A Savior For The Helpless

The following 'Funeral Sermon' is posted with family permission.  May the Lord give to the family of Vicent Olson, and all who mourn, comfort in their grief and a sure confidence in the Lord's loving care.

Text: Mark 10:13-16

Donna, Robert, Crystal, Roger, Darci, Debra, Rodney, Sandy, grandchildren, family, and friends, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are assembled this morning because of one man; a man known by many of us, a man who loved many, and a man who especially embraced the helpless, the needy, the insignificant, and the sinful.  That man is obviously, Jesus Christ. 

Yes, we are gathered here this day because Jesus Christ has redeemed our brother Vince Olson.  Jesus has forgiven Vince of all of his sin, claimed Vince as His own, and promised to resurrect Vince from the grave at the last day.  We are here this day because we need to hear in this moment of our grief that Jesus Christ has not, will not, and cannot forsake Vince that Jesus was with Vince in his earthly life and is with him in death. 

This last Saturday, Vince took his last breath and his heart slowly drifted away; however, as this happened, Christ Jesus took our beloved Vince into His arms, laid His hands upon Vince, and blessed Him with rest of His soul in paradise. 

The reason why we can know this to be true is that Jesus Christ Himself has told us that the Kingdom of God belongs to little children, children like Vince. 

But we may say to ourselves; Vince was 91 years old; he was hardly a child.  Yes, it is true that Vince was removed from childhood by about 90 some years; however, we hear in the Gospel of Matthew chapter eighteen that we adults are to change and become like little children if we are ever to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Indeed, unless we change and become like children, we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 

What does this mean, though?  Dear friends, it means that it is not the strength of our faith, the power of our good works, the splendor of our reputations, or the supremacy of our abilities that gain us access to the Kingdom of God, but rather, it is childlike helplessness.  That is to say; Jesus chooses to redeem, forgive, and save those that become like helpless children – that is to say, those who know that they are sinners in need of a Savior.  It is most certainly true; the Lord chooses not to forsake helpless sinners like me, like you, and like Vince.

As you all know, Vince was a gentle soul.  He had a kind disposition and a quiet, compassionate voice.  I say this not to draw attention to Vince’s character, but to draw attention to Vince’s helplessness.  You see, Vince knew that He was a sinner in need of a Savior.  He knew that he could not make it through this life on his own.  He knew that he was like a child – a child that needed help to make it to and through those pearly gates – as they say.  So, Vince in his childlike helplessness trusted in another.  He trusted in Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners, the Lord of life – His Lord, His Redeemer, His refuge, His strength. In fact, in the last moments of his life, Vince did not boast about himself.  He did not look to his past accomplishments. He did not even look to the power of his will, but rather, he sang on his death bed with his beloved Donna. With a throat that had been damaged by hospital tests, he sang the following,

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, that on that cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.  Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee: How great Thou art!  How great thou art!

Indeed, we are here this day at this funeral service because we need to hear about the surpassing value of knowing Christ.  We need to hear, believe, and trust in the same Savior that Vince trusted in – Jesus Christ.  We need to hear the same thing that Vince heard on his death bed, that we have a righteousness, not of our own, but a righteousness found in Jesus Christ – a righteousness given to those in need of grace. We need to hear about Jesus Christ and the power of Jesus’ resurrection – a resurrection that guarantees our resurrection.  We need to hear all of this as children of the heavenly Father. 

What we learn from our brother Vince and our scripture lessons this morning is that we need to be brought to the status of childlike faith.  We need to be stripped of our attempts of being self-sufficient and be reduced to a helpless, dependent, and needy childlike status, for this is so very good.  Why is this good, though?  This is good because when we are brought from a position of strength and self-sufficiency to a position of helplessness, we are then freed to look outside of ourselves.  When we are brought to a position of realizing that we can do nothing about our sinful condition and death itself, we can then hear that we have a heavenly Father who cares for us, who has absolved our sins, and who has triumphed over death. 

Our brother Vince was a child of the heavenly Father.  He did not have to struggle to get himself in a good position for having a relationship with God. He did not have to craft ingenious ways of explaining his position to Jesus. He did not have to create a pretty face for himself, and he did not have to achieve any state of spiritual feeling or intellectual understanding before the Lord.  All Vince did was happily receive Jesus and Jesus’s love.  All Vince did was receive the gift of the kingdom, for Jesus came to Vince and received Vince into His arms at his baptism and held him some 91 years – especially at the very end. 

