Sermon for Epiphany 7: "The Resurrection Body" (1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42)

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Last week, we heard of the “Resurrection Connection” as the Apostle Paul connected the dots between Christ’s bodily resurrection and ours. The issue at hand was that many in Corinth could not fathom the idea of a bodily resurrection.

Instead of holding onto faith, many of the Corinthians were holding on to logic and reason. And since they did not see people being bodily resurrected from the dead in their daily life, many thought the resurrection was bunk.

God certainly gives us logic and reason, but since the fall of Adam, our logic and reason is often flawed, due to sin. So, when we attempt to follow our logic and reason, we are to always remember to test it using God’s Word as He reveals to us in Scripture. Remember, God is God and we are not, so when we end up trusting our logic and reason over God’s Word, we are then putting ourselves in the place of God. We are making ourselves gods.

So, as we heard last week, Paul, through the Holy Spirit, wrote of the eternal benefits of Christ rising from the dead, saying: “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians 15:16-18).

So, without Christ’s bodily resurrection, the Christian faith is pointless. We are dead in our sins. But since Christ has been raised, the Christian faith is sure and certain. Since, Christ is risen, we shall also rise!

Now that Paul has encouraged the Corinthian church and us of the benefits of Christ’s resurrection, the next question is what does our bodily resurrection look like? Today on this Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Paul gives us the most complete commentary on the Christian’s resurrection body.

[The Final Enemy: Death]

Louis XV, the king of France (1710-1774), ordered that no one should speak about death in his presence. He tried to avoid any visible sign or symbol or place that would remind him of the mortal nature of life in this world. Yet, just like us, the king could never escape this last great enemy anymore than a cat can escape its enemy by concealing its body, but leaving its tail exposed.

The reality of death is difficult to deny or ignore. God does not deny death, conceal it, or sugarcoat it like we tend to do today. We all die because we are sinners. Every human body will undergo decay in the grave. But the good news is that the sting of death – its curse and punishment – has been removed through Jesus Christ. “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:21).

Since Christ has been raised from the dead, He has defeated the power of sin, death, and hell. Death has lost its sting! The grave for the Christian becomes the gate to heaven.

So, just as Adam’s sin and death affected not only himself but all of humanity, so the Corinthians needed to appreciate that Christ’s resurrection was not only for His own benefit; through Jesus the resurrection from the dead had become the destiny for all believers. For just as Adam was the head of the old humanity, so that his fall left a legacy of sin and death to all, so Christ stands as the head of the new humanity to be made alive in Him.

It is only through Holy Baptism that we belong to Christ. Through baptism, God gives us faith, so we can receive the gift of resurrection to eternal life. But first things first. The end is not yet, so our loved ones must rest in the grave for a time. But everything will happen in its proper order. Christ’s resurrection is the great first step, the firstfruits hold the promise of everything else. Then His resurrection leaven – all the faithful in Christ – will be raised when He descends from heaven “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet” as He descends through the clouds on that Last Day. (1 Corinthians 15:52)

At no point here does Paul refer to the fate of unbelievers. Paul’s concern here is to bring comfort and hope to the believers. So, at the appointed time, Christ will usher in the consummation of the age through His reign in putting all His enemies under His feet, including the final enemy: death. (1 Corinthians 15:24-26)

The fact that death is our enemy has immense significance at Christian funerals. Sometimes at funerals, one may hear comments like: “Don’t be sad, we should rejoice. This is a victory celebration!” Now, there is a sense that this is true, but death – the last enemy and the sign of sin’s universal dominion over fallen humanity, will not be swallowed up until the Last Day (1 Corinthians 15:54), so Christians are free to grieve the death of their loved ones. But Christians ought not to mourn at funerals as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Christians certainly mourn, but our morning is mixed with hope. Our tears are mixed with faith. Our sadness is mixed with joy.

Christ’s bodily resurrection proves that God the Father has subjected all things, even death, to Him.

[How are the Dead Raised?]

