July 5, 1923 - August 3, 2011
A Baptized Child of God
Confirmed: June 13, 1937
Isaiah 25:6-9
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 27
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
28:1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today are the readings just read, especially these words, “He has swallowed up death forever.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ, family and friends of Irma. It is a very somber occasion that brings us together here: the passing of a loved one. Some have come from New York, some Colorado, some California, and some Oregon, but all have come to say goodbye to a treasured mother, grandmother, friend and companion. We are here today because death seems to have won another victory, and we are the ones left to feel the hurt and pain from it.
Death does seem to have won, and it seems that is always the case. For Scripture clearly teaches that all have fallen short of the glory of God, and are steeped deeply in sin, and Scripture further says that the wages of sin is death. These words are about Irma, and they are about us. Yes, even Irma, who was the daughter and husband to faithful pastors, was guilty of sin. Even Irma, who went on mission trips to Mexico and Guatemala to preach the Gospel and even up until so recently was speaking Spanish with her caregivers, had fallen short of God’s glory.
And dear friends in Christ, you and I too have fallen short. You and I have sinned in our thoughts, words, and deeds. You and I are guilty before God, because of our utter sinfulness. And so friends, today we are all gathered here, a group of sinners, gathered in mourning for what the sin causes to us and our loved ones.
But our readings give us a glimmer of hope in the midst of darkness. They give us a message of joy in the midst of sadness and loss. For throughout the pages of Scripture, we hear that God will swallow up death forever. Where, O Death, is thy victory? Where, O Death, is thy sting? For death is not the final word for Irma, and dear friends in Christ, it is not the final word for you either.
For our God came to destroy death. Our God took upon himself human flesh, and was born of the Virgin Mary so that He might rescue sinners like you, like me, and like our dear friend Irma, and that He might give us all life in His name. And Jesus does just that, by the work He accomplishes on the cross. Jesus took all your sins, all of Irma’s sins, and yes the sins of the whole world upon himself the day you were baptized into him. Jesus bore all that guilt and all that shame to Calvary, where He nailed it to the cross along with his own body. Jesus hung there, dying your death, and dying Irma’s death for six hours. And finally, when your sin had fully been paid for, “He cried out in a loud voice and gave up his spirit.” It is there that you died. It is there that your punishment was exacted. And it is there that your sin was swallowed up forever.
Our Gospel lesson goes on to tell us that when Jesus gave up his life on your behalf, the tombs were opened around Jerusalem. “And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Dear friends, that is your promise and the promise Irma held to for so long in her life. That because Jesus has died for our sins, that we one day will rise up in the resurrection of the dead. Because of the faith that looks to Jesus, the beloved mother and grandmother that lays here before us will one day return to physical life in her body made perfect.
Today we lay to rest the body of our loved one, knowing that one day her tomb will be opened again by Jesus, and that her body will gloriously be raised, so that she may physically be in the presence of her God forever and ever without end. “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” On that day, “Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces” with his own nail scarred hands. On that day, we will all be united with Irma again, and with her be in God’s everlasting paradise. “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’” For in Jesus, “Death is swallowed up forever.”
Friends, this does not mean your life will be easy. This doesn’t mean you won’t miss mom, or grandma, or even other family and friends. There is hurt and loss with any death, not matter what the circumstances. But even this death, even this pain cannot overcome or undo what Jesus has earned for you by his bloody death and glorious resurrection. In that hope, and in that promise, we mourn knowing that this death is not the end. In this hope we know that one day we will meet Irma again, that we shall be before the Lamb of God in his throne, and that he will give us peace beyond understanding. In Him, and in Him alone, death has been swallowed up forever. Amen.
