Maximum Perspectives
with Max TorkelsenLen Atkins Memorial Service
June 30, 2007
On behalf of the church, the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church, I want to say thank you for the life and work of Len Atkins. Pastor Len wore himself out for God, serving in an admirable way on two continents. Ann, thank you for standing beside him, for always being there to care for him, support him, and work beside him in ministry. And I especially say thank you to Shane and Tonya. Thank you for sharing your Dad with us. I know he was always busy doing for others but I can tell you he loved you. I rarely had a conversation with him that he didn’t mention his hopes and dreams for you.
What a difference a week can make. What a difference a day can make. Seemingly no cloud on the horizon and then within minutes be in the midst of the storm, a storm so severe that rescue is apparently impossible.
Last Sabbath was pretty ordinary for most of us. I suspect it was for the Atkins family as well. It probably didn’t seem unusual to Lenny. Being the leader of worship and preaching sermons makes Sabbath more stressful for pastors. But after a lifetime of Sabbaths like that, you become accustomed to the routine. If you would have asked Pastor Atkins last Sabbath if time was short and if we are living in the very last days of earth’s history he would have readily agreed. But if we had asked him if time would end tomorrow, he undoubtedly would have said, not likely. Still a bit of Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. And with respect to his own length of life, he was just 59—he was not experiencing worrisome symptoms and if he was like me, he was fully intending to live until Jesus comes or at least another 20 or 30 years.
But for Lenny the next day after last Sabbath suddenly and abruptly marked the end of his earthly time. No more sermons to preach, no more Bible studies to give, no more visits to make, no more problems to solve, no more projects to complete, no more conversations to be had, no more burdens to bear, no more work in the garden, no more trips to town. And he wasn’t expecting it so soon and neither were we. I know he was far better prepared than I. I feel confident of where things stood between Lenny and his God and that is a great comfort. But here is where I am at friends. I am reminded how very fragile life can be. It can be snatched away in a heartbeat. We had best live each day to the fullest. Don’t put off doing until later anything that is really important – especially those things of eternal significance.
So what happened at that moment when Lenny’s heart stopped beating? Ecclesiastes 12 speaks to our situation in poetic language. In verses 6 and 7 it says, “Remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. [These are poetic ways of describing the end of life] Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit or breath will return to God who gave it.”
When God first created life Genesis describes it this way, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. When life ends, it is the mirror image of that process. The breath of life, that essence of being alive, that spark of life, returns to God who gave it and what remains behind are the rest of those elements out of which a man is built. .
So think about it this way. Sunday was not the end of Lenny, it was just the end of the first chapter of his experience. The DVD of his life has been placed on pause. When God created him, God didn’t make a mistake. God created Lenny to live forever – through God’s grace that is Lenny’s destiny. Listen to this: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, when all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life.” John 5:28, 29. “Let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with new bodies that will never die.” I Corinthians 15:51-53.
When Lenny’s heart stopped beating, the breath of life returned to God who gave it. On resurrection morning, at the sound of a trumpet (Lenny’s ears are tuned to the sound of a trumpet since he played one) but this will be the sound of a heavenly trumpet and at that moment God will restore the breath of life to his perfectly recreated body and the Pause button will be released. Lenny’s thoughts will take up right where they left off and he will realize immediately that he is at home where he belongs with his forever friend Jesus. And his next thought will be where are Ann and the kids.
In the words of the old hymn:
“Some day the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall live;
But, O, the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story—Saved by grace;
Lenny will see Him face to face,
And Lenny will tell the story as he has his entire life – Saved by grace.”
What a difference a moment can make – just the blinking of an eye.
One more question I have been thinking about the last few days since Sunday. Does it take more courage to live or does it take more courage to die?
