And act on faith he did.
He was not content to sit back and simply bide his time in the faith he possessed. No, his faith motivated him to actions. And his actions will always serve as a reminder to me that you are never retired from putting your faith into deeds. You are never too hobbled by the circumstance in your life to stop expressing your trust in Christ, by how you live your life. On his red scooter, he would make his way around Folsom and involve himself where he could in his family and here at church.
I remember him coming here by himself in the middle of the week, and he would bring his weed killer and drive around the sidewalks and parking lot spraying the weeds to improve the grounds here. He did other things here also. The point is, he didn’t wait to be asked, he saw what needed done and he did it. Faith in action does that. It puts into deeds what needs to be done for the benefit of others.
I’m told that at his church in Riverside his pastor there described Howard as an encourager. That’s easy to see. His faithfulness and the presence of his smiling, twinkling eyes, will always be an encouragement to me as well. He lived on earth in the power that God gave him through faith. His favorite bible verse tells us that he desired others to have that same power from God that comes through trust in Jesus Christ. Because that is the power of God for the salvation that Howard now lives in. And that he does, in the powerful name of Jesus, amen.