Kari and Todd, family and friends of Karen:
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!
[Intro]
The Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is the God of comfort and hope.
Through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul comforts us with these words this day: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
First, it may be wise to define the Christian hope. For many people, “hope” leaves room for doubt and uncertainty. It’s like saying, “I hope to make it on time” or “I hope my team wins.” But the Christian hope leaves no room for doubt and uncertainty. You see, the Christian hope is a sure and certain confidence. The Christian hope is in Christ, and He always fulfills His promises.
Now, when Paul says, “you may not grieve as others do who have no hope,” he is not saying that Christians do not grieve the loss of loved ones. Certainly, everyone grieves, since any separation brings grief, but as Christians we grieve in hope.
“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep. … Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 18).
For all believers in Christ, death is not to be feared, since we have the sure and certain hope that we will be with our loved ones again who have died in the faith.
At the same time, don’t be ashamed to grieve. Grieving the loss of loved ones is perfectly natural. Remember, Jesus grieved. But always hold on to this sure and certain truth that because Christ lives, everyone in Christ also lives. This is the certain hope we have, because we know that our Redeemer lives! And what comfort do those words give to us!
We are here this afternoon to remember Karen’s life, but most importantly, we are here to celebrate Christ’s victory over death to which Karen and all who trust in Him also receive. We are here to rejoice in Christ’s promise of forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation to all who trust in Him!
Throughout her earthly life, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – blessed Karen with many various gifts, including her knowledge, her humor, her artwork, and her writing. She had a love for life and a love for people as she had a caring heart that she shared with her family and friends.
She was also blessed to have gone on many travels – including to Europe – with her two children Kari and Todd to better introduce them to the world around them.
She also enjoyed being a grandma to her grandchildren and all those memories she had with them in her earthly life. She was a fan of Elvis Presley and she enjoyed being informed about happenings in the world around her.
Most importantly, Karen was blessed by God as she became a child and heir of His Kingdom through the waters of Holy Baptism.
All throughout her life, God blessed Karen.
[Death & Sleep]
In our reading from 1 Thessalonians 4, the Apostle Paul compares death to sleep. He says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Now, Paul is not trying to make something bad seem a bit better by referring to it in rosy terms. In fact, what Paul is saying is completely true. This is what death is like for one who dies in Christ. Death is like a sleep in which the person’s body is completely unaware of anything around it, but when the body awakes, Jesus wakes up the Christian to a more glorious eternal day.
For all of us, we are not afraid to rest our heads on our pillow at night to go to sleep, for we know that we will wake up again to a new day. This is how death is for Christians. We should not fear resting our heads on the pillows of death and falling asleep, because Jesus will wake us up to a more glorious day.
We see before us this afternoon, the wages of sin, which is death. And no human being can overcome death. Death is our enemy, but although we die to sin, death serves as a portal – a gate – to heaven, since Jesus Christ conquered the power of eternal death on our behalf through His atoning death on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead. Due to His work on our behalf, we, by grace through faith in Jesus, no longer fear death, “for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
You see, Jesus has complete power over death. For everyone in Christ, Jesus tells us what His resurrection means: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19) and “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26a). This is the promise of Christ.
You see, by faith in Jesus Christ, all believers receive the benefits of the cross of Jesus: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.
As a part of this grace, every believer in Christ will be reunited with one another. This is our sure and certain hope in Christ.
[Encouraging One Another]
Paul closes our text urging the Thessalonians to talk about these facts so they might encourage one another in times of loss. May we do the same! How comforting it is to hear again and again from the lips of fellow believers this simple fact: “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
From our perspective, Karen is asleep. But from her perspective, she has been awoken by Christ to live a more glorious eternal day. She and all the saints in the Church Triumphant are at peace. And, by grace through faith in Christ alone, we will see our loved ones again who have departed in the faith. So, until Christ calls us home, encourage one another with the hope we have in Christ. For in some unknown day to come, Christ will wake up all the faithful to a more glorious eternal day! 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
Karen Covington's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/karen-covington/
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