John 3:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Isaiah 25:6-9
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sometimes people ask me if it’s difficult to do so many funerals. It might surprise you to learn that it isn’t. Don’t hear me wrong; yes, it is difficult to say farewell to cherished members and friends; yes, there is grief and sorrow, and yes there are tears; but, commending a saint in Christ to their heavenly Father and home is a good, comforting, and even joyous thing. When I baptize an infant, I can’t possibly know that child will remain a believer throughout his or her life. When I confirm a youth, they still have their whole life ahead of them fraught with challenges to their faith. When I marry a couple, I hope and pray that their marriage and faith will last. But, when a saint in Christ like Myrtle dies in the Lord, I know that they are in God’s hands, that His promises in Christ Jesus cannot be revoked, and that there is no way possible that person, or any other, or even the devil himself, can cause them to miss out on their heavenly goal any longer.
That is why I am happy today and joyful. I am happy and joyful for Myrtle Clarbelle Schroeder because she has fought the good fight, she has finished the race, and she has kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for Myrtle the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to her on that day, and not only to Myrtle, but also to all who have loved His appearing. There are four key events that mark a Christian’s life – Holy Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, and Christian Burial – and our sister in Christ Myrtle has received them all. For ninety-eight years Myrtle received from the Lord grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and life and for ninety-eight years Myrtle glorified her God and Lord by living and by sharing these gifts with you and with countless others. From St. Petri Lutheran Church in Gary, Minnesota to St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly, Iowa, Myrtle received from the Lord His gifts and shared those gifts with you and countless others as a Sunday School teacher, as a church custodian, in the Dorcas Society, in the Women’s Bible Study, in the choir, crocheting booties for Diana’s Angels, and as a wife, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, an aunt, and a friend. It was her pure joy to share with you what she had herself received. And that is what the love of God in Christ Jesus looks like. As Jesus teaches, “They will know you are my disciples when you have love for one another.” There is no doubt about it, Myrtle was a disciple of Jesus. Myrtle knew and received Jesus’ love, and she loved you with Jesus’ love.
Myrtle loved to sing. Myrtle loved to sing church hymns. Myrtle’s favorite church hymn was “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” When Sunday School was held in the church basement, you could hear Myrtle singing “Jesus Loves Me” over the room dividers. In worship, you could hear Myrtle singing all the hymns louder and better than most. And at Bartels these past few years, you could hear Myrtle singing all the hymns louder and better than most and at least two beats ahead of everyone else as well. Myrtle also loved to bake for her family. She baked lefse, krumkake, rosettes, bread, and she made the bestest, thickest, and airiest peanut brittle too, all the while singing “Jesus Loves Me” louder, better, and faster than most. And Myrtle loved children. As a Sunday School teacher of three and four year olds, Myrtle was formative of their young faith so that numerous now-adults remember fondly learning the stories of the Bible from her flannel board figures. Myrtle also provided childcare for children in her home, stayed with David Kueker so that Larry and Rae Jean could go to 10:30 church, and was everybody’s Grandma.
“Jesus loves me, this I know.” There’s a reason this hymn is beloved by Christians of all ages. It’s simple enough that a three or four year old can memorize it and sing it, and it’s profound in its simplicity and truth so that adults treasure it throughout their lives. God loved Myrtle. Jesus loved Myrtle. And Myrtle loved you. That’s the way God’s love works. John 3:16, the “Gospel in a Nutshell” as it’s often called, says it all: God loved the world and everyone it, without exception, that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ over unto death on the cross so that anyone, absolutely anyone at all, regardless of what they’ve done that they shouldn’t have done or didn’t do that they should have done, should not perish but share in Jesus’ eternal life. Myrtle was the recipient of God’s great love in Jesus, and she shared God’s love in Jesus with you. That is what it means to be a Christian: To be a Christian is to be a recipient of God’s love and so love Him in return that you share that love with others to the glory of God and His holy Name. For ninety-eight years Myrtle had been a recipient of God’s love in Jesus, and for ninety-eight years you and countless others have been the recipients of God’s love in Jesus lived in and through Myrtle. The best way to honor and remember Myrtle’s faith and life is to share God’s love in Jesus with others just as she shared it with you.
Myrtle was a happy person. She always had a smile on her face and a positive word to share. Myrtle was a joy and a blessing to know, to be around, and to have in your life. Myrtle’s faith was a huge part of her joyful and happy personality. She was at peace. She was content with whatever the Lord provided her, both good and not so good. All her long life Myrtle knew that God loved her in Christ Jesus, therefore she wasn’t anxious or afraid and she didn’t worry about tomorrow. God would provide her daily bread – everything she needed for her body and life. Because of her faith in her Lord, Myrtle could be fully present for you. All her needs were met. Through Myrtle, God helped to provide your daily bread as well. It is so very liberating to be able to live your life in the freedom of not worrying about death, or even what will happen tomorrow, knowing that God is in charge and that God loves you. In Jesus Christ God has so loved he world, has so loved Myrtle, and has so loved you, that He has swallowed up death in victory. All we have to do is wait for the Lord – to wait for Him to act, to come, and to take us home. That’s what Myrtle did for ninety-eight years – Myrtle waited on the Lord in faith and trust and hope and in love – love for God, love for Jesus, and love for you. Take heart and be comforted, Myrtle is waiting no longer. She is with her Lord and God at peace and at rest, and you will see her again in time. Wait for the LORD and He will save us, and we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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