Funeral Sermon for Mr. William Carl Heiden
February 3, 1967
by Rev. Don F. Thomas

Last Tuesday evening when my wife called me in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and told me that Mr. Heiden had died, I said to her that I was sorry to hear the news, but thought that it was a blessing that God had now quietly called this man home to him.

Yesterday evening, when I spent a little time with his family and friends, in the Funeral Home, I noticed among all of the visiting and conversation that same undertone of thought, that this was indeed a blessing. Oh yes, there were the tears and expressions of sorrow as there should be, but above all this there was a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude that this man of God had now received what he, for a long time, had hoped for.

As I was flying back yesterday afternoon, high above the clouds with the beauty of the sun shining on them from above, it impressed me how peaceful and serene everything looked below, as though God had put his hand over the world and suddenly hushed its cries of anguish, sorrow and pain.

And then I thought about the life of Mr. Heiden, how God had, through 92 years, rested his hand upon his life and been with him in his heartaches and pain, joys and sorrows, and in everything he did. It was because of the life he lived and his relationship to his Heavenly Father that I thought of no better text to use for this service than those words of St. Paul recorded in the 4th Chapter of 11 Timothy, verses 7 and 8:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 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.”

Those words portray the faith of a man who knew what it was to live in the Lord and to “fight the good fight of faith.” Life for him wasn’t easy and calm as he might have liked it to be. In many instances it was like a real battle, a battle against hardships and heartaches, sorrows and losses, temptations and doubts, and all the evil assaults of the devil and the world. In the midst of all this Paul gives thanks that he hadn’t fallen by the wayside, but had finished the race and kept the faith. Now he was ready to receive that crown of righteousness which God has promised to award him.

The Mr. Heiden that I knew had that kind of experience as expressed in the words and life of St. Paul. In my ministry to him I learned to appreciate not only his kind and gentle attitude toward life, but also the depth of his faith. Often when I would visit with him (and I can still hear his words, “Oh, Reverend, how glad I am to see you!”) he would relate to me, how as a young person, he had learned the Catechism in German and how difficult it was because he spoke one kind of German and the pastor another. He also told me how, when lying upon the couch or his bed or sitting in his chair by the window smoking his pipe, he would repeat those words which he had learned such a long time before.

These things he told me, not to impress me with his memory or to boast of his religion, but rather because it meant something to him. I only wish that some of our young people today, even his grandchildren, could realize what even their catechism can mean to them in their later life.

There is something else that always impressed me about my pastoral visits with Mr. Heiden and it was this, how eagerly he looked forward to the Lord’s Supper. Just a couple of weeks ago when I administered it to him for the last time and when he could hardly talk, I could still see his lips move as, by memory, he repeated the service with me. After each Communion he would grasp my hand and say sincerely, “Thanks, so much.”

In telling you all these things, I don’t mean to dwell upon the life of a man whom we all knew and loved, as though he were an exceptional individual and like unto no other. No, he was simply and honestly, a man of faith. The reason I am sharing these things with you is this, so frequently we take our faith and our relationship with God for granted. Very carefully we avoid talking about it or living it in a day-to-day experience. For many it is a superficial thing with no real depth or meaning. They can either take it or leave it and life will still go on.

For those of us who knew Mr. Heiden, this wasn’t the case. He, like St. Paul, could speak in the first person, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” I have been able to do all this because I have known the Lord and he has given me his power.

Several Sunday mornings ago at the early service I had the privilege of baptizing a little baby. It was brought home to me again, that in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism the pastor expresses the Christian hope that this baby, who, at the beginning of his life has just received the Spirit of adoption, will be brought finally to “receive the fullness of God’s promise in his eternal kingdom.” In other words, in Baptism, at the beginning of life, we are already talking about death, we are acknowledging that all of us must look hopefully to death because as Christians we know that then God will be able to give us far more than we have or receive in this present life, however long and full it may be.

In the service this afternoon we are talking about a man, who, unlike the baby baptized, was at the other end of life after 92 years of living, and who finally “received the fullness of God’s promise in his eternal kingdom”, mentioned in the Baptismal service. In our text Paul calls it a “crown of righteousness.”

Because of Jesus’ victory over the grave, all of us can have this same kind of hope. He, who himself rose to a glorified life, says, “Because I live, you shall live also.” Heaven and earth may pass away, but his word, his promise of eternal life, will not pass away. This isn’t just a glorified “fairy tale.” It is fact and it can also be a part of my life too, if I believe and live in Him.

In conclusion let me say this. There will be no more cribbage or euchre games with Mr. Heiden because he has finished his great game of life on earth. He has fought the good fight and finished the race. And he has kept the faith. But we still have ours to play and our race to run. Let us earnestly hope and pray that at the end of our lives, no matter how long or short it may be, we can also say along with St. Paul and Mr. Heiden and all other men of faith:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Amen.