JACK BOYD SHALL RECEIVE A CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
In
the name + of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul wrote these words from a prison cell in Rome. He knew that his life was about to come to an end. Let me correct that. He knew his time on earth was about to come to an end. His life was not about to end. Instead, he was about to enter life in the glories of heaven, a life which does not know suffering or sorrow.
St. Paul described his death this way, “I am already being poured out as a
drink offering” (2 Timothy 4:6). A drink offering would either be
poured out onto the Lord’s altar or onto the ground. Once it was poured out, you could not get it
back. That is like our time in this
world. Day after day is poured out. Once it is in the past, we do not get it
back. Jack Boyd lived a long life—over
90 years! Over the course of those
years, he saw the lives of many loved ones poured out and emptied. He had to bid farewell to his parents and
three siblings. By age 90, he would have
bid farewell to many friends, too. Once
they were in the past, he could not get them back. And now Jack’s life has been poured out. His departure from this world has come. Life here is short. Even a life of 90 years feels short once the
final drops are drained out.
That’s not to say Jack’s life was meaningless. Family and friends have fond memories of
him. He was active with golf, bowling,
skiing, and camping trips to Burt Lake.
A stroke may have taken away his independence, but it did not rob him of
his personality. He enjoyed interacting
with other residents in his facility. I
think half the time I went to visit him, he was not in his room. In his younger years, he served his country
in Korea. He never shared any war
stories with me, but maybe that is just as well. Who knows how many people he met and how many
connections he made as a barber? But no
matter how full that life was, it has been poured out now.
But like St. Paul, Jack Boyd had something better to look forward
to. Life on this earth has been poured
out, never to be retrieved again. But
life in the kingdom of God does not have an end date. St. Paul confessed what he looked forward to,
and it is what we get to look forward to as believers in Jesus Christ. “Henceforth there is laid up for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who
have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
The Lord has laid up for Jack Boyd the
crown of righteousness. But as St. Paul
acknowledged, this crown is not earned; it is given. For there is no one on earth who has been
righteous. Jack Boyd may have been
active, productive, and entertaining, but he was not holy. He confessed that regularly throughout his
life, so we do not dishonor him by acknowledging that now.
Jack did not go to church to be praised
for being a good man. Jack went to
church because he loved that the Lord sent a Savior for him. He loved Jesus’ appearing. For, Jesus Christ who is the only man who has
ever perfectly obeyed all that God has commanded. Therefore, Jesus is the righteous judge. But Jesus does not only demand righteousness,
he also supplies it. Jack was baptized
into the name of Jesus where he was clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. He heard words of absolution which forgave
him of all sins. He went to holy
communion where he feasted on the living body and blood of Jesus. In this way, Jack received a full pardon for
all his sins and the righteousness that God demands.
Before God, Jack was a righteous man,
although it did not always look like it.
For Jack, it probably did not always feel like it. It is hard to see anything righteous about a
stroke. As he grew older and more frail,
he may have wondered if God’s favor was still upon him. Whenever we endure hardships or loss, we
wonder if God is punishing us for something we did. But God’s favor is not made evident by
appearances or by feelings. God’s favor
is revealed in his word. And what does
God say? He says, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). The
Lord Jesus showed his favor upon Jack by bringing him into the saving faith. God’s favor continued as he sustained Jack in
the saving faith. And now the Lord Jesus
gives Jack the reward for the faith he had given him. Jack Boyd will receive the crown of life.
The crown of righteousness God has pledged
to Jack Boyd will not be seen by us until the resurrection on the Last Day. He did not look glorious after suffering a
stroke. He did not look glorious in his
final years in a wheelchair. He
certainly does not look glorious now—ashes to ashes, dust to dust. But this is the promise: “Henceforth there is laid up for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who
have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
The Savior
bore the curse of God to deliver Jack from the sting of death. The Savior wore a crown of thorns to secure
for Jack the crown of life. Jesus
poured out his life completely to atone for every sin of every sinner. The Savior who died for his sins also rose from the dead. So, Jesus lives and reigns over sin because
he has taken them away. Therefore, his
righteous judgment is forgiveness. Jesus
lives and reigns over death because he has overpowered the grave. Therefore, his judgment on the righteous is
the resurrection to everlasting glory. Since
Jack was baptized into Jesus, Jesus makes him a victor over sin and death.
Jack Boyd will receive the crown of righteousness. When Jesus appears again in glory on the Last
Day, Jack will appear with him and with
all the saints who will be dressed in robes of righteousness and wearing crowns
of glory. All the saints will be wearing
crowns because we will be living and reigning with Jesus. For, death does not get the last word.
Jesus does. Jesus is the
righteous judge whose word is stronger than death.
Jack Boyd’s life has been poured out like a drink offering. His time on earth is done. He has fought the good fight. He has finished the race. He has kept the faith. So, now his body will rest until Jesus comes again. Then this body which has been redeemed by Jesus will be raised and glorified by Jesus. Jack Boyd will receive the crown of life, of glory, and of righteousness. Since Jack belongs to Jesus, he will reign with him in eternal life, endless glory, and perfect righteousness.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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