From here, Paul asks in effect, “What’s the point? If the dead are not raised, what good does it to me to live in daily fear of my life” (1 Corinthians 15:30-32). It would make much more sense to get the most out of this life, so “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32; Isaiah 22:13). So, if Christ has not been bodily raised from the dead, let us die “without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

The world we live in is without hope and without God. Without God, nothing matters. It is a world of nihilism. It is a world of chaos. It is a world of no objective truth. Right is wrong. Wrong is right. Up is down. Down is up. Men are women. Women are men. This is the world we find ourselves in today. It is a world without hope and without God.

But Paul goes deeper into the logic and reason that the Corinthians crave. He speaks of one of their favorite poets Menander, for this man said: “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This is profoundly true. False doctrine fosters loose morals. Here, Paul is urging them and us to not be deceived as we live in the world without hope and without God, that we don’t become like the world. He says this to their shame – and our shame – because although they are Christians, they do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God.

So, don’t lean on your own understanding, but trust in God and the sure promise revealed in His Word. We cannot reason the resurrection. We can only have faith in the resurrection.

“But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’” (1 Corinthians 15:35) Or they may ask it this way: “How can a corpse which has been reduced to dust or ashes be raised to life again?” For the Greeks then, and the unbelieving world today, the concept of a decomposed person coming back to life was a sheer impossibility. Like the Greeks then and the unbelieving world today, they were inclined to scoff.

But from these questions, the Holy Spirit leads Paul into giving us the most complete commentary on our bodily resurrection! He says: “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies” (1 Corinthians 15:36).

Essentially, you will find the answer to our bodily resurrection by observing your own garden, or for many, your own farm field. Paul is saying: “From your everyday experience in horticulture you can observe the necessary cycle that a seed must first die before it is made alive.”

Martin Luther puts it this way: “The cemetery or burial ground does not indicate a heap of the dead, but a field full of kernels, known as God’s kernels, which will verdantly blossom forth and grow more beautifully than can be imagined.”[1]

So, at His Coming, Christ will raise us up, just as flowers, corn, and beans are grown from dead seeds. So, when death occurs a person is buried – or planted – like a seed in the cemetery. The body awaits the new life that will burst forth in the resurrection!

Oddly enough, the English word “cemetery” comes from a Greek word meaning “sleeping room.” So, the risen Christ is now the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

[Our Resurrection Body]

Then the next question is “What will our resurrection body look like?” Well, the resurrection body will be the same, yet gloriously different. We will be as God created us, but better!

The Lord who created our physical bodies will give us glorious, spiritual bodies. Our bodies in their present condition will be changed in a flash: no longer full of lusts, no longer sinful, no longer limited by hunger, thirst, pain, or mortality. We will have real bodies free from sin!

In the meantime, unless Christ comes first, we will all die, due to sin. But when we die, we die in hope knowing that we are God’s seeds sown only to rise again at the coming of Christ, because He lived, died, and rose again from the dead for us! The fear of death may cause us to deny death or even try to ignore it. But Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though He dies” (John 11:25), so we can face death with peace and confidence.

We know that there is more to come! Our bodies will be placed in a grave, but one day – “in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52) – that grave will be as empty as the grave of Jesus! Our mortal bodies buried will be the immortal body raised just as it was for Jesus! Amen!

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

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[1] Martin Luther. Luther’s Works 28:178.

Funeral Sermon: "Immeasurable Riches of God's Grace" (Ephesians 2:1-10)

 

Kristin and Kelly, family and friends of JoLene:

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

JoLene was certainly blessed by God all throughout her life. You see, the Triune God – the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit – always provided for all of JoLene’s needs of her body and soul. The Lord gave her faith at the waters of Holy Baptism, and it was the Lord who sustained that faith.

Today, JoLene is resting from her labors as she has been led by the Good Shepherd to the house of the Lord.