Dear friends, those who insist that they are not helpless sinners will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  On the other hand, those who are helpless, dependent sinners – those who are empty handed children depending on the Lord – are the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, for the Lord does not loathe children, and He does not despise childlike faith.  Oh no, He does not reject empty handed childlike sinners, but in His mighty arms, He accepts them and envelops them in His mighty strength. 

Dear friends, you who feel helpless this day, you who feel the pain of loss this morning, you who have been brought to the status of a child with empty hands, hear and receive the good news of the Gospel, news that is especially for you this day: neither life nor death shall ever sever children like Vince and you from the Lord, for you are given the Lord’s grace. 

Hear and receive this day the good news of the Gospel: though the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh, the Lord God does not abandon his children, for they are the center of His love. 

Hear and receive this day the good news of the Gospel: the Lord gathers His children in this life and especially at death to preserve them pure and holy.

Hear and receive this day the good news of the Gospel: the Lord promises a resurrection of His children.  At the last day, a trumpet shall sound, and Vince will rise alive with a new body, unto life everlasting.

Take comfort this morning dear friends.  Our beloved Vince did not have to climb.  He did not have to huff and puff. He did not have to try and earn the Kingdom of God, but rather, it pleased our Father to give him the kingdom, and it pleases the Father to give you the kingdom this day as well, through the promises of His Word. 

Take comfort this morning that the Lord does not leave his children – children like Vince –, but He meets His children to lavish grace upon grace so that we might all sing,  ‘Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee: How great Thou art!  How great thou art!’

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

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Forgiveness Given; Forgiveness Received

Text: Matthew 18:21-35

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

How many times are we to forgive someone that sins against us?  You know what I am talking about.  How many times are we to release someone else from the retaliation that they very well may deserve to receive?  Yes, how many times are we to forgive loved ones when they hurt us?  How many times do we erase a person’s record of sin against us? How many times are we to free people of their bondage of remorse, shame, and dejection?  What is the secret number?  Three times?  How about seven times?  How about seventy times?  What about 490 times?  Just what is the numerical standard for this?  Is there a mathematical formula in calculating this?  Could there possibly be a spread sheet and situation calculator that will determine this for us? 

In today’s Gospel reading, “Peter tried to set what he regarded as a generous limit to the practice of forgiveness.”[1]  He questioned Jesus if forgiving a brother seven times was enough, for seven times is indeed generous.  In response to this, Jesus shares with Peter that a Christian is to forgive seventy times seven.  Yes, Jesus clarifies that “unlimited forgiveness is characteristic of the Christian Gospel.”[2]

It is rather striking to hear this from Jesus.  Jesus does not affirm Peter’s submission of seven times and he doesn’t even provide some sort of forgiveness formula for dealing with being sinned against.  Rather, He intensifies Peter’s generous number of ‘seven’ by saying that a Christian should forgive seventy time seven.  That is, Jesus is not setting a limit but showing that there is simply no measurable number that one can ascribe to the practice of forgiveness.  Yes, forgiveness is unlimited; it is not a numbers game.  Forgiveness has nothing to do about keeping score. 

Now, if it is true—and it is—that there is simply no limit to the amount of times that we should forgive a brother or sister that sins against us, we are then faced with a pretty profound dilemma.  You see, “relationships between sinful people are often marred by sinful words and actions, some recurring over and over again. In every marriage, in every family, in every friendship, Christians will be faced with the situation in which forgiveness is requested of them—again. We too may wonder with Peter whether our forgiveness toward others has limits. [Furthermore,] our own [sinful] nature leads us to want to limit forgiveness, [as well].”[3]  

That is just typical of our sinful nature is it not?  The old Adam, that is our sinful nature, will tend to limit forgiveness to others, while Jesus on the other hand says that it is limitless.  The reason why this is true is that our sinful flesh is all about justice and keeping score of other people’s wrongs towards us, but rarely wants justice for ourselves.  That is the way that it is with the old Adam.  We want to be let off the hook, but rarely apply that same standard to others.  We don’t want to pay our debts, but expect others to pay theirs.  We want free handouts but expect others to dig themselves out of their own graves.     

