Funeral Sermon: "Into Eternal Joy and Bliss" (John 14:1-6)

 

Linda, Joel, family and friends of Dale:

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

[Intro]

“Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1a). With these words, Jesus fortifies and preserves His disciples in knowing the sure and certain hope that we will see our loved ones again.

In the last days to hours of Dale’s earthly life, for Linda and son Joel, I’m sure there were times when their hearts were troubled. Thoughts like, “This isn’t the way I thought it would be” I’m sure cropped in their minds. It certainly crops into all our minds. But why? Even though death is expected of all of us – unless Christ returns first – death still does not seem right. It doesn’t seem right that we are separated from our loved ones. But with death, comes separation. And with any separation, we experience loss. With separation, we come to a time of mourning. Some mourn publicly, others mourn privately. But we all mourn.

We mourn because death is not natural. You see, 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 6:23a). And so, we mourn. But mourning is a good and godly work. Remember how Jesus reacted to the death of His friend Lazarus? He wept. 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 because “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

[Christian Vocations]

Throughout his earthly life, Dale lived out his Christian vocations. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and grandfather to name a handful of his vocations. As a son, he farmed with his father. As a husband, he provided for his family at Glencoe Manufacturing and Hutchinson Technology Incorporated. As a father, he and Joel worked together in the garden. As a grandfather, he enjoyed every moment he had with his grandchildren.

Dale sure enjoyed gardening. He provided the seed, but it was the Master Gardener – Almighty God – who gave life to his daffodils, zinnias, rose bushes, and hardy hibiscus bushes.

Besides gardening, Dale had so many hobbies. By far, his interest in sports always served as a conversation on my communion visits.

But all the while, right at his side, as he watched sports on television and read the Minneapolis StarTribune, was his Lutheran prayer book. And that Lutheran prayer book had a lot of ware and tear. You see, his vocations, his joy of gardening, and sports were not the most important to him, what was most important to him was his Christian faith.

Dale held to this truth wholeheartedly: “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). He also held on to this fact: “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:8-9). And he trusted these words of Jesus: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

In his earthly life, Dale was a sinner – just like you and me – but due to his faith in Christ, he is no longer numbered among sinners. You see, at his death, his sin was destroyed. Death for Dale is simply a portal to heaven as His Savior Jesus Christ called him home. Today, Dale is resting from his labors as he has received the promise of eternal life.

[Troubled Hearts]

Jesus assures us again today as He says: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me” (John 14:1). Before Jesus spoke those words to His disciples, the Twelve had always felt secure, assured, and unafraid because of Christ’s personal presence. They had been eyewitnesses when Jesus proved Himself mightily before the people with His preaching and His signs.

In brief, as long as the disciples had Christ with them, they had no reason to worry about anything. Jesus knew that at His departure, His disciples would fare much differently. He knew that they would be overrun by anxiety and fear. So, Christ says those words that are most comforting to us this day, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me” (John 14:1).

This is as if Christ said, “My dear disciples, I know very well what your lot will be after I depart from you and leave you alone. Sheer terror and fear will overwhelm you. Your hearts will melt within you, and you will not know where to turn. I am telling you this before it happens, to keep you from growing fainthearted.”

With those words “Let not your hearts be troubled,” Christ is fortifying and preserving His disciples then and His disciples now – you and me.

Christ never said our lives here on earth would be without fear and trouble, but He did say to place those burdens upon Him and He will carry them.

In our sermon hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (LSB 770) – which is one of Dale’s favorites, we sang how God invites us to pray. Christ says to us, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). You see, through prayer, God takes our thoughts and concerns upon Himself. No matter what the Christian faces, the Savior’s concern – “Can we find a friend so faithful” – and promises – “In His arms He’ll take and shield thee” are an invitation to pray, for which Dale did in his earthly life. Remember, Jesus knows our every weakness, since He became man by taking upon Himself our human flesh in order to suffer and die for our sins as our crucified and risen Savior.

[The Way]

Each of us has a Friend so faithful that He suffered and died and took His life back up again in order to give His flock eternal life (John 10:18). For Christ’s disciples then, they didn’t always understand what Jesus was saying. Thomas for sure was confused as he said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5).

Then as is now, people seek a variety of ways to salvation. People devise one way after the other proving how ignorant they are of the right way.

If we want to be assured of reaching heaven, we must have a sure way and sure road to travel. For there is only one right way and one right road. And such a way is found only in God’s Word. For Christ alone is the only Way and the only right Road on which our heart can and must rely on and depend.

Jesus says to Thomas and to us, for which Dale trusted: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

What Jesus is saying here is this: “‘I am the Way.’ Cling to Me with your faith. I am the Bridge to carry you. For it is I who paved the way and the road. I became man so that I might take you and all My followers to heaven.”

This journey began in Baptism when through the water and the Word, the Holy Spirit gave us faith to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Through our earthly life, we walk in this faith until Christ completes it through death. For faith never errs or strays, but clings to Christ. When our journey on earth is over, faith confirms that we are already at our destination of eternal life.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and what a comforting doctrine this is.

But someone may ask, “What does coming to the Father mean?” Well, nothing else than what Christ has already spoken. By faith in Christ, we pass from death into life, from sin into innocence, from misery and distress into eternal joy and bliss.

All throughout his life, Dale received strength for his faith as he was forgiven by God through the Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament. It is through Christ’s work that Dale is now resting from his labors, as Jesus has accomplished salvation for him and for you and me! By grace through faith in Christ, death is but a portal, since “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

Today, Dale has joined the Church Triumphant in heaven as he has left the great tribulation of this life now. Dale is clothed in Christ’s Robe of Righteousness as he is before the throne of God where he hungers no more, neither thirst anymore as he is in the presence of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:14-17; Isaiah 25:6-9). Today, Dale and his fellow saints are free from sin and its power.

But heaven is not the end. For all the faithful, there is still something more on the horizon. “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). You see, death does not have the final say. Life has the final say. Since Christ has been raised from the dead, we too, will also be raised. So, Dale’s grave will be as empty as the grave of Jesus! This body buried will be the body raised on that glorious resurrection day!

May we too – by faith in Christ – pass from death into life, where we fly like eagles as we are held in the palm of Christ’s hand where there is only eternal joy and bliss. Amen!

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Dale Duenow's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/dale-otto-duenow/