Vernon Matthias - NetINS Showcase

A Sermon in Loving Memory of
Vernon August Matthias
1912-2005
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.—John 15:5
Dear Friends, Relatives, Family, and especially you, Virgil, Charles, Gary, and Susan—his
dear children:
On Thursday, August 25 th , at 10:31 a.m., all the angels in heaven and even God Himself,
were rejoicing at the death of a saint (Psalm 116:15).
It has been said that the early years are the most important years of a person’s life—and I
must admit that I agree, especially after getting to know Vernon over the past year and a half. What
a great blessing to see the fruit of Vernon’s childhood and, in turn, to see the bearing of fruit from
you, his children, and his grandchildren and his great grandchildren AND his great-greatgrandchildren!
This morning, I would like to remind all of you of these important words from Jesus where
He says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear
much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” These words are the same words that Vernon
knew very well following his confirmation—only they were in German! You see, as a young man,
Vernon was taught the faith in German. Now this would seem fairly insignificant to all of us who,
though we come from a German heritage, cannot speak an ounce of German—including myself.
However, one of the things that intrigued me the most was the fact that as Vernon’s ability to
communicate gradually declined over the course of the past three weeks, he reverted back to the
German. He didn’t speak everything in German, but he spoke in German that which had been
ingrained in him as a child through repetition—the Lord’s Prayer.
Who knows how many times Vernon said the Lord’s Prayer in German over the course of his
childhood—only God knows. Whether he knew it or not, Vernon was preparing for death—or
should I say, Vernon was preparing for life! God plants His Seed, which is the Word of Christ, into
the hearts of children, and He planted that Seed in Vernon’s heart when he was a child. Perhaps it
was while Vernon was still in the womb that the Word of Christ first penetrated those newly-formed
eardrums, hearing his mom and dad pray the Lord’s Prayer—who knows. This we do know, that
Word of Christ that was heard and spoken over and over again by Vernon became a part of him so
much that it rolled off his tongue effortlessly at life’s end.
Vernon also heard the Word of Christ when it was spoken at his baptism on November 11 th ,
1912. More than 92 years later as Vernon’s earthly life was coming to a close, he would find a
simple reminder of that event when you, Virgil, read this short devotion: Those who are “born
again” [baptized] in the Lord Jesus Christ have been promised a living hope through His
resurrection from the dead. So if you want to smile through your tears, if you want to rejoice
through times of suffering, just keep reminding yourself that, as a Christian, what you’re going
through isn’t the end of the story… it’s simply the rough journey that leads to the right destination.—
(Bedside Blessings, by Charles Swindol, p. 253).
Vernon was born again through baptism when he was less than a month old and it is then that
Vernon became a branch connected to the Vine. Christ chose him to be His own—as the text from
Isaiah says: But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed
you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine”
(Isaiah 43:1). Though, certainly Vernon experienced pain and suffering throughout his life, God had
planted His Seed in him. The Word of Christ that was spoken at his baptism, the Word of Christ that
was uttered over and over again in German in the Lord’s Prayer and the Church’s liturgy, became a

part of Vernon. That constant hearing of God’s Word is what produced much fruit and still is
producing fruit. As Christ, again, says, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in
Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. How is it that a man
remains in Christ? Did Vernon remain in Christ? Yes, he did! How did he do it? Well, it actually
wasn’t him, but it was God keeping him in Christ through His Word. The constant and repetitive
hearing and speaking of God’s Word over the course of 92 years from the time of his baptism, kept
Vernon connected to the true Vine—Jesus Christ—and the result? Just look around you.
It was a simple Seed sown in a child that was, in turn, sown in his children and in their
children and in their children, and on and on. The family tree is one that bears fruit for it is
connected to the Vine—Jesus Christ. As Christ says, a good tree bears good fruit. Now He wasn’t
necessarily speaking about a “family” tree, but it holds true—a good tree bears good fruit. And, we
must ask, how does the tree become good? The tree becomes good, NOT because it bears good fruit,
for the fruit comes only after the tree is made good. The tree becomes good through the spoken
Word of Christ. God spoke His Word at the creation of the world saying, Let there be… and when
God spoke His creative Word, the earth and all that is in it, even the stars and the sky came into
existence. And what did the LORD notice about His creation? As Moses records for us in Genesis
chapter one: He saw that it was good. So too, God speaks His creative Word in Holy Baptism and
He makes the branches of the tree good. As our Lord Jesus says, You are already clean because of
the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you (John 15:3-4a). In
baptism, Vernon was washed and you also, having been baptized have been washed. This cleansing
comes through the Word spoken by God through the lips of the pastor: I baptize you in the Name +
of the Father, and + of the Son, and + of the Holy Spirit. The branches become good through holy
Baptism.
Vernon remained attached to the Vine—that is, Jesus Christ—through the same creative
Word of God that sustains creation. The Word of God sustained him in the true faith. He heard over
and over and over again of God’s great love for him as Jesus came to this earth to suffer and die to
take away the sins of the whole world, even his. Upon hearing that Word of the Gospel in his aging
eardrums over the course of his life, Vernon remained in Christ His Lord to the very end. Upon
hearing that Word of the Gospel over and over again, Satan could throw the worst pain and suffering
at Vernon, but it could not overcome the deep roots of faith that had been embedded in his soul. It
could not overcome creative Word of God spoken at his baptism.
At the beginning of this sermon I said: “What a great blessing to see the fruit of Vernon’s
childhood and, in turn, to see the bearing of fruit from you, his children, his grandchildren, his great
grandchildren AND his great-great grandchildren!” It is truly remarkable that the small Seed of
God’s Word sown in Vernon as a child has now turned into a very large, good tree, bearing good
fruit. Where there is God’s Word landing on the ears of children there is the Holy Spirit working to
create and sustain faith—that is, faith in Christ who is the true life-giving Vine. He gave eternal life
to Vernon and He gives it to you too, in the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. [Amen.]
29 August, A+D 2005 Pr. John H. Wegener
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Readlyn, Iowa