Dear friends who have you withheld forgiveness from?  Who is in need of your forgiveness?  Has the sinful nature had its way with you?

Keep in mind that forgiveness is not merely attempting to forget the wounds, sin, and pain that have been done to you as if they never happened, though this is a possibility.  Furthermore, forgiveness is also not a dismissal of someone’s sin towards you, as if this sin was not a series offense.  Forgiveness is also not turning a blind eye towards someone; it is not giving someone the silent treatment like some immature schoolgirl.[4]  Forgiveness is also not getting someone out of trouble with the law scot free, as they say.  Finally, forgiveness is not something that the sinful nature can do or wants to do.   Forgiveness is none of these things.  Rather, forgiveness is an action that is done by you through the leading of the Holy Spirit by the Gospel.  It is releasing someone from your vengeance, your plans of revenge, and your retaliation agendas. 

Frankly, even though it is tremendously important for others to be forgiven by you and me, this granting of forgiveness is just as important for you and me as it is for them.  In other words, in the familiar words of John Kleinig – a quote that we have heard several times before in sermons here at Zion, but a quote worth hearing again – when “Satan gets another Christian to sin against us in deed or word . . . Satan gets us to brood over it, like a stuck track or a video loop, repeatedly and obsessively in our minds, with every greater emphasis on the gravity and injustice of it. As we process the offense and its effect on us, Satan gradually distorts our remembrance and our assessment of it. He uses this offense to encourage us to bring our mental accusations against the offender in the court of our minds. There he presides over the proceedings as we hold a secret trial in which we both prosecute and pass judgment on the wrongdoer.”[5] 

“The more we brood on the offense, the angrier we get against the offender. We remember all the other offenses that we have ever suffered from that person and all the other people that have ever hurt us. And that fuels our anger and our desire for justice. We maintain that we are in the right; we are justified in our judgment of them. We hold the moral high ground against them. Then, before we know it, anger leads to bitterness and resentment. This, in turn, leads to outrage, hatred, and lust for revenge. And so we end up stewing in our own poison.”[6] 

“When we begin to hate those whom we should love [and forgive], Satan has us where he wants us. Once hatred sets in, he can slowly and patiently dislodge us from the Church and from Christ.”[7]  My friends, this “Hatred is spiritual suicide. It marks the end of eternal life, the new life we have in Christ. Anger is seductive because it makes us feel justified in hating those who have hurt us. We are right and they are wrong. We are right in hating them and taking revenge on them because they are our enemies.  The revenge that we take is subtle and hidden. We don’t usually attack them physically or verbally, but emotionally and spiritually. We write them off and give them the cold shoulder. We reject them in our hearts, dissociate ourselves from them, and treat them as if they were dead to us.  Sadly, by cutting ourselves off from our brothers and sisters in Christ, we cut ourselves off from Christ as well. The upshot of that is withdrawal from the family of God and increasing isolation in the darkness of hatred. That is a kind of spiritual suicide, for hatred opens up a secret place for Satan in our hearts.”[8]

Baptized saints, this lack of forgiveness wreaks havoc in the lives of Christians, churches, and communities.  It is destructive.  It is the wishes of Satan and the results of our sinful nature. 

Indeed, today’s Gospel reading causes us to ask the question, “Who have you and I withheld forgiveness from?  Who has been tried in the courts of our mind?  Who has been damned by us resulting in our withholding of forgiveness?” 

While these questions are indeed right and true and good for us to ask, what we have uncovered today is that first and foremost it is you and me who are in need of forgiveness.  The reason why this is so?  Are not our debt, sin, and failures greater than all of these insignificant, stupid, and trivial things that have been done to us by our brothers and sisters?  Thus, who are we to withhold forgiveness from those who Christ died for? 

But what of serious offenses of sin; what about those sins that were committed against us that are too dark and too painful to mention in the light of day?  Whatever has been done to you or not been done to you, you do not have the right to reign down eternal damnation, hell, and vengeance upon these individuals so as to separate them from the Lord, for you are not the Creator.  You, who have ears, hear this, repent. 

