John 14:1-6; Romans 8:31-39; Isaiah 43:1-3a, 25
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
As you just heard, Dorothy was baptized, confirmed, and married in this church. Today we gather to give thanks to the Lord for Dorothy’s faith and life and to hear once again the promises of God that sustained her throughout her days.
St. John was woven into the fabric of Dorothy’s life from beginning to end. Faith, Christ, and her church were not merely part of her life; they were central to it. When Bud was alive, he and Dorothy were faithful worshippers at St. John. Later, cousin Ellen faithfully brought Dorothy to church. Even after moving to Colorado to live with Jeff, Dorothy watched the livestream every Sunday. It brought her comfort and joy to hear God’s Word from her beloved St. John and to see her church family from so far away.
Dorothy and Bud were active members of this congregation. Bud served as a trustee, and Dorothy was deeply involved in the Dorcas Society. She could often be found helping with funeral luncheons, church events, and other acts of service. Dorothy and Bud’s was the last wedding held in the old St. John church building before this sanctuary was built. They were blessed with fifty-five years of marriage and with three beloved sons whom they raised in the Christian faith.
Dorothy loved her family immensely. She was a devoted mother and grandmother who delighted in her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed baking special treats, attending games and concerts, and celebrating the accomplishments of those she loved. She was especially proud of her grandchildren and all they achieved.
She also enjoyed many of life’s simple blessings: traveling and camping with Bud, winters in Texas, gardening, bowling, card games with friends, and family gatherings. The Lord gave her many joys. Yet her life was not without sorrow.
She endured the loss of her husband. She experienced declining health and mobility. The death of her son Steve weighed heavily upon her heart. The move to Colorado, though done in love and for her well-being, meant leaving behind her church, community, and lifelong friends. Like all of us, Dorothy knew grief. She knew loneliness. She knew the difficult questions that arise when life does not go as we hoped.
Yet through it all, the Lord remained faithful. Dorothy was sustained by the promises of God in Christ Jesus. She was comforted by the Word she heard, the Scriptures she believed, the hymns she sang, and the Savior she trusted. Those promises are what bring us here today as well. For while we certainly give thanks to God for Dorothy’s life, this funeral is not ultimately about Dorothy. It is about Jesus. It is about what Jesus did for Dorothy in Holy Baptism. It is about what He accomplished for her by His death and resurrection. It is about what He continues to do for all who trust in Him.
Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.” Those words were spoken on the night before His crucifixion. The disciples were troubled because they knew something terrible was about to happen. Their Lord was preparing to leave them. Jesus does not tell them to ignore their grief. Instead, He directs them to Himself. “Believe in Me.” That is His message to us today.
Death is an enemy. It always is. Death separates loved ones. Death causes grief and tears. Death reminds us that this world is broken by sin. We feel that reality today. But death does not have the final word. Jesus does.
“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Dorothy knew those words. She believed those words. She built her life upon those words. Not because she was perfect. Not because she earned God’s favor by her service in the church or her devotion to family. Those things were fruits of faith, but they were not the basis of her salvation. The basis of her salvation was Christ alone.
Like all of us, Dorothy was a sinner in need of forgiveness. And that forgiveness was given to her freely through Jesus Christ. Through His death, her sins were forgiven. Through His resurrection, death was conquered. Through Holy Baptism, she was united to Him. And because she belonged to Christ, the promises of God belong to her.
The Lord says through Isaiah, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.” That promise was first spoken to Dorothy in her Baptism. There God placed His holy name upon her and claimed her as His own dear child. And God does not abandon those who belong to Him.
The Lord also says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” Notice He says when, not if. The Christian life is not free from suffering. Dorothy knew that. But through every joy and every sorrow, the Lord remained with her.
That is the beautiful confession of Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The Lord shepherded Dorothy through childhood, marriage, motherhood, widowhood, and old age. He guided her through times of happiness and through times of grief. He walked with her through the valley of the shadow of death. And now the Good Shepherd who led her throughout her earthly life has brought her safely home.
Today Dorothy rests with Christ. Her suffering is ended. Her tears are gone. Her faith has become sight. Yet even that is not the end of the story. Christians do not simply believe that believers go to heaven when they die. We believe in the resurrection of the body. The body that we commit to the earth today is not forgotten. It will be raised. Jesus rose bodily from the grave. Because He lives, Dorothy also shall live.
That is why St. Paul can boldly ask in Romans, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” And then he answers: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing can separate Dorothy from Christ. Not illness. Not age. Not sorrow. Not even death itself.
Death has separated her from us for a little while, but it has not separated her from Jesus. And because it has not separated her from Jesus, it cannot finally separate her from us either. For the day is coming when Christ will return in glory. The dead in Christ shall rise. Bodies and souls shall be reunited. Every tear shall be wiped away, and death itself shall be destroyed forever. On that day Dorothy will stand again, whole and restored, glorified in Christ. That is the Christian hope. That is the promise Dorothy believed. That is the promise that sustained her throughout her life. And that is the promise that comforts us today.
So we give thanks to God for Dorothy. We thank Him for her faith, her kindness, her love for family, her service to this congregation, and the many blessings He bestowed upon her throughout her life. But above all, we thank Him for Jesus. For Jesus is the Way. Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is the Life. And because Dorothy trusted in Him, she lives even now.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment