Here is the sermon I mentioned earlier...

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17 St. Matthew 5:1-12

A Far, Far Better Place

In his classic tale of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles
Dickens' unfortunate character, Sydney Carton, ascended the steps to the
Guillotine in the place of Charles Darnay with the words of our Lord on his
lips. "I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth
in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and
believeth in Me shall never die." These words form the foundation upon which
he based his final spoken conviction: "It is a far, far better thing that I
do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I
have ever known".

Carton's statement of faith echoes the words of St. Paul in his Epistle to
the Philippians. "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I
live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labour; yet what I shall
choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire
to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." Later, as he neared the
end of his fruit filled life, the Apostle wrote to his beloved son in the
Lord, St. Timothy. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that
Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." Like
Carton, St. Paul's simple faith in the substitutionary death of Christ on
his behalf formed the foundation upon which he based his firm conviction
that death was not an enemy to be feared, but rather an ally and a doorway
through which he would be ushered into a place far better than that which he
left behind.

John Donne, an Anglican Priest and Poet, wrote much about death and dying.
Many have thought him to have been obsessed with the subject as he seemed to
examine it from every angle, recording it, analysing it and challenging it
(Schmidt). And yet, he founded his source of victory over it upon the mercy
and grace of the God He faithfully served.

A recent film about a woman battling against 4th stage ovarian cancer (Wit,
starring none other than the great Emma Thompson) was based upon one of
Donne's most famous Holy Sonnets.

"Death be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so,

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From pleasure, than from thee, much more must flow,

And sooner our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and souls delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well,

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die."

These words, like Carton's, echo the Apostle Paul's words to the
Corinthians. "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but
shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this
corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is
swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is
your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the
law. But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ."

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John we gain a glimpse of the
blessed state of the saints who have gone before. Note the peace and the joy
depicted in the scene.they stand, arrayed in white robes with palm branches
in their hands as they cry out the triumphant praises of God. "Salvation
belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" This jubilant
multitude is described as those who are before the throne of God, and who
serve Him day and night in His temple. And He Who sits upon the throne
dwells among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the
sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb Who is in the midst of
the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Is it any wonder then that St. Paul spoke of his decease with a sense of
excitement rather than foreboding? To live is Christ, but to die as a
believer in Christ is gain! How unlike the thought of the world to whom
death is an unspeakable horror.

Death for the Christian is but a transitional phase. It merely strips away
the mortal and ushers us into the next room of the one great mansion which
houses all of God's elect children. According to Hebrews 12:22-23 those who
are in Christ have already come to Mount Zion and to the city of the Living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the
general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven.

If ever you have had the privilege to be with a believer as they passed from
this life to the next, you will have noticed that they may have referred to
deceased members as if they were present. They may even have addressed them
or claimed to have seen them. Many doctors will tell you that they are
hallucinating, but that is simply not true. As they progress towards the
next life.as they stand poised on the threshold of the doorway into the
adjoining room of God's one great household.their spiritual eyes become
accustomed to that which has always been there.just one breath away.in
another (yet no less real) dimension.

Indeed the Ancient Church has always known this to be true. At the Holy
Table of our Lord we categorically state that together with Angels and
Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify our Lord
's glorious Name, evermore praising Him. Here at the Heavenly Banquet Table
the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant regularly meet in one another'
s presence. As they are with the Lord, so too are we as we lift our hearts
up unto Him and are spiritually transported before His throne to join in the
heavenly worship service.

Is this not comforting, dearest beloved brethren? Death cannot part us as we
remain one in Christ. Death cannot defeat us, as Christ has defeated death
(cf. Hebrews 2:14-15).

John Donne stated this so eloquently in one of his devotions: "As death is
the wages of sin it is due to me; as death is the end of sickness it belongs
to me; and though so disobedient a servant as I may be afraid to die, yet to
so merciful a master as thou I cannot be afraid to come; and therefore into
Thy hands, O my God, I commend my spirit, a surrender which I know Thou wilt
accept, whether I live or die."

This evening and indeed tomorrow, we remember those who constitute the
Church Triumphant.all saints that have gone before. But we do not pity nor
pray for them. No, their rest is won. Rather they may pity us and pray for
us as we, the Church Militant, continue striving against the flesh, the
world and the devil, so that we might live for Christ and serve Christ. They
are in a far, far better place, a place we do share at present and are also
yet to enter fully.

© Johann W. Vanderbijl III 2003