Donald, Duane, Daniel and Dana, other family and friends of Donna:
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!
[Love of Children]
“Any news?” That’s how Donna greeted me each time I visited her and Donny.
The news she was hoping to hear was that her pastor would again be a father. Donna loved children and especially loved her first son, who passed away way too soon. Donna, Donny and I share this in common. We both lost our first son. They lost Donald Junior and my wife and I lost Henry.
Toward the last months of her life, Donna would say to me, “Well, I guess I have to go in order to make room for your next child.”
Donna loved children. She loved her children. She loved her children’s children. She loved babysitting children. She loved all children.
Donna learned from her Lord and Savior to love all children – those in the womb and those who are in their elderly years. She loved all people.
She took the following words of Jesus to heart: “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for such belongs the children of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:14-15).
Donna also believed she had to receive the kingdom of God like a child. You see, she trusted and found comfort in her Savior’s promise of eternal life, forgiveness of sins and salvation. She knew she could not earn salvation, because all she had to do was believe and trust in Jesus and His grace would be given to her.
When Donna and Donny retired, they became travelers. They visited family and often traveled to Las Vegas. Then this all came to an end a few years ago when Donna’s health declined and she later entered hospice care.
[Clothed in White]
As the months turned to years, Donna desired to come home with her Lord. Especially during her last few months on earth, she said she wanted to go home. Then on Sunday, March 31, she finally went home to be with her Lord and Savior.
As Donna left her earthly body, she joined the great multitude that no one could number in heaven. She joined the multitude of people from every nation, people and language. She joined the great throng of saints who cry out “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10).
As God reveals in Revelation 7, one of the elders asks: “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” (Revelation 7:13b).
This elder is awestruck
by the appearance of this great crowd in heaven and wonders: Who are they?
Where did they come from? They weren’t here before.
You see, this great crowd has come out of the great tribulation and have been declared righteous through the blood of the Lamb.
This tribulation is the life we live on earth as a Christian. This tribulation is a continuing reality for each of us here today. We all suffer in our earthly life. We all have hardships in our earthly life. Donna had her fair share of tribulation in her life.
This vision of the Church Triumphant is a message of comfort for all Christians, since every Christian experiences testings of faith.
All of us today are living in the Great Tribulation. This is the time between Christ’s Ascension into heaven and His return to earth from heaven when He comes again to judge the living and the dead.
But when our time on earth is over, we will be one of the many coming out of this tribulation. When we enter heaven, we will be seen as perfect, because our robes will be pure white, because we were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. We were washed in the blood of the Lamb.
This sacrificial Lamb also strengthens our faith and forgives our sins each time we receive His very body and blood at the Lord’s Supper.
Donna became a child of God on April 14, 1940, when she died to sin and was born again to new life at her baptism. At that time, she was adopted by the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as she was wrapped with Christ’s robe of righteousness that covers all her sin. Then on April 11, 1954, with the trust of child, she confirmed that she is indeed a child of the Heavenly Father.
It is only by God’s grace that anyone could enter heaven. We can do nothing to earn heaven. All we can do is to believe like a child and trust like a child all the promises that Christ alone has won for us through His atoning death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and His bodily ascension into heaven.
It is through Christ alone that God the Father sees the Church Triumphant as righteous. Because of their faith and trust in Jesus, the Church Triumphant is seen as pure and holy in the presence of God the Father. Everyone is covered in pure white robes and has received the righteousness of the Lamb, for which they share in the victory over sin, death and Satan.
Today, Donna and the others in the Church Triumphant never hunger, thirst, or want anymore, for they are in the presence of God.
However, today we are separated from our loved ones who have died. And our loved ones in heaven are separated from us. We each cry out, “How long?!” Or, Donna may be saying to Jesus: “Any news, Lord?”
We know that one day there will be no more separation, because God the Father will send Christ again in glory to resurrect the dead from their graves and also judge the living and the dead. At this time, Jesus will separate the unbelievers from the believers. Each believer in both body and soul will be made new and sinless in the New Heaven and New Earth.
Everything will be perfect. There will be endless joy!
[Singing with the Church Triumphant]
Today, we sing hymns like “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” where we long to be with our Savior. We long that our sin and guilt are taken away. But one day, we will be living out hymns in the Church Triumphant such as “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White,” because we will be cleansed from guilt and shame as we are arrayed in white as God’s children in His Kingdom. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
T SOLI DEO GLORIA T
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