Throughout her earthly life, God blessed JoLene with various vocations. She was a mother to Kristin and Kelly. She was a grandmother and great-grandmother. She certainly cherished the time she had with her family and friends. God also blessed JoLene through her employment at Tonka Toys, 3M, Telex-Bosch and as a bartender.

She also enjoyed the company of others. She bowled league. She also enjoyed baking chocolate chip cookies and brownies and sharing them with her neighbors.

All throughout her life, God’s steadfast love for JoLene never ceased.

But for us here this afternoon, we are all experiencing loss. Any separation is a time of mourning. After all, death is not natural. Humanity was not created to die. But due to our first parents – Adam and Eve – we all die, because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). And, so we mourn. But, mourning is a good and godly work. You see, Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. Jesus wept because He loved His friend, so weeping and mourning the death of any loved one is a good work.

We Christians mourn because of the reality of death. We mourn because we were never intended to die and should live forever. But, we do not mourn as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We mourn, but our mourning is mixed with hope. Our tears are mixed with faith. Our sadness is mixed with joy.

[Amazing Grace]

We just sang what many call America’s national hymn. “Amazing Grace” has been recorded by pop and country stars such as Aretha Franklin, Alan Jackson, and one of JoLene’s favorite artists Elvis Presley. We often hear bagpipes playing the tune with a military band. This hymn most definitely has had an impact on people’s lives. In fact, there are entire books based on the history of this hymn.

Its writer, John Newton, experienced God’s grace during a storm at sea in 1748, as he converted to Christianity. His turnaround was certainly amazing, as he later became an Anglican pastor.

Then on January 1, 1773, the hymn was first sung to accompany his sermon. For several years, this hymn was not known to anyone outside that parish. Then in 1779 – six years later – “Amazing Grace” was published in a hymnbook known as the Olney Hymns, which was named after the town of his parish Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.

In just some short years later, “Amazing Grace” would enter American folk tradition and become a staple among American hymnals.

The hymn itself is a reflection on the overwhelming, undeserved grace of God that saved John Newton despite his sinfulness. You see, while he was out at sea that day, he was a slave trader. But through that storm, God brought him to faith. He was a “wretch,” and yet God saved him. Like the prodigal son, he was lost, but now has been found (Luke 15). Like the man to whom Jesus restored his sight, he was blind, but now he can see (John 9:25).

[Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus]

This is us, too! Through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul wrote, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked … But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:1, 4-5).

Despite our trespasses and sins, God gives us grace! Through His suffering and death upon the cross, Jesus put upon Himself our sins, in order to save us from what we truly deserve, that is, eternal death in hell. There, Christ underwent the Great Exchange as He took our sins and in return gave us God’s grace unto those who trust in Him. So, through Christ alone “by grace [we] have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

This is truly amazing grace! Jesus affirms this grace as He said: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The hymn “Amazing Grace” celebrates the grace, mercy, and love of God. But there is something oddly missing in the lyrics, even though it is likely that our minds import it. Oddly enough, the hymn never explains the “amazing grace” and never says how God bestows His saving grace. Did you ever notice that? I know that it took me years to even notice that.

Thanks be to God that we have that answer in today’s Scripture readings! You see, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:5). God bestows this saving grace through His Means of Grace: Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and in hearing God’s Word. Through these Means, God bestows His grace as He nourishes our faith. This is what God does for us throughout our life here on earth.

But what is JoLene experiencing now? Paul tells of that, too! Since, we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, all who trust in Christ are “raised up with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7).

For JoLene, she received faith in Christ through the waters of Holy Baptism as the Triune God adopted her as His own. At this washing, JoLene received God’s amazing grace – the forgiveness of sins achieved by Jesus on the cross for all mankind!

For all the faithful, upon death they enter the Church Triumphant in heaven. There, they sing because they are free from all pain and sorrow, since they are in the presence of the Good Shepherd. There, Jesus wipes away ever tear from their eyes as they hunger no more, neither thirst anymore (Revelation 7:15-17). For everyone in the Church Triumphant, they are completely satisfied!

