This sermon was preached at Lester Haas’ funeral, which was on January 19th, 2012.
Sermon Text:Isaiah 43:27-31
For some, no grander sight exists in the entire world than that of an eagle in flight. As they watch that majestic bird soar, strong and free, it lifts their spirits and emboldens their hearts. In our Old Testament reading, when our heavenly Father spoke to the people of Israel, that’s the picture He wanted them to see.
The Israelites were weary, for they had lost their homes and homeland. Their spirits were low. That’s why an eagle soaring in flight was such an encouraging picture for them. That’s why an eagle soaring in flight is such an encouraging picture for you, as you mourn the loss of Lester, your husband, father, grandfather, or great-grandfather.
God enables us, by faith in Christ Jesus, to soar as on eagles’ wings. But before we can soar heavenward like eagles, the unhappy reality is that we live life in a world stained by sin. This often leaves us tired, weary, weak, and stumbling. In the last year, since the car accident, Lester had been tired, weary, weak, and stumbling. Even on agreeable days he would look tired.
Life is not always a picture of beauty. Young men grow old, as did Lester. Energetic people lose their stamina. Healthy people lose their vitality. Graceful people stumble and fall. We even saw Lester live some of that out in his final days, even though his heart attack still took us by surprise.
Yes, when we feel the snags of life in this fallen world, like the Israelites, we let them disappoint, discourage, and defeat us. Although we sometimes forget God’s promise of deliverance, He never forgets us. Thank God for that!
Many of us have seen pictures of an eagle’s nest. It’s enormous and awe-inspiring, majestically perched high in the branches of a tree or the crag of a cliff. But few of us have ever had a glimpse inside a nest.
Those who study eagles have learned that when a mother eagle builds her nest, she starts with thorns, broken branches, sharp rocks, and other seemingly unsuitable items. But then the mother eagle changes her building material. She finds feathers, fur, and other soft materials to ring the inner part of the nest. This makes the nest a comfortable place for her hatchlings.
Ironically, when the young birds are ready to fly, the comfort of the nest makes them reluctant to leave. So the mother eagle has to get stern. With her strong talons, she begins to remove the soft materials, allowing the sharp objects to poke her young. More and more bedding gets plucked away and removed. The nest, which was, at first, a comfortable home, now becomes increasingly uncomfortable. But that’s how a young eagle becomes ready to leave home and soar to a new home in a higher place.
With tender words, Isaiah reminds us that God does something similar to us. He uses weariness, weakness, and tiredness to remind us that our home is not here, but with Him in eternity. Our heavenly Father wants us to look forward to an eternity with Him. Of course, we don’t rush God on this. Instead, we live faithful lives as God’s people, shining the light of Christ to others around us.
Lester did that in his own quirky way. If you didn’t know Lester, you might even think he could be a dirty old man by some of his jokes. If you didn’t know Lester, and happened to see him in a moment of short-temperedness, you’d get the wrong idea about him.
But I would watch Lester. He would say some joke about flirting with the ladies, and then he would always look at Phyllis. And you would see the love beaming in his eyes. Then and there you knew Lester was the world’s worst fibber. He couldn’t even say a racy joke without his love for Phyllis blazing through his words of bluster.
Lester didn’t have a death wish. But he told me that he was ready for eternity when God called him home. And I remember Lester receiving Jesus’ body and blood on Saturday, less than two days before God would call him home.
All of us are to be ready to leave our earthly homes to be carried in the arms of the angels to our eternal home. That is, after all, the beautiful paradise Jesus has prepared for us. That is, after all, where Lester is, where by faith, we too will follow.
One day, I’m told, a Kansas farmer had found a baby eagle in one of his fields. The eagle was weak and injured. So, the farmer took him home to nurse him back to health. Over the next few weeks, the young eagle improved. The farmer then housed him with the young chickens in his chicken coop.
As time passed, the eagle gained strength and stamina. But it was obvious the bird was becoming listless. The eagle began to lose his spark for life. Despite the farmer’s best plans, it looked as if the eagle would die.
But then the farmer got an idea. He put the eagle into his pickup truck and drove to Colorado. When he arrived at the eastern edge of the Rockies, the farmer carried the young bird into the foothills. The farmer held the eagle in his arms and pointed his head toward the mountaintops, where the wind was blowing. Another eagle cried out as it traced the currents of the mountain winds. A shudder coursed through the young eagle’s body, and he spread his wings.
A new strength surged through the bird. He leaped into the air, caught a strong current, and soared into the sky. With a tear of both sorrow and joy, the farmer listened as the eagle cried out what sounded like a word of farewell. The eagle then soared upward to become the bird he was destined to be.
Our heavenly Father has done that for us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life for you. He sent Jesus to die your death of sin. And He sent Jesus to rise from the grave of death. God did all this, so sin and death would no longer keep us broken and grounded.
By faith in Jesus, God lifts us as on wings of an eagle to the heights of heaven. That’s true for Lester, and by faith in Jesus, it’s also true for you. Our heavenly Father has done everything needed, so you can spend eternity in His joyous presence.
Charles Wesley said it well in the Easter hymn, “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” It goes like this.
Love’s redeeming work is done, fought the fight, the battle won. Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er; lo, He sets in blood no more. Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; Christ has burst the gates of hell. Death in vain forbids His rise; Christ has opened paradise. Lives again our glorious king! Where, O death, is now your sting? Once He died ourselves to save; where the victory, O grave? Soar we now where Christ has led; foll’wing our exalted Head. Made like Him, like Him we rise; ours the cross, the grave, the skies!
Today, take heart in Lester’s life and love. And, more than that, take heart in the strength of the Lord who lifts us on eagles’ wings and loves us eternally! Amen.