You, who have ears, listen to another word.  Consider the beginning of today’s parable in our Gospel reading.  Yes, in today’s Gospel reading we hear that you and I have been “rescued and released from an unfathomable, crushing debt that, by legal right, would otherwise have condemned”[9] us to a lifetime in hell.  Yes, your sin of withholding forgiveness is forgiven by the one who does not withhold forgiveness from you—Christ forgives you.  Yes, your sin of putting people on trial in your mind is forgiven by the one who was tried and condemned guilty on your behalf—Christ forgives you.  Yes, your sin of limiting forgiveness from others is forgiven by the unlimited forgiveness of Christ-crucified—for you.  King Jesus cancels all of our whopping debt of sin-a liability that you and I could not possibly recompense and He does this for you and me because He is rich in love and abounding in grace.  He forgives you and me and considers it well worthwhile.

By the way though, as forgiven people, you can and will forgive.  Indeed, “only forgiven people can really forgive.”[10] This is so, because the Holy Spirit through this Gospel will lead you and me to forgiveness while granting grace and peace to our sometimes confused emotions.  Indeed, as forgiven people we pray that the Father would set us free from harboring grudges and withholding forgiveness, for Christ sake.  As this happens, we rejoice in the forgiveness received by us and given to others.  As we fail, we rejoice for the forgiveness given by the Lord and received by us. 

Baptized saints, because of the Father’s merciful nature, you and your neighbors have been forgiven an insurmountable debt of sin, ransomed by the death of Christ.  This is true today, is true for the next seven days, and will be true until He comes again—for you.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

---

[1] Francis C. Rossow, Gospel Handles: Finding New Connections in Biblical Texts (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2001), 67.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Balge, R. D., & Ehlke, R. C. (1989). Sermon Studies on the Gospels (ILCW Series A) (p. 306). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House.

[4] Pastor Jason Zirbel, “Forgiveness: Limited or Limitless?” (11 September 2011) http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=2381(13 September 2014).

[5] John W. Kleinig, Grace Upon Grace (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2008), 234-236.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Matthew 11:2-20:34: Concordia Commentary, 938.

[10] Francis C. Rossow, Gospel Handles: Finding New Connections in Biblical Texts, 68.

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The Word Of God Does Stuff

Text:  John 4:46-54

In the name of Jesus Christ: Amen.

We are used to broken promises and empty words, words that are simply lip service. Are we not?

For example, politicians make campaign promises and speak words of hope, only for us to later realize that their campaign words were empty, non-binding and that their words were unable to deliver.

Let us not only pick on the politicians, for they are an easy target.  Let us think about the breakdown and emptiness of spoken words in the workforce.  Each and every one of you has experienced the joys of hearing words spoken by your employer or supervisors, only later to find that the words were empty.  Words were spoken to you giving you a promise of some sort of job promotion or some sort of raise, but you later had to experience the frustration of these words not coming to fulfillment. 

Words have also been spoken to you by marketers.  Words that we should know better not to trust, but words that we deep down hope are true, "With 4 easy payments you will obtain this fantastic exercise video which will then bring you on an exercise journey to lose 30 pounds in 5 weeks.  Purchase this product and your wildest dreams will come true."

Hitting a little more close to home we see the breakdown and failure of words in the family.  Each year the following words are spoken with sincerity and conviction, "I promise to be faithful to you in good times and bad, to love and cherish you in sickness and health, and be with you until death do us part."  Yes, these words are spoken at hundreds of marriages across our country only to result in 50% of marriages ending in divorce, divorce that tragically results in the death of family, pain, unsettledness, and distrust of marriage and its vows.

Indeed, you have experienced empty words, words that fail to deliver and you have also experienced false words.  However, I suspect that you are much like me in that you have also failed with words yourself.  You have made promises to your employers, colleagues, friends, and family only to default on those promises, only to see that the words were not effective in having the results that you promised.  Painfully, you have spoken words to your spouse, saying, "Trust me, this time; it won’t happen again; everything is going to be o.k." only to find out that they are not. You have spoken words to your children, words that testify that you will be at the precious baseball game or music recital, only to default and fail to follow through on your words.

