Bernie Augenstein

"Bernie Augenstein Funeral Homily" – John 14:1-6

John 14:1-6

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.


So, following Eric, I’m left with the holy challenge of simply preaching the Gospel as we celebrate his life and the good news that was his as he lived – and the good news that is now his – as he lives – on the other side of God’s eternity.

And the trick of that is, I’m not sure where the distinction can be found between a eulogy and a homily, where Bernie Augenstein is concerned. That is to say, Bernie was a consummate churchman. He cared about and worked for and served so many expressions of God’s church in the world, it seems – at least in recent years – to have become a calling on his life in so many ways. And it was a real gift to have his wisdom, experience, and love for it all at Cross of Grace, as a Partner in Mission, since our earliest days.

Speaking of those earliest days, we hadn’t met yet, so it was a surprise when he showed up at my graduation from seminary, with Janis Janelsins in tow, over in Columbus, Ohio, 15 years ago. They introduced themselves as having vested interests in this new congregation I was being called to develop outside of Indianapolis, and just wanted to see who and what they were in for.

A three-hour drive to a graduation ceremony for a stranger, only to drive three-hours back home, in the same day – without even an invitation to dinner? That’s some interest and concern and dedication to the Church and its leaders that impressed me, the more I thought about it after the fact. And it was just a foretaste of the feast to come, as we say, where Bernie was concerned.

He remembered the anniversary of my ordination every year, with a card and a congratulations on whatever Sunday was closest to June 24th. (I had to look that date up this week, to make sure I had it correct, but Bernie always knew.)

His wisdom and insight and “scoop” about all things ELCA, I/K Synod were invaluable at times. He was my go-to guy when he served on Cross of Grace’s Council or on our Vision Team or during our annual congregational meetings about anything that had anything to do with the larger church. He knew about policies and procedures. He knew about plans at the synod and churchwide levels. He knew about which pastors were serving where, which pastors were leaving where – and why. 

He kept me on my toes about so many details, I can’t even tell you. He was always reminding me about when it was time to change the sign out front or update the website or put an ad in the paper about something. 

He shared resources with me from the Roman Catholic Church. (Your book, Eric, was his most proud offering, I’d say.) He taught a class here in the Spring about the common ground we Lutherans and Catholics share. He was so prayerful and hope-filled about that common ground becoming full-communion in his lifetime. And he loved worshiping together with his family as an experience and expression of what that could look like.

And, of course, worship was where life and faith came together for Bernie, I’d say. In music and through liturgy and with choirs – in Word and Sacrament, of course – is where Bernie loved to spend his time. 

What Bernie was best at where the life of our congregation is concerned, was his desire and gift for welcoming guests into our midst. He made it his calling as a Partner in Mission at Cross of Grace to be the default, go-to greeter throughout the morning, every Sunday. He wasn’t assigned to that post. His name wasn’t in the bulletin. But he was always there, saying hello, greeting whoever walked in those doors, and learning the names – and whatever else he could glean – from anyone who showed up to join us.

Over the years, we often compared notes, to make sure we had names and connections correct for whoever we met on any given Sunday. He was an invaluable asset to this Pastor, in that regard. He came, too, to every CrossRoads new member class, even after he’d taken it himself, just so he could get to know better those who were new to the fold and learn about how he could connect them with others in our congregation, through stuff like the Supper Groups, which he coordinated and organized with great care. 

There are a lot of jokes out there about St. Peter waiting to welcome people into heaven’s pearly gates, and I kind of think that if anything like a welcoming committee really does exist in heaven, that St. Peter might have just lost his job to Bernie Augenstein, sometime very early on Saturday morning. 

And all of that was in service to the Gospel… and it was a way of proclaiming the good news… and it was a means of sharing the grace Bernie was called to in this place in a way he relished and, frankly, you don’t find just anywhere in the Church these days. I mean, you don’t find Bernies just anywhere in the Church these days. Nor do you find the kind of grace he tried to share so faithfully. 

So, two images come to mind as I reflect on and remember and give thanks for Bernie’s presence in my life and for his place in this congregation. One is his love for lighthouses and the passion he had for traveling around the country to see them with you, Linda. If a lighthouse is anything, it is a guide and a point of reference. It is a beacon of safety. It is a welcome home. 

I think Bernie was all of those things for those who knew him, especially where his life in the Church and at Cross of Grace were concerned. He was a guide, a point of reference, a familiar face, and a welcome home.

The other thing that comes to mind as I remember and give thanks for Bernie, was the love I know he had for Jeopardy – his daily, ritualistic time with Alex Trebeck and the whole premise of that game show, where everything begins with the answer and the participants are left to come up with all the right questions.

I’m not sure Bernie would have described it this way, but that whole premise is the way life and faith come together, under the banner of God’s grace, if you ask me. “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?,” Thomas asked, Jesus, remember? In other words, we don’t know the answer… we don’t know the ending… we can’t see where you’re going… how can we possibly know how to get there?

