John 11:17-27; Romans 8:28-39; Lamentations 3:22-33
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
“It is good that one should
wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” So proclaimed the prophet Jeremiah
in his lamentation. Jeremiah was called to his prophetic office when he was a
young man to speak against the southern kingdom’s idolatry, and to call them to
repentance. Though he prophesied their coming defeat and captivity by the
Assyrians, the people wouldn’t listen, they ignored him, and often they violently
rejected him. Understandably, Jeremiah was afflicted by bouts of depression,
hopelessness, and despair, such that he earned the nickname “The Weeping
Prophet.” Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit was with Jeremiah and preserved him in
faith so that Jeremiah remained stalwart, strong, and immovable in his faith.
And so, Jeremiah waited quietly and patiently for the LORD and for the
redemption and salvation He had promised. “It is good that one should wait
quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
Waiting quietly for the
salvation of the LORD, those are words that I believe apply well to our brother
in Christ, Jim. Surely, Jim could be said to be the “strong silent type.” Indeed,
the times I spoke to Jim in church, usually just before or after the Divine
Service, his words were few, but there was strength in them, and, more than
that, peace. Men like Jim often get ignored or overlooked by others, because
they do not put themselves forward, they do not speak the loudest, or feel the
need to be incessantly yawping about one thing or another. However, to assume
Jim’s reticence to be indifference or even agreement would be to make a
grievously faulty assumption. In this regard I am reminded of an elder in my
former parish who didn’t have much to say. I once mused, jokingly, that,
because he didn’t say anything, that meant he agreed with me, to which he
replied, calmly, but firmly, “Many have made that assumption, Pastor. You should
not.” And, that reminds me of a story about Jim that someone shared with me. One
Sunday after church, Jim and Elaine went to HyVee, as many in the congregation
are want to do, for coffee and for deconstructing the pastor’s sermon – er, I
mean, for fellowship. Jim and the other men were all talking together, Jim
remaining silent as usual. One of the women present said, “Why don’t you guys
give Jim a chance to speak?” And, one of the men responded, “It isn’t Jim’s
time to talk yet.” Jim laughed. Jim was fully engaged in the conversation, even
without speaking. He was listening, he was engaged, and nobody took him for
granted. Jim waited quietly for his turn to speak, just as he waited quietly
and patiently for the salvation of the LORD.
Silence, patience, and
trust are qualities lost on most today, but, nevertheless, they are marks of
Christian faith, strong, unswerving, and immovable faith. As the LORD spoke
through the Psalmist and inspired Martin Luther to write “A Mighty Fortress Is
Our God,” “Be still, and know that I am God.” When we are still, that is when
God acts. When we are still, then we can see that God is acting, and has been
acting, preserving and protecting and keeping us in His grace, mercy,
compassion, and love all along. When we are still we can rest in the LORD, and
in His Word made flesh, Jesus, knowing that He works all things – even the bad
things – for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. Indeed,
nothing can separate us from His love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The steadfast love of the
LORD never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every
morning. Great is His faithfulness. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him. Jim was a builder. While he was a welder and a maintenance
worker in his working years at Nestle / Carnation, he always worked with his
hands, which takes patience and care, and a clear and sober mind. After Jim and
Elaine were married fifty-two years ago, right here at St. John, Jim built
their home. Jim also had a hand in building the Gathering Room addition to the
church building. And, Jim was a woodworker who made furniture and crosses for
baptisms and weddings. He also made the small wooden frames that hold the names
of our cradle roll children in the education building. It is clear that Jim put
his hands and his God-given talents to work in service of the two most
important things to him: His family and his church. When we are confident that
our LORD is for us, we can be bold to serve Him by serving others. For, if God
gave His only-begotten Son for us all, how will He not give us all things
needful and good?
Lazarus’ sister, Mary,
chose the better portion, sitting still at the feet of Jesus, hearing and
digesting His every Word, while her sister Martha was busy with many needful
things. It’s not that work is bad, but it’s a matter of priorities: There is a
time for work, and there is a time for silence, stillness, and sitting at the
feet of Jesus. In fact, if you do not first have the LORD and His Word and His
Gifts, then your work will be futile and unfruitful. But, true, good, and
fruitful work flows from the gifts Christ freely gives. Busyness, worry,
anxiety, and distraction rob and deplete the soul. Blessed is the one who can
be quiet, still, and at peace in the LORD. Such a soul has found its rest even
now. Perhaps that is why it was Martha who first approached Jesus saying,
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” We have all felt
that way at one time or another. Perhaps some of us are feeling that way right
now. But, take heart, and let us not be too hard on poor Martha, for we are
tempted to let our fears, anxieties, and reason get the best of us too, and rob
from us the surety of God’s Word and promise. Jesus’ Word of comfort to Martha
is His Word of comfort to us today: “I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me shall never die.” Do you believe this?
Elaine, Gertie, Becky, and
Jeff, beloved Grandchildren, family, and friends, Jim believed this. Indeed,
Jim’s reserved and quiet demeanor was the fruit of his trust in Jesus’ promise.
In his last weeks, his faith kept him at peace spiritually and mentally, even as
he struggled physically. And, in his last days, when a chaplain visited and
prayed the Lord’s Prayer with him, Jim responded to those words of Jesus, long
seated in his heart and mind, as they were at once familiar and meaningful and
comforting. And, as the family remained by his side in those last hours, a
nurse commented, “I’ve seen this before. Some men have John Wayne Syndrome.
They’ll hang on until their loved ones aren’t around.” Indeed, as Elaine and
the family stepped out briefly for a bite to eat, Elaine said to Jim, “I’ll see
you in heaven in a few years.” It was shortly after they left the room that Jim
was called to rest in Jesus.
“It is good that one should
wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” There is something to be said for
being quick to listen and slow to speak. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the Word of Christ. Problem is that, for most of us, most of the time, our
hearing is overwhelmed by noise and busyness and restlessness and anxiety that
we cannot hear properly, and so we do not believe properly, and we cannot rest properly.
But, today we are comforted and, amidst our tears and sorrow and grief, we have
hope, and even a glimmer of joy. Why? Because we know that our brother Jim had
Spirit-created faith, and that he believed, and trusted, and was comforted in
the knowledge that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, in whom he lived and
died and will be raised again unto life that cannot die. Jim’s faith provided
him strength and hope and comfort and peace throughout his life, faith that was
manifested in Jim’s strong and silent demeanor and in his loving service of his
family and his church. And so, we mourn, but we do not mourn like those without
hope. For, our LORD is our hope, and our LORD is faithful and good and cannot
fail us. Elaine, you will see Jim again in heaven. Indeed, all who trust in the
LORD will see Jim again in heaven. Let us wait quietly for the salvation of the
LORD as Jim did, ceasing our striving and our worrying, and finding peace in
Christ, in His Words and in His wounds, in life, through death, into life that
cannot die.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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