It is no wonder why we are suspicious of words.  We have all been sinned against with words, words that were false and words that failed to deliver on what they promised.  Furthermore, we are all guilty and know the guilt of sin when we speak false truths and speak empty words, words that have failed to bring forth the integrity that we hope to possess. Tragically this is our human condition.  We are broken and dead in sin which results in broken, false, and vacuous words.

The consequence of this is that we are suspicious of words; in fact, we are so untrusting of words that we demand outward signs, things to validate and hold words in check.  You know what I am talking about!  When we borrow money we typically need to sign a contract that holds our words in check.  When we submit a job application we need to have references for the employer to call in order to verify if our words of self-assessment are true and right.  Our words are not typically taken at face value, thus the need to place down payments, sign contracts, shake hands, and so forth.  

God calls us to let our yes be yes and our no to be no; that we are to be truth speakers. Yet, we fail and sin with our use of Words and need to have outward signs, or tangible things in order to validate and hold our words and other people’s words in check.

Do you know that it was no different during the time of Jesus’ day?  The Jewish population demanded signs.  In order for something to be true and right, they wanted to see the proof in the pudding, as they say.  And guess what?  Jesus did give the people signs.  During the 3 ½ years of Jesus’ ministry He traveled the countryside doing miracle after miracle; healing the sick, giving life to the dead. Yes, the lame walked and the blind could see.  The buzz in the air was that this Christ did miraculous things!

But why did He do these miraculous things?  Although Jesus performed these miracles and signs to make Himself known and to lead people to faith in Him, the underlying purpose was to focus their attention on the Words that He spoke rather than the signs.  The visible signs and miracles testified to the truth of Jesus’ message.  In other words, these signs and miracles of Jesus were done not as a means to their own end, but they were done so that the people might believe that He was the Messiah (John 20:31).  The signs and miracles were to be like a catapult that grabbed ahold of the people and launched them to the person of Jesus Himself and His faithful/true words.

You see, my friends, Christ is much different than you and me.  Whereas our words are many times false and powerless, Jesus’ words are true.  Jesus’ words are powerful.  Where we demand signs to validate words, Jesus gives signs and miracles to point us back to His Words.  Let me say that one more time.  Whereas our words are many times false and powerless, Jesus’ words are true.  Jesus’ words are powerful.  Where we demand signs to validate words, Jesus gives signs and miracles to point us back to His Words.

In the case of our Gospel text that we read earlier, the Jewish Official is insisting that Jesus comes to the place where his son was at the point of death.  In response, Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” What Jesus is addressing is the problem that the people of the day many times had. They became distracted by the miracles and signs of Jesus and simply regarded Him as a miracle worker.  They saw the miracles and signs and failed to see the One doing miracles.  They had faith in the miracles and the signs.  Therefore, as we heard in the Gospel lesson today, Jesus does not go to the official’s residence to heal his son, but rather He speaks the words, “Go: your son will live!”  Jesus is taking this man from a ‘miracle and sign’ faith to a true saving faith in Jesus’ ‘Word.’  What makes Jesus the Messiah is not that He can do miraculous miracles, but that He actually is the Messiah, that Jesus’ words are true and powerful. 

Do you see the significance of this my friends?  Jesus speaks a word and the official’s son is healed instantaneously!  Jesus does not go to the man’s dying son on purpose.  He does not go and the reason is so that the official would trust the truthfulness and power of Jesus’ Word and His Word alone.

Unlike you and me, and the people of the 1^st Century, Jesus’ Word is true and Jesus’s Word is powerful.  The Word of God does stuff!  In the Old Testament reading from today, we hear about God creating this world by the power of His word.  God said, “Let there be light.” And so it was.  As God speaks the world into existence in Genesis 2, we also see Jesus, the Son of God, declaring that the official’s son was healed, and so it was!  And get this, as God speaks the world into existence, as Jesus speaks healing for the official son’s into existence, God also speaks faith into existence in you and me. 

Each and every Sunday you come to this church, this Divine Service, to hear the Word of God.  Every time that you open the scriptures, God speaks to you.  His Word is not mere information that you are to act upon, but it is a living and active Word.  The Word is like a double edge sword; it is like a hammer.  The truthful Word of God invades you and me, interrogates us, and exposes our sin; thus it kills us and then delivers promises to us.  The Word does this because it is true and because of the Holy Spirit working in and through the Word.  The Word breaks through and wounds.  The Word comes against our old Adam, our sinful nature, and ascribes redemption solely to the blood of Christ. 