But heaven is not the end. There is more to come! Although, JoLene’s body will be placed in a grave, one day, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52) – that grave will be as empty as the grave of Jesus! This body buried will be the body raised on that glorious resurrection day!

So, in this life, the heavenly life, and our resurrection life, God continues to show us immeasurable riches of His grace and all by faith that He nourishes through His Son Jesus Christ. Amen!

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

JoLene Horton's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/jolene-l-horton/

Funeral Sermon: "Certain Hope through the Good Shepherd" (Psalm 23)

 

Family and friends of Bob:

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

Throughout his life, Bob was blessed by God. He was blessed in his marriage to Helen. He was blessed with five children.

God also blessed Bob as he served his nation in the U.S. Army with the 58^th Infantry as a sergeant during the Korean War.

Through God’s blessings, He led him to become a big truck diesel mechanic at Arlington Cement Works for 35 years. All throughout his life, Bob was blessed by God. Today, Bob is resting from his labors.

But for us this afternoon, we are experiencing a loss. Any separation is a time of mourning. After all, death is not natural. Humanity was not created to die. But due to our first parents – Adam and Eve – we all die, because the wages of sin is death (Romans 8:23). And, so we mourn. But, mourning is a good and godly work. You see, Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. Jesus wept because He loved His friend, so weeping and mourning the death of any loved one is a good work.

But Christians mourn as those who have hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We mourn, but our mourning is mixed with hope. Our tears are mixed with faith. Our sadness is mixed with joy.

Through the Psalmist, God informs us about how He always provides our needs, our comfort, and our assurance. In a world that is full of distress and doubt, these words of Psalm 23 give us hope in three ways: that God leads us, that God is always present, and that God always provides.

[The Lord Leads]

“The Lord is my shepherd;
   I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
   He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
   He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).

In the first three verses of Psalm 23, we hear how the Good Shepherd leads us. The Good Shepherd cares for all the needs of His flock. In doing so, He cares for every human need: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Under the care of the Good Shepherd, we shall not want. Now, this doesn’t mean that we will never have any desires. Rather, all of our needs are met. The Good Shepherd supplies the basics through His daily bread: food, drink, and protection.

Each day of our life and in the life to come God provides for us abundantly. He leads us to “lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2a) where we are free to rest. These green pastures are His Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament – where He provides us pasture and sustenance, so that we may be refreshed and strengthened.

The Good Shepherd also “restores [our] soul” (Psalm 23:3a). Christ tells us: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). You see, He restores our soul as He sacrifices His life for His sheep – you and me.

The Good Shepherd also leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. This path of righteousness is “the right path.” You see, Jesus will never lead us to a place of slaughter. He only leads us to eternal life and salvation. Along the way, He leads us along safe paths to heaven through His Word. He leads us to heaven, for the Good Shepherd is the only Way (John 14:6) to travel the righteous path.

[The Lord is Present]

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
   Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

Even in the most frightening situation in our life, the Good Shepherd is present. So, we can always be confident of God’s guiding presence.

Even in “the valley of the shadow of death,” the Good Shepherd is with us. He is always present with us. The Good Shepherd never sends His sheep into places He will not go. He is always with us in our lives.

[The Lord Provides Forever]

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
   Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
   and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:5-6).

These verses tell how the Good Shepherd always provides for His sheep.

He prepares a table before us. This shows how the Good Shepherd is hospitable to His sheep. The Good Shepherd not only gives us our daily bread – all the needs of our body, such as food, clothing and shelter – but He also gives us the gift of salvation that He won for us through His suffering and death upon the cross.

The “cup runneth over” is the grace that we have received by faith in Jesus Christ. For although we were dead in sin, He took on the death we deserve upon that cross, so that we would be made righteous by grace through faith in Him. For although we sin much in thought, word and deed, God’s grace is the cup that is always runneth over. So, when we repent and confess our sins, we are forgiven.

