April 30, 1915 – July 13, 2011
Baptized into the Name of Jesus: May 23, 1915
Confirmed: April 13, 1930
Job 19:21 Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! 22 Why do you, like God, pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! 24 Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
John 11:17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles [1] off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. [2] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is Helen’s Confirmation Verse, Revelation 2:10, especially these words, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ, especially family and friends of Helen. A few days ago, on Wednesday, our dear aunt, cousin, and friend Helen received the crown of life. She faithfully passed from this earthly life into an eternal life without end with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She who had struggled through toils and trials of this sinful world is now victorious, not in herself, not because of anything she has done, but rather because her Lord granted her faithfulness in Him – in Jesus the resurrection and the life.
Helen’s life was not always an easy one. She lost a baby daughter, she lost her husband nearly 50 years ago. She faced many trials and temptations and through them all, her faith stood strong and intact. These last few months had been especially tough for her, as the sins of this world weighed down on her. She who once had been a strong teacher, passing on her knowledge to many of the people in town as their elementary teacher, slowly began to forget many of the events and things from her life. And some physical injuries finally would bring her life to a close.
These struggles are all a result of the sin that affects each one of us. Each one of us too faces struggles in our life, we face hurt and pain and loss and suffering. There is no escape for it here on Earth. There is no magic solution for the trials of our sinful lives. Just as Helen faced them bravely in faith for so long, so too must we as we deal with our own personal trials and tribulations.
And that, friends, is the key - faith. Throughout her entire life, Helen had a strong faith in her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a faith that wasn’t based on her works, or her abilities or even her strengths – especially these last months as she began slowing down. No, her faith was a gift from God. And even as physically she deteriorated her faith in God was strong, always looking to the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Friends, that is what our faith looks to. In the midst of our sinful struggles, in the midst of our trials and in the midst of our loss, we have comfort in Jesus Christ. God loves you, and loves Helen so much that he sent his son to take our sin onto himself, to bear it to an old rugged cross and to die in your place. And now, Jesus wants to give you the benefit that he earned from that sacrifice. He gives you life, just as Helen now experiences it forever with Jesus. He gives you forgiveness, even in the midst of pain and struggles, just as Helen so wonderfully demonstrated in her life. He gives you comfort in loss, just as he did to Helen as she lost so many in her life.
And most importantly, Jesus promises you that one day you will rise again, along with Helen, and see God with your very own eyes, face to face. Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life will raise you and all believers to be with him forever. As Job confesses, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” That is your promise, and that is the promise that God gave to this blessed saint before us, Helen Wolfe.
Dear friends, “be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” Jesus says. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” This is the promise that Jesus makes to you. It is the promise that Helen clung to for 96 years of baptized life, through pain, through sorrow, and now through death into life. It is the only promise that matters, and it is the only promise that can never be destroyed. In Jesus is Life, and life to the full. We have lost a beloved aunt, a cousin, a teacher, a friend, but we have not lost her forever. For in the faith she had, she lives now and forever with her Lord and God. She lives with Jesus, and we shall see her there again one day, to live forever in His kingdom. Amen.