But Jesus says, “I am the way… and the truth… and the life.” In other words, “you’ve had the answer before you and with you and beside you all along. Because of the grace I’ve proclaimed, because of the water you’ve received, because of the bread that’s been broken and the wine that’s been poured, because of the love we have practiced and shared, given and received, you have the answer; you know the way to the place that I am going; you know what it looks like and what it feels like; you know how to get there and how to bring others along with you.” 

Bernie was always preparing a way for others to see and to experience the love and hope and joy that belongs to us in Jesus. A way to learn more… to worship more… to serve more… to experience grace in some way through God’s church in the world. Bernie was always making room for those who were looking. And he was always there – at the door – like some kind of human lighthouse because he knew the answer to whatever we hunger for as people in the world.

That answer – which Bernie sings about even now, no doubt, and which is our hope, still – begins with God’s grace, freely shared, generously offered, abundant enough for anyone and everyone, and made known through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for Bernie, for each of us, and for the sake of the world.

Amen

"Bernie Augenstein: In Memoriam" – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'

"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.


Cross of Grace was stunned and saddened to learn that Bernie Augenstein, a long-time Partner in Mission, died in his sleep sometime in the early hours of June 2. The following is a message Pastor Aaron delivered to the congregation the next day:

Given the circumstances, I thought it would be appropriate to take the opportunity this morning to spend some time addressing the surprising news of Bernie’s passing. I do not anticipate having a chance to provide a reflection at his funeral service, and I know some of you will be unable to attend the funeral, so it seems like a good way to spend the next few minutes. I doubt he would approve of me talking about his life and legacy in lieu of a regular sermon, but Bernie understood I didn’t always do things they way he would have liked!

Most of you who have wandered into this congregation over the years could probably say Bernie was the first person you met here. If you were a visitor here he would try to find out everything about you. And later that day you would probably have received a “friend” request from Bernie on Facebook. I recall that just about all of my extended family who had been here for my installation received friend requests, which left some of them a bit confounded.

Bernie had a genuine interest in other people. Sure, he could come across as nosey, but he was certainly not malicious. He just really wanted to know everything about you. And he remembered it all, too. That’s just how his mind worked. He had a mind for detail, which undoubtedly came in handy during his daily Jeopardy watching routine while on the treadmill.

I think he wanted to know so much about you because he was always seeking to make connections between people. He loved bringing people together. He would find out something about you and then connect it with a different person, as if all of humanity was a great jigsaw puzzle that meant to go together. 

It is also true that Bernie had very high standards and wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion. Last month at Synod Assembly, Pastor Mark and I arrived casually late to the opening. When we sat down he said, “I trust you two have very good reasons for being late?” He said it with a wink, but we both knew we were busted.

Also, one of the final emails I received from him was an email from the Monday after Father’s Day. He had attended worship and wrote me to express his displeasure with the fact that in my leading of the prayers during the early service I had neglected to offer a prayer petition regarding the tragic massacre in Orlando. He said surely of all the churches in this area, ours should have been the one to name it and bring it before God.

No one else either noticed or mentioned it to me, but he thought it was worth mentioning. I hated to read his comments as I am not one to receive constructive criticism graciously, but he had every right to call attention to my negligence. And it helped that the handful of emails immediately preceding and following that email were full of compliments and encouragement. 

My heart breaks for everyone and everything Bernie has left behind….Linda, his wife whom he adored….Eric, his son of whom he was so incredibly proud….the Roman Catholic Church, which he served so faithfully in his work lifting up and supporting seminarians and priests….the Ohio State Buckeyes, who have lost a huge fan…. and of course, Cross of Grace – a place that has benefitted so much from Bernie’s continuous pouring out of his heart and soul.

The task before us now is twofold: we grieve the loss of our brother Bernie and offer our support to his family; but at the same time we are to acknowledge the call before us to fill the ministry voids left behind in his passing. 

It is up to all of us to greet those who visit here and strive to become their friends. It is our calling to make connections and cultivate relationships. It is our calling to hold one other accountable to high standards, to love our families, to sing loudly, and to so closely identify with the mission of the church that we can be the hands and feet of Christ in the world today.

In today’s Gospel text, Jesus sends his disciples out in pairs to bring good news to the places where the Lord is soon to come. If there’s one thing to say about Bernie, one statement to summarize the effect his life has had on the church, it is that Bernie saw himself as your partner in the proclamation of the good news. He was your number two, your wingman – someone who genuinely admired you and thought you were capable of great things, and wasn’t afraid to keep you accountable. He knew we were all better together. He was a unique gift to the church and to each one of us who were blessed to call him a friend.

Whether you’d met him once or worshipped with him for fifteen years, you have a Bernie story. Maybe he said something to you that came across as odd or inappropriate, which you later learned to laugh about. Maybe you received a card from him in the mail that caught you completely off guard and which meant more than you initially realized. 

I encourage you to take time this morning and beyond to share your Bernie story with someone. Linger here, as he so often did. Seek out someone who seems to need a companion. Ask how others are feeling. Laugh at yourself. Go out and buy a stockpile of greeting cards to send to each other on special days. Send a Facebook friend request to someone you’ve met once. Spend time reading scripture and praying on your own. 

Bernie was a flawed person, but I can say with absolute certainty that he showed us what it means to be a partner in mission. And for that we say, “Amen. Thanks be to God.”