The Good Shepherd gives all who believe in Him this goodness and mercy all their lives.

[Dwelling in the House of the Lord Forever]

For everyone who dies in Christ, they experience the ending of Psalm 23: “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6b).

As soon as those who know the Good Shepherd enter heaven, they are no longer sinners, but only saints. So, while they are in the presence of the Good Shepherd, they “hunger no more, neither thirst anymore” (Revelation 7:16a). While in heaven, the Good Shepherd continues to provide.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is always with us! He leads us and He provides forever! 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

Robert "Bob" Wagner's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/robert-bob-wagner/

Sermon for Epiphany 5: "Building Up the Body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 14:12b-20)

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro: The Issue in Corinth]

The Corinthian church was a deeply troubled congregation. At the start of his letter, the Holy Spirit guides Paul into writing, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers” (1 Corinthians 1:10-11).

One of the most troubling aspects of the church in Corinth was a sense of superiority on the part of some members of the church.

Typically, the distractions at the Corinthian church came from the worldliness outside the church. You see, the city of Corinth was a very large city with a population of nearly a million people. And like any large city then and now, comes many distractions. Added to this is the fact that Corinth was a port city. In fact, it had ports on each end of the city. Being a major port city, this brought commerce, but it also brought with it much sin.

Corinth was a city of wealth, a city of luxury, but what it was most known for was that it was a city of immorality. Corinth was a city well known for sexual immorality and drunkenness.

But Paul is not writing here about the distractions coming from the outside. Here, Paul is writing about the distractions that are coming from within the church in Corinth.

The issue here is that divisions are mounting within the church in Corinth as outsiders cannot understand what is being said – and many of the faithful at the church are also unable to understand.

Evidently, those who spoke in tongues were convinced that they were better than those who could not speak in tongues. They believed they had an increased value over the non-tongue speakers. Paul’s point is that if no person is able to interpret the tongues, then you are not building up the church. The speaking of tongues may be beneficial to the one speaking in tongues, but to everyone else, it just sounds like pure nonsense. If there is no interpretation, then the tongue speaking is worthless. It isn’t edifying the church. It isn’t building up the body of Christ.

In a similar way, often our sinful nature leads us to want more when it comes to the Sunday Divine Service. Sometimes, we focus on our feelings, instead of being satisfied in receiving the gifts that God gives us.

Today on this Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, the Triune God is leading us not to focus on ourselves, but instead on Jesus as He leads us in building up His Body, the Church.

[Understanding the Good News]

Back during the time of the Reformation, there was confusion within the church of the Holy Roman Empire – of what is now known as Germany. You see, throughout their daily life, they would speak German, but when they entered church, they would hear the Mass in Latin. Some understood parts of the service, but most people did not understand much at all. The issue here was understanding.

Martin Luther was also frustrated with this. So, as part of the Reformation, he created the Divine Service to be spoken in the language of the vernacular, the language of the people. With his reforms, the people spoke the liturgy in German, the people sung the hymns in German, the people heard the Scripture readings in German, and they heard the Scripture interpreted in the sermon in German. At last, these people could say “Amen” and know what they were agreeing to.

This is the issue at hand in Corinth, many within the church were saying “Amen,” but they didn’t know what they were agreeing to. With this being the case, the church in Corinth was not being built up.

Foundational to Paul’s whole discussion about tongues and worship in the church is that Christ is the head of the Church. Christ’s own head bore the crown of thorns in His passion. Christ’s own head bowed down in death – His atoning death on the cross. Christ’s own head was lifted up in His bodily resurrection. Christ’s own head received the crown of glory as He bodily ascended back to heaven.

Christ is now our head of all things in heaven and on earth. He is the head of His body, the Church, in a rule of grace, love, and forgiveness. This means that the Church is to live together and seek to build itself up as one caring and unified body.

