Funeral sermon
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Rev. Charles Henrickson
From Baptism to Burial--and Beyond (Matthew 28:19;
Romans 6:3-5)
Today we began the service with the Invocation and a
Remembrance of Baptism. Why did we do that? What
does that have to do with a funeral service? What
comfort does that give to us, Millies family and
friends, to hear those words about baptism? Lots,
actually. May these words give you great comfort now,
as we go From Baptism to Burial--and Beyond.
We began with the Invocation, In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Thats
appropriate, for those are the words--that is the
name--with which Millie was baptized. That was the
beginning for Millie, really, when she was baptized
and had the name of the triune God placed on her.
What did it mean for Millie, that God put his name on
her? It means that the triune God claimed her for his
own, that she belongs to him. That is a tremendous
thing, my friends. For when Millie was baptized in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, the Father then became her Father, the Son
became her Savior, and the Holy Spirit became her
Sanctifier and Life-Giver.
In Holy Baptism God the Father took Millie as his own
dear child. Children of the Heavenly Father--that
includes Millie. In Baptism, the Father took Millie
into his mighty, ever-loving and everlasting arms, and
he will never let her go. The heavenly Father loves
Millie even more than any of us do. Neither life nor
death shall ever From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth, And their sorrows all
He knoweth.
Ah, but her sorrows! What about that? How could God
be a kind and loving Father, when he let Millie go
through all that she suffered? And indeed, Millie did
have her sorrows, both physical and otherwise: The
disease that racked her body in recent years and
caused her so much pain. Then there were the broken
relationships in her life that also caused her pain.
How could Millie believe that God was her kind and
loving Father, in spite of all that? But she did. I
know she did--we talked about it many times over the
last couple of years. Her faith in Gods goodness was
strong. Millie knew that God loved her very much and
had something much better in store for her, right
around the corner. The ultimate healing was on its
way.
Now she has begun to enjoy that healing. Now Millie
is at rest, asleep in Jesus. She is with the Lord.
No more pain, no more sorrows, no more tears. And
that healing will be completed at the Last Day, when
Christ will come again and raise up this mortal body,
which we entrust to the bosom of the earth today. He
will give her a new and glorified body, like unto his.
This is our hope as Christians, for this is Gods
sure and unshakeable promise.
Millie believed that God was her kind and loving
heavenly Father, in spite of all the sorrows. And
maybe we should too. For yes, dear friends, God is
your Father also. He loves you very much, each one of
you. He will not let your bear more than he will also
give you the strength to handle. The Father is taking
you in his arms today, and holding you, and assuring
you of his love. He knows you loved Millie and hated
to see her go and you will miss her greatly. God
knows that. Your Father knows your other sufferings
as well, whatever they may be.
And here is how you can know for sure that God still
loves you, no matter what: The answer is found here
at the cross. For God so loved the world--for God so
loved you--that he gave his only Son, that you who
believe in him should not perish but have eternal
life. Oh, the amazing grace of God, that he should
love us so! That is how you know God loves you, no
matter what: by looking to the cross of Christ. If
God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us
all, then we can know for sure that nothing--not
cancer, not leukemia, not pain, not the loss of our
loved one--nothing will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For in the sorrows of Christ we find our peace and our
healing. There on that cross the holy Son of God died
for the sins of the world. Jesus paid the price for
all our rebellion against God, all our failures toward
our brothers and sisters, all this big ugly mess of
sin that afflicts us all and infects us all and kills
us all. Jesus took it all on himself and carried it
to the cross, there to die with him. And it did die.
The debt is paid, the sin is atoned for, your guilt is
removed, and death itself is conquered. Christ did
all that for you by his death on the cross. And to
show that he had removed the barrier of sin and
destroyed the power of death, Christ Jesus then rose
from the grave on Easter morning, showing forth the
victory he now shares with those who trust in him.
So that is also what it means for you and for Millie
to be baptized in the name of the triune God. Not
only has the Father become your Father, the Son
likewise has become your Savior. For you and I and
Millie--we have all been baptized into Christs death
and resurrection. This is where the words from the
Remembrance of Baptism come into play: Do you not
know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried
therefore with him by baptism into death, in order
that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of
life. For if we have been united with him in a death
like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his.
What great comfort this gives us, what great hope this
affords, to know that in our baptism we have been
joined to Jesus in his death and burial and
resurrection! It means that our sins are forgiven,
all our sins washed away in the waters of Holy
Baptism. It means that the old man of sin is dead and
buried, and that we are new people in Christ, clothed
in the white robe of Christs righteousness. It means
that this body we place in the grave today will be
raised up, new and glorious, when Christ comes again.
For if we have been united with him in a death like
his, we shall certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his. Our risen and ascended Lord
Jesus will not let his brothers and sisters be apart
from him. Millies soul is with her Savior right now,
at home and at peace, forever. And she awaits the
blessed hope of all the baptized, the resurrection of
the body at the Last Day.
Baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son--and
of the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit became
Millies Sanctifier and Life-Giver when she was
baptized. The Holy Spirit gave her faith in her
Savior and kept her in that true faith unto the end.
The Spirit was at work in Millie, working through the
Gospel, through the Word and the Sacraments that
Millie received at church throughout her lifetime.
And when she became too weak to make it here to
church, we brought church to her, bringing her the
Word and the Sacrament in her home or at her hospital
bed.
From Baptism to Burial--and Beyond. It really is a
miracle, folks, when someone is baptized. God is
beginning a lifelong work in that person. Eternal
life long! For God to put his name on you--as God
placed his name on Millie--means that God is
committing himself to you for the long haul. You and
Millie have a Father who loves you very much, who
cares for you through all the ups and downs and
sorrows of this life. You have a Father who loves you
so much he gave his Son to die for your salvation.
And so you are baptized into the death and
resurrection of that Son, Jesus Christ. You are robed
with his righteousness, you have the forgiveness of
sins, which in turn leads to the resurrection of the
body and the life everlasting. You have the Holy
Spirit to guide and guard and keep you in this faith
unto the end, a blessed end.
And yes, Millie did have a blessed end, despite all
appearances to the contrary. It was a blessed end,
because it was a death in the faith, it was falling
asleep in Jesus. And that means the end is really
just the beginning.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
Charles Henrickson
4749 Melissa Jo Ln
St. Louis, MO 63128
(314) 845-8811 (home)
(314) 779-8108 (cell)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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