8/10/22   +   Edwin Louis F. Melcher   +   3/12/01

My  dear friends in Christ,

What can I say of Edwin Melcher that you don't know already? As can often be the case, a pastor is limited by his perspective--and the depth of knowledge will always be limited by time.  So pardon me if I don't touch all the bases or the highlight of his life; that will always be beyond a pastor's ability to do with many of his members. That is what you can do best of all.

I considered Edwin a determined man who was confident in himself and in others. He was a hard worker who expected much of himself--and who probably expected much of others. He had many interests--and I think he was interested in what others found interesting. He loved being out and visiting with neighbors; and he was concerned with their general welfare.

You could expect Edwin to be opinionated--and when he made up his mind, you might expect that there would be little to move him from that opinion.  At least that's how I saw things. And I like that; sometimes that can be a bad thing, locking out possibilities that might be of benefit. But when you are sure of a thing and hold on to that; that of itself becomes a good thing.  

That brings me to the Bible verse that Edwin received when he was confirmed here at Zion Lutheran Church on March 21, 1937 by Pastor Herman AmEnd. 

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32--33

Almost 64 years later we revisit this verse in connection with Edwin. Now I have to confess, I would not have picked this verse for Edwin as a funeral text, but I like to follow the custom of using confirmation verses. 

This Bible verse seemed to be fitting for a pastor or an evangelist. "Whoever confesses me before men, I will confess before the Father.Ö" Edwin did not seem to be one who would speak a lot about his faith. I could see him talk about farming, animals, family, and friends, but not expressly about Jesus. Therefore the passage did not seem to fit Edwin.  

At the same time, it began to occur to me that he did confess his faith in Jesus, more by what he did than by whatever he tried to say. He was constant in his attendance in church, up to the time that his legs were not able to take him. He probably found himself in church more often than he himself had thought possible--but only because he was determined and confident that he was not going to fall on his face in the effort. That is a strong confession of his Lord and of his desire to be at the place where he had always worshipped his Lord. He was constant in his giving--to his church as well as to the various ministries which presented Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He was there for others, to encourage and comfort--as Christ calls us to do--and by way of example was a quiet but real confession of Christ.

What was I thinking when I wondered at Edwin's confirmation verse? The confession of Jesus to others is a constant thing; it is not to be worn on the sleeve----if it were, you could put it on for formal occasions and put it away for leisure activities. Christian faith is not something you put on and take off.   That is not the confession of Christ. Rather, a Christian is wrapped up in this robe of Christ's righteousness-it is not a wrap-around. It is a full covering of our life by Jesus Christ, so that we are found in his holiness and are acceptable in God's sight. The Apostle Paul once urged that people believe with the heart and confess with their lips that Jesus Christ is Lord: that is a living faith, a gift from God who gives abundantly of his grace to all people. That confession speaks humbly of our condition before him--namely, that we are sinners and that we need to be released from our sins--but it readily speaks of what God has done to save us: God gave up his Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Edwin spoke of his hope to be done with this life. When his nephew Milo was killed in his motorcycle accident, he wondered why it couldn't have been he himself that the Lord took home. Despite his appreciation for all that is in the world, Edwin knew that all this was temporary and he longed for that which God would give him. His legs had served them his life through, but he knew that God always had been the one who carried him through life--and only God could carry him home.  His heart had been in many things--his farm, his family, his friends--but even these things are passing. The natural heart would fail; but the one that God gave--the heart of faith and hope and love--would live eternally, by virtue of the new birth of the Holy Spirit given Edwin at his Baptism. 

Baptized in faith, confirmed in the Christian faith and regular to receive of God's blessings in the Word and the Lord Supper, Edwin regularly confessed his faith in Jesus. That is what God calls us to do. God calls us to receive richly of his grace and mercy, to be present where his gifts are to be found; and as we find God's blessings poured out upon us, through God's Word and sacraments, and receive from him full forgiveness, faith, hope and love----it is then an easy thing to confess his holy name, to be found in the faith and active in love, to hear the Lord's voice and finally the welcomed call: "Enter in to your rest, thou good and faithful servant."

In the name of Jesus...amen.