This, we need to hear and understand! Even today, as we correspond using the English language, we still need someone to interpret God’s inerrant Word. There are times when we become distracted in the Divine Service, as we think about lunch, afternoon plans, or something catches our eyes or ears that end up distracting us. And even if we pay the closest attention, we may still not understand what we just heard spoken in the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons. This is why we have a time of interpretation, known as the sermon. In the sermon, we hear God’s Word interpreted through preaching.

Still, even then, our minds may wander, but when we have questions about God’s Word, we know who to ask – God’s called and ordained pastor.

But besides listening to the pastor, how do we build up the church? Well, instead of trying to impress people by how much we may know, try building each other up through teaching and catechesis. Through group Bible studies, we build each other up. Through attending the Divine Service faithfully together, we build each other up.

From this, the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to instruct others. We speak in a way that others can learn. Paul says to the Corinthian church and to us: “I want to speak of Christ and His sufferings, death, and resurrection for the salvation of souls, so they can hear this message.” So, when we instruct others on who Jesus is and why He matters, we become fishers of men. By sharing the love of Christ, we build up the church!

You see, it is through the good news of God’s truth that builds up the church. This is why Luther put together his Small and Large Catechisms, where he taught God’s six chief parts – The Ten Commandments, The Creed, The Lord’s Prayer, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Confession, and The Sacrament of the Altar. There, in the catechisms, Luther interprets what each Chief Part means, so all may know God’s Law and Gospel. And, with each section of the catechisms, Luther confirms God’s truth with an “Amen” by saying “This is most certainly true.”

There, Luther places Christ’s net, so that every follower of Christ would know the proper teachings of the one true Christian faith and be able to share God’s love with others.

Since we all have been bought and paid for by Christ, through His death and bodily resurrection, we ought to learn and take to heart all that God has done for us by bringing us peace. So, as His new creation, we strive to excel in building up the Church.

God teaches us to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

You see, God desires worship that enables “Amen.” God desires worship that catechizes the confused. God desires all divisions to cease. God desires that His Church be built up as the Body of Christ.

Paul raises some sharp questions not only about the practices of the Corinthian church, but also about the church’s life in any age. Unclear, confusing, or noncommunicative speech in the church fails to edify the church.

For us this day, we are to always recall that through Baptism, we “are the body of Christ, and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). In other words, Christ is our head, and we are His body, the Church.

As the Head, Christ leads us to forgive one another as He has forgiven us. Here, in the Divine Service, He shows His love for us through His Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament – as He strengthens our faith and forgives our sins. He leads us away from a self-centered life as we care for the needs of others. He, alone, unites us as His body as He builds us up! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Funeral Sermon: "From the Valley to the Mountaintop to the Empty Tomb" (Psalm 23, Revelation 7:9-17)

 

Arlene, Allen and Danny, family and friends of Melvin:

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

All throughout Melvin’s life, the Triune God — the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit — provided for all of Melvin’s needs of his body and soul. The Lord gave him faith at the waters of Holy Baptism, and the Lord sustained that faith.

Today, Melvin is now resting from his labors. Today, Melvin is rejoicing in the presence of God, and he is waiting for the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting!

Throughout his life, Melvin was blessed by God. He was blessed to be husband and father. He was blessed to be a grandfather. Among these blessings, he cherished every moment he had with his children and grandchildren.

Even as his health declined, God continually provided Melvin strength for his faith through the forgiveness of his sins through Word and Sacrament while at Grand Meadows and at rehab at EdenBrook in Edina.

But for us here this morning, even though Melvin’s death was to be expected, we are all experiencing a loss. Any separation is a time of mourning. After all, death is not natural. Humanity was not created to die. But due to our first parents — Adam and Eve — we all die, because of the wages of sin is death. And, so we mourn. But, mourning is a good and godly work. You see, Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. Jesus wept because He loved his friend, so weeping and mourning the death of any loved one is a good work.

We Christians mourn because of the reality of death. We mourn because we were never intended to die and should live forever. But, we do not mourn as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We mourn, but our mourning is mixed with hope. Our tears are mixed with faith. Our sadness is mixed with joy in the LORD’s promises.