Therefore, listen and open your ears.  Listen to a new Word, ‘Christ is risen. Your Sins are forgiven.  Thus saith the Lord.’  Yes, my friends, hear God’s Word today, ‘You are forgiven! You are clean by the Word of God spoken to you.’ 

But just in case the old Adam, your sinful nature, and the world and the Devil tempt you to believe otherwise, let me announce to you that God has given you and me several tremendous nuggets, signs if you will.  Not signs that are a means to an end.  But visible signs that deliver God’s Word in tangible, real, encouraging, physical ways. 

When the old Adam rises to speak counterfeit words, false truths lies, and so forth… tell the sinful flesh this! 

I have been baptized into Christ Jesus.  You no longer live, for the Water-Word has drowned you; I have been buried with Christ and resurrected anew in Him.

When the world rises to speak counterfeit words, false truths, lies, and so forth… tell the world this! 

I am dead to you and you are dead to me, for I have a seat at a great feast, a great feast where I hear truth and promises of forgiveness.  A feast where I receive the body and blood of my Lord Jesus Christ.

And when the devil rises to speak counterfeit words, false truths, lies and so forth… tell the devil this. 

The tomb is empty, for surely you know that it is true for you yourself heard the words of victory from my Lord Jesus Christ, who cannot lie, that He indeed finished everything for me.  Yes, I am indeed a poor miserable sinner; yet I have heard the absolution from my pastor, who in the stead and by the command of Jesus proclaims to me that I am a sinner who has been clothed in the blood of Jesus.  Indeed, Jesus’ word is true and He has promised me salvation, redemption, and forgiveness.  Evil one, you should surely know this for Christ even descended to Hades to announce His very victory, a victory that He accomplished for me.

God’s Word is true, it is effective, and it is for you.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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The Sheep Belong To Jesus

The following 'Funeral Sermon' is posted with family permission.  May the Lord give to the family of Lydia Rotenberger, and all who mourn, comfort in their grief and a sure confidence in the Lord's loving care. 

Texts:  Psalm 23 and John 10:11-16

Judy, Randy, family, and friends, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The shadow of death is not very much fun, for it brings forth darkness and terror.  Indeed, as we sheep enter into the shadows of death, the darkness obscures our vision and prevents us from seeing the unknown in front of us.  Furthermore, as we sheep descend into the valley of death, we can also become insecure from the cry of wild beasts tucked away in the caverns of the mountainside.  The valley of the shadow of death is no picnic; it is not to be taken lightly.  It takes confidence out of our hearts as we approach death itself or as death pulls us into its valley and darkness. 

The valley of the shadow of death might not be that scary if we sheep were a bit more powerful; however, as you and I know, we sheep do not have fangs or claws.  We sheep are typically not able to lash out and attack predators like the wolf of death.  We sheep are powerless to defend ourselves.    

All of this is true, especially in regard to our funeral service this afternoon. As we all know, for the last several weeks the shadow of death has been creeping overtop of Lydia.  The shadow has grown darker and bigger and then, this last week, Lydia entered into the valley of death.  She has gone into the shadow of the valley of death, where there is no turning back. 

There is a temptation for us though when we consider the dark valley of death.  That temptation is for us to try and convince ourselves that the dark valley of death is not as dark as it seems and not as dangerous as it appears.  If it is not this, we then can try to think that we are brave enough, good enough, and strong enough to walk into the valley.

But the reality is that we are powerless sheep, not mighty predators.  We do not have fangs, we do not have claws, and we are powerless to defend ourselves.  Furthermore, at the end of the shadowy valley, the wolf of death is there to devour us, and that wolf of death is just too big, just too crafty, and his jaws are just too powerful.  

What does this mean for Lydia though?  …for she is a sheep! 