When I answered the phone on Sunday morning I could hear the urgency in Fred Hardinge’s voice. Linnea and I left immediately to go to Deaconess Hospital. We were quickly directed to the right location by courteous hospital staff. By the time we arrived, every effort had been made to save him. Immediate emergency care, the latest in medical equipment and medication, the best of professional expertise. April had accompanied Ann to the emergency room but had stepped away for a moment. Ann was weeping quietly but desperately from the depths of her innermost being, it was wrenching. You step onto the edges of that intensely personal emotional pain with hesitancy. Those moments will always be indelibly etched on my heart and I will forever feel a bond of closeness with this family.
What do you do at a time like that? You pray. You cling to your faith. You grasp for hope. Soon Elder Haeger joined us around that bed. We experienced times of silence because words don’t see adequate. We prayed together and then we began reading Scripture.
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you. His angels will hold you with their hands. When they call on me. I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them.”
As I looked up from the pages of my Bible Elder Haeger began to sing – very softly, Kum Ba Yah Señor, Kum Ba Yah, Kum Ba Yah my Lord, Kum Ba Yah. Someone’s praying, Lord please be here now. The words of Scripture again, “Listen to my pleading, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, Come and talk with me. And my heart responds, Lord I am coming. Do not hide yourself from me. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. I am confident that I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27
And then the voice of Elder Haeger, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name. And in that atmosphere of quiet weeping and the comforting cadences of God’s word and the simple melody of sacred song, heaven came close to earth, and God placed His hand on Ann’s shoulder and we sensed His presence. He was weeping with us, and in the midst of hurricane force winds of pain and loss and loneliness in a corner of the ER, we found a sanctuary.
After a couple of hours Shane came in, still dressed in his pilot’s uniform, and even in the midst of his own grief his strength ministered to his mother’s need and as an admiring observer I watched the responsibility for a family pass from father to son. And Heather came, and Tonya and her little one came all the way from Pennsylvania, and within those bonds of family love and concern there is strength.
Mike and Tawnya Breakie came, Carol and Wes Geisinger and Heidi came each bringing a blessing of encouragement and support. Christian friends are a special gift from God. Dear friends we need you. We need each other. Pastors need encouragement, pastor’s wives need understanding, pastor’s kids are people too. Our pastor’s families need your support. Don’t smother them but don’t forget them either.
I don’t want you to misunderstand. Those hours at Deaconess Hospital were not easy nor pleasant. They were utterly horrible. Len’s loved ones were pushed to the limits of their endurance. And it is not over. It takes months of healing and adjusting and going through the stages of grief. Moment by moment one day at a time depending on our faith and hope in a great and loving God. That is Ann’s strength. It has been given to her as a gift from God. Before she left the hospital she could pray with that great Bible stalwart Job “the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Job 1:21; 13:15.
Today I want to assure all of us and I want to testify that there is peace in the midst of the storm. There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God. You will find in Him strength to face the future.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Revelation 21:1-7.
That’s what God says, Len you shall be my son. Ann, you shall be my daughter. Shane and Tonya you shall be my children. If you are thirsty I will give you water from the fountain of life and it’s free. He that overcometh shall inherit all things. To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, sons and daughters of the King. Len has found a quiet place near to the heart of God and there he rests peacefully awaiting the sound of the trumpet. There is room in the heart of God for you and for me too. Please Father keep us faithful in Jesus name I pray Amen.
2 Comments»
Dave Livermore wrote @
When I began my new position in the UCC in January of this year, Lenny was the first pastor I took to lunch. I visited later at his church with his Personal MInistry leader. I enjoyed myself so much with Len. He had a real dream about serving God and in many ways was living that dream out. I was at Newport just a few weeks ago and preached, Lenny and Ann were there, it was just good to be together. I said to him what are you going to do this afternoon? He said; “Ann and I are going on a 20 mile bike ride.” I thought to myself, what a good man. I will miss him dearly, I pray for the family.
Len and I shared a tent at the Gladstone campground many years ago (1964?) when we went through the MCC training there. I remember how hard it was for us to keep a straight face when we were told to “wipe that grin off your face.” It was hard to keep from grinning around Len.