So, what are the LORD’s promises? Well, our Scripture readings this morning are just that! Psalm 23 portrays our life here on earth. Revelation 7 points to what Melvin is experiencing now: the life happening right now in heaven.

[Our Life Now]

Our whole life here on earth is lived under the shadow of our enemy, which is death. Certainly, our life has its joys and celebrations. Yet our life is also lived under a shadow, an overcast sky that won’t go away even as we celebrate and laugh. This shadow of death has been the sad reality we have lived in since the Fall into sin.

This journey through the valley of the shadow of death can seem like a lonely walk that ends in defeat. But, we who are in Christ have the Good Shepherd’s promise that we do not walk alone. With us walks the Shepherd who has trod this same path before us. This Shepherd is Jesus who stands beside us today in our grief to give us guidance and direction.

This Shepherd is who walked into the valley of the shadow of death. He left the brilliance of heaven, descended to earth, was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and took upon Himself our human flesh and became one of us, though without sin. His perfect life was a display of God’s merciful love and care for all people. He used His power to forgive sin and overcome death, disease, and the devil. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons. But all the while His ministry had one direction as He was led to the cross. There, the sinless Lamb of God was made to be sin for us — as He took upon Himself all of our sins. He died in our place as the atoning sacrifice and rose from the dead for our justification. Through His death and resurrection, the Good Shepherd brought us grace.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the One who walks through the valley with us. With Him by our side, He gives us rest in “green pastures” (Psalm 23:2a). With Him by our side, He raises us from death to life through “still waters” (Psalm 23:2b) of Baptism. With Him by our side, He “restoreth my soul” (Psalm 23:3a). With Him by our side, He leads us on the right path, because Jesus is the righteous path (Psalm 23:3b).

We are never alone as we travel in the valley of the shadow of death in our life now. The Lord Jesus has walked it before and He is walking it with us today and every day (Psalm 23:4).

[Heaven to Come]

From the valley of this life, we will one day come to the mountaintop. We heard of this mountaintop in Revelation 7. Upon this mountaintop, we see “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes” (Revelation 7:9).

So, who are these people “clothed in white robes”? Well, these are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation — that is, out of the sufferings of this life in the valley of the shadow of death. Among this multitude known as the Church Triumphant is Melvin. He and the faithful in heaven are standing before the throne, because their robes have been made white through the blood of the Lamb. This washing occurred in Baptism as they received the forgiveness of sins achieved by Jesus on the cross for all mankind. Jesus died in the valley, so that all by grace through faith in Him might live on the mountain.

Melvin is now arrayed in white among the faithful in heaven. He is there because he believed in Jesus as the only Savior from sin. Upon his death, Melvin came out of the valley of the shadow of death and is now singing on the mountain top.

They sing because they are free from all pain and sorrow, because in the presence of the Good Shepherd, sin has no more power over them. Cancer is destroyed. Dementia is destroyed. Jesus has wiped away every tear from their eyes as they hunger no more, neither thirst anymore. Melvin and all the saints arrayed in white are completely satisfied!

[The Resurrection on the Last Day]

Jesus connects both realities, of the now of Psalm 23 and the not yet of Revelation 7, in His Good Shepherd narrative of John 10.

Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” … and “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, for they will listen to my voice” (John 10:7, 14-16).

You see, Jesus has removed any dividing wall. Through Jesus, all people are welcome in His flock!

The Shepherd says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Melvin listened to the Shepherd’s voice. We can join him! By grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, our destination is with the saints arrayed in white.

But there is more to come! It doesn’t end there! Today Melvin’s body will be placed in a grave, but one day — “in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52) — that grave will be as empty as the grave of Jesus! This mortal body buried will be the body raised in immortality just as it was for Jesus! (1 Corinthians 15:53) This is our sure and certain hope! 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

Melvin Raduenz's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/melvin-emil-otto-raduenz/