Dear friends, in this afternoon’s Gospel reading we heard the good news that sheep, like Lydia, have a Shepherd.  Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”  We also heard in our Old Testament reading from the 23^rd Psalm that there is a Shepherd that cares for us.  What does this mean, though?  It means that we can take great comfort that Lydia was not some abandoned sheep all on her own.  It means that we – as sheep – are not alone in this life or in death.  It means that we have a sheep-shepherd relationship.  It means that we can take great comfort in being a sheep of Jesus.  We can know with certainty today that Lydia was not by herself and alone as she went into the deep shadow of death.  Oh no, she was not alone, for the Lord will never allow one of His sheep to go into a place where He will not go, Himself. 

It is true that we sheep do not have what it takes to go into the dark valley of death alone.  We cannot defend ourselves from death that acts like a ravenous wolf.  We do not have what it takes to walk through the valley of the shadow of death on our own and by our own strength.  It is too dark; it is too deep.

You, who have ears, hear this.  The good news of the Gospel is that you shall not fear.  Yes, you shall not fear the dark valley of death or that wolf of death, for Jesus is with us in this life and with us into the valley of death.  Jesus is our Shepherd and as our Shepherd, He will not falter and run when the dark shadow closes in on us.  He did not abandon Lydia and will not abandon you in the valley, as we approach death. 

Jesus is our shepherd – the Good Shepherd.  There is no doubt about it that we do not have what it takes to enter the valley of death and we do not have what it takes to overcome the wolf of death; however, Jesus shares in our Gospel reading from today that when the wolves come, He will not run and He will not forsake you.  Furthermore, in our Old Testament reading from Psalm we hear that the Good Shepherd will not forsake us.  The Good Shepherd will not run away when the wolf of death comes and He will not abandon His sheep as they journey into the shadows of death.  Indeed, we belong to Jesus and that is the reason why He will not forsake us.  We belong to Jesus and that is why He lays His life down for you, for me, and for Lydia.  Indeed, He lays down His life for the safety and welfare of His flock. 

You, who have ears, listen to the good news of the Gospel.  Jesus holds us tenderly in His arms, protecting us from everything that would destroy us.  In fact, when sin, death, and devil come charging at us like a pack of hungry wolves to devour and steal us away, to confine us to the hell we deserve, our Good Shepherd says, “Take me.  Take me instead.  For I am the Good Shepherd.  You will not touch them nor have any authority over my sheep.  They belong to me.  I have promised to keep them safe.  Take me instead, for I will gladly give myself to you for the sake of my sheep.”

Jesus truly lays down His life for the sheep—sheep like Lydia.  He did this on His own accord.  He did this because He is the good Shepherd; He did this so that He might take His life up again. He did this because He has a steadfast and solid and dying love for His sheep.

Yes, we belong to Jesus; we are sheep and He is our Shepherd.  He leads us through the Word.  We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the Word.  He washes us in our baptism.  He feeds us in His Holy Supper.  He rebukes us through the Law.  He mends our wounds through the Gospel. 

Due to the Shepherd’s death, resurrection, forgiveness, and embrace, we can say of Lydia that Christ died for her, Lydia is one of Jesus’ sheep.  To the death that He died for her sin and ours, He joined her by Baptism, and He joined her to His life that is stronger than the little death of our mortality.  Therefore, just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, Lydia will also walk in newness of life when she is resurrected at the last day.  As she awaits the resurrection of her body, Lydia is in a newness of life brighter than we can imagine.  Jesus is her staff and stay; all the accusations of the Law are left behind, with no shadows of death, no deep valley of pain, no threats of wolves, but life unimpaired in the arms of Jesus’ rest. 

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, 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 – that is you and that is Lydia – from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Good Shepherd of the sheep.

Now, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

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Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled

The following 'Funeral Sermon' is posted with family permission.  May the Lord give to the family of Harold Waswick, and all who mourn, comfort in their grief and a sure confidence in the Lord's loving care.  To listen to the 'Prayer Service Sermon' CLICK HERE.

Text: John 14:1-6

Geneva, Jerry, Jim, Cheryl, family, and friends, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Some well-meaning people will try to tell us that death is just a natural part of life that it is something we simply need to accept and deal with.  But if that were true, we should not be here mourning the loss of Harold.  In fact, if death is just a natural part of life, then we really should not show any concern over the death of loved one.  If it is just a natural part of life, we should just shrug our shoulders with apathy, the same way nature seems to not care about the death of a sparrow.

