Sermon at the military funeral of Luke James Worsley

‘But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1Corinthians 15:57).

One thing is sure, death is no small matter. Not when it comes to the elderly; not when it comes from sickness; not when it comes by accident; but especially not when it comes to a man in the very prime of life, doing his duty to the nation for the sake of a people in a foreign land.

Luke Worsley thought carefully about the people of Afghanistan. He told his parents that he hoped that one day they would have the same freedom as we enjoy, and he expressed his care for those amongst whom he served. This is a spirit we look for amongst Australian service man and women. In that spirit they serve our nation, and we are both grateful and proud.

Luke was a compassionate soldier; the manner of his death showed that he was a brave soldier as well. Of course he was not a perfect man; he had his failures like the rest of us. But his death is no small matter.

Death never is. Death leaves a hole in the heart of those who love us best. In the case of someone like Luke we ask why it should happen. In one way we know the answer: he was obeying his calling, and he was doing what was right, dangerous as it was, and he was doing it that others may be free.

In the prime of life, he gave his life, in a way that few of us would think of doing. This Cathedral contains precious memorials which relate us to Gallipoli and to Changi, and here we specially pray each Anzac for our people serving abroad.  We are so grateful – we are so proud - that Luke was in that tradition. That is who he was. 

But we also ask why there is death at all, and we ask where is he now, and will we see him again. We ask about our own death. We hear that the Bible says that after death comes God’s judgment on our lives, and we rightly fear what that judgement may be. Death is our big defeat, and sooner or later it will bring us down.

That is why we have a service like this in church. We hear about Luke and remember him. We are allowed to grieve and sorrow. We speak about him and thank God for him. But in the end we need more than this. We need to bring the raw fact of death before God; we need to lay it before him; we need to ask him our questions; we need to hear what he has to say about it. We need to listen to God.

God explains death in the Bible. It was never his intention that the end of our earthly life should be the awful thing that it is. But death is what happens when evil is let loose in the world. That is why it hurts so much. That is why we fear it.

God takes death seriously. He knows how bad it is. In the Bible he calls death ‘the last enemy’. He says that death has a sting, like the poisonous sting of an insect. Sin is the toxin which helps death to be so bad. Death is the enemy of the human race, but it is an enemy which we cannot defeat. It would take God to beat death.

The same part of the Bible that tells us that death is ‘the last enemy’, also tells us that God has beaten it. Listen.

There is a brilliant future. There is a hope which the Bible calls the kingdom of Heaven. We were designed to be part of that brilliant future. We were designed to last forever, to be immortal. Not in the bodies we have now: flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We will need to be changed, to be given new bodies, a new person fit for eternal life. The Bible says: ‘Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.’

How is this so? How has God arranged this? ‘The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Victory over death. Victory over evil. Victory over suffering. How? Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We could not beat evil and death. But God did. He sent his Son, Jesus into the world. He died – yes God understands the pain of death - by crucifixion. But his death had a special, secret power. The Bible says that he suffered death so that we may be forgiven and not fear judgement. He died for us.

Then, three days after he died, he rose again from the dead, he left his grave alive and lives for ever. He does not live as a mere ghost, he lives in the marvellous new body which God has given him. He lives as the greatest leader it is possible for any of us to have. If he is your leader, you need have no fear for your present, or your future, or of death itself. Your old body may be placed in the ground. God has a new body like that of Jesus ready for you.

That is why Jesus told his friends that he left them on earth to go and prepare place for them. And he told them that he himself was the way to God, the way and the truth and the life. The Bible says that all our lives are in the hand of God, and that our times are in his hand. To us it is awful and mysterious that such a young man should have died. We can only begin to imagine how deeply his family feels this loss. But Luke’s Parents chose special Bible passages for us today, and they want us to hear what God says: ‘for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.’ We can trust God that he will choose the right time for us, just as, although we don’t know why, he has chosen right for Luke.

I believe that these are things that Luke knew about and understood. He had read his Bible and he had learned its message. I believe that he knew that Jesus Christ promises victory over death, and the new life in the kingdom of God. We should leave him in the hands of our good God. Those who loved him most can now rest on this great promise from the Bible: ‘the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’ And why this peace? Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Latest articles in archbishop jensen - latest articles
- How to share real hope - 1 month ago
- Are you the neighbour from heaven? - 3 months, 1 week ago
- Marriage: the unique union - 3 months, 2 weeks ago