Charles, Carol and Joyce, family and friends of Jeanne:
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!
[Intro]
All throughout her life, the Lord provided for every need of Jeanne’s body and soul. She was certainly blessed throughout her vocations of her earthly life. She was a daughter, a sister, a loving wife, a mother, a homemaker, and an employee. She enjoyed all the moments shared with her family and friends.
One of the hobbies Jeanne enjoyed was quilting, so for her, there was “a time to tear, and a time to sew” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). The Triune God, too, enjoys quilting as He stitched this world into existence. He also stitched together our families and friends. The Triune God brings us all together. But even as through quilting we are brought together, today, we know that “there is also a time to tear.”
For us here this afternoon, we are experiencing a loss. With any separation, we come to a time of mourning. 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. 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.
You see, 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, since despite the wages of sin being death, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).
[The Message of Ecclesiastes 3]
The opening verses of Ecclesiastes 3 are among the most famous in Scripture. In fact, its words are often quoted and sung. This divine poem leaves the reader awe-struck and silent in the face of majesty. But once the awe starts to fade into analysis, the reader is bound to find himself or herself scratching their head. What is the point? What exactly does it mean?
For centuries, there have been various interpretations of this divine poem. Instead of going into each interpretation out there, for which there are dozens. The main point of this divine poem is that it impacts the reader with everything it says. This divine poem exerts a force and leaves an impression. This poem cannot be dissected into its individual propositions.
This, in fact, is true of all Scripture. Its purpose is not merely to reveal ancient history or provide engaging literature. Rather, God works through His Word to move people to repentance and faith in Christ in teaching us that God is always in control. The ultimate message of this divine poem is this assurance of Jesus: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
In the midst of all the times and seasons of mourning and rejoicing, war and love that God has appointed for His creatures, there was one appointed time that God reserved for Himself. It was the time, the hour, reserved for His Son, Jesus Christ (Mark 14:35, 41). It was the span of six hours that only God incarnate, who had been conceived and born in the fullness of time (Ecclesiastes 3:2; Galatians 4:4), could endure and fulfill. The sinless Son of God suffered and died on the cross to redeem Jeanne and His creatures from all their sin and suffering. Paradoxically, this time of death and killing (Ecclesiastes 3:2-3) was the hour when the Son was glorified by the Father by His obedience unto death, and the Father glorified His Son (John 17:1; Philippians 2:6-11).
Easter morning was the time for God to heal and build up (Ecclesiastes 3:3). The resurrection of the crucified Christ is the foundation upon which the Church is built, the basis for rebirth in Holy Baptism with the promise that, as we have died with Christ in Baptism, so also shall we be raised with Him (Romans 6:1-4; Colossians 2:11-13). In the eternal state, there shall be no more times of death or morning or weeping, only joy and peace forevermore (Isaiah 65:18; Revelation 21:4).
Christ’s suffering and death and resurrection are mirrored in this divine poem, because He became incarnate and as fully human as each of us, yet without sun, to deliver us from all evil and give us unending joy.
By grace through faith in Jesus, Jeanne has received unending joy. By grace through faith in Jesus, we too, are delivered from the power of sin and are given unending joy. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
Jeanne Dodd Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/jeanne-corrine-dodd/
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