And yet regardless of people telling us that death is a natural part of life, we find ourselves mourning this day.  In fact, we take time off from work and school to gather together in a funeral service such as this.  The reason why? Because a precious family member and friend has been taken away; because death has swallowed another victim.  And each of us feels that pain and sadness of separation in our own way. 

Therefore, what you feel today is not the way things should be.  It most definitely is not.  In other words, death is not natural; it is not just another part of life.  Death and sadness and mourning are not what God created you for.  You see, God never created any of us to die.

That is why there is that cramp of pain inside you that shadow of anxiety lurking about.  Because when we see a loved one, like Harold, taken down by the grave, we are reminded that it is just a matter of time before death comes for us as well. 

And as we consider death, we must confess that no matter how brave we are death still stirs up our hearts and minds.  Death strips calmness and confidence from us and disturbs our thoughts. 

Dear friends, we were not created for death; Harold was not created for death.  However, because of sin that entered our world through Adam and Eve, death is at work in our bodies.  Sin is what kills, sin is what strikes fear into our hearts, and it is what covers us with darkness. This anxiety and distress that we experience are not the way it was intended to be. 

And so we all live under this thick dark veil of death.  We live under the uncertainty of death, we live under the discomfort of death, and we live under the fear of death, especially this day as we remember and grieve the loss of Harold. 

So, here we sit. 

Here we shuffle in our seats under the thick dark veil of death. 

And here we are with troubled hearts and anxious thoughts. 

Maybe if we listen hard enough, we might hear death’s laughter as it attempts to press in on us. 

But dear friends, take note of where you are at.  You are here in a church – in Christ Jesus’ Church.  You are not here to listen to the laughter of death.  You are not here to sit under the thick dark veil of death.  You are not here to embrace your troubled hearts and anxious thoughts. No, you are here in this funeral service and in this church to hear what the Lord has to say about death and what the Lord has to say about Harold. 

Dear friends, listen to what the Lord says in His Word, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Do not let your hearts be troubled!” 

Do not let your hearts be troubled because Jesus is the way out of this veil of death.

As our Savior, Jesus gave Himself into

death on the cross for you, for me, and for Harold.  Jesus had no sins of His own, but in His love for you, for me, and for Harold, He took all of our sins upon His shoulders and carried them to Golgotha where He received our punishment and the wages of our sin. 

What this means is that Jesus willingly gave His life in our place.  He died Harold’s death so that Harold might have Jesus’ life and have it to the fullest. 

You see, Jesus has gone before Harold into the grave and opened a gaping hole in the belly of death.  The grave could not hold on to our Lord Jesus because He is Life itself.  Jesus has overcome sin, death, and the grave.  And because Jesus rose from the clutches of the tomb, we too – with Harold - will rise from our graves to serve and worship Him for all eternity in His kingdom which has no end.

This is Jesus’ Word, His promise that He makes to you in the reading from John’s Gospel this morning. “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms.  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, that where I am you may be also.”

Jesus Christ is the way out of this veil of death. He is our joy in today’s sadness and our life in death.  “Let not your hearts be troubled,”  Jesus says.  “Believe in God; believe also in me.” 

And so this day, we do believe because Jesus has graciously called us and enlightened us by His Holy Spirit.  Through His Holy Word and the sacrament of Holy Baptism, He has brought Harold and you and me to faith in Himself.  Jesus has brought us to believe in Him and to trust in Him that He has made a way out of this present veil of tears and sadness.

That faith which trusts in Him, in His death and resurrection and the salvation and eternal life given to that faith is a free gift of the Holy Spirit.  And the Holy Spirit lovingly keeps and preserves us in that faith until we are brought into His everlasting life.  Whether that be when we close our eyes in death and open them in His glorious presence, like Harold, or when Jesus comes again on the clouds to gather His church home.

In the meantime, the Lord fills us with His grace and strengthens our faith through His Word and Sacraments.  All we need do is to stand in the shower of His goodness and mercy.  Placing ourselves squarely in front of the altar of His church and eat and drink deeply of the gifts of life and salvation in His holy supper and His Word. 

In His mercy, our Savior will keep our faith alive and growing.  It is in that same mercy that we commend our dear Harold today to God’s keeping until the day of the resurrection.

Now, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen

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