Job 19:22-27; Revelation 7:9-17; St Luke 2:22-35
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Dear Phil, Craig, Nicole, and Kelsey, dear family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and honored guests: Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.
We’re never really ready for death. Not for our own. And not for the death of our loved ones. We know what is coming, but even then, we just don’t expect it when it does. And why should we? We were not created to die. This was not God’s plan for us. We were created with the intention to live forever; in perfect union with the Blessed Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Contrary to what many well intentioned people say, even some Christians, death is not normal. Death is not natural. Death is not a part of life. It is the very antithesis of life! In 1 Corinthians 15 St Paul says that death is an enemy. An enemy to life. An enemy to God and to His Christians. In fact, he says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor 15:26).
None of us were ready for our dear sister in Christ to be called home. Donna had been receiving chemotherapy, but when it was shown not to be working, she and Phil went to MD Anderson in Houston to get some answers. Upon their return I visited them and Donna relayed to me the news. “I’m dying,” she bluntly told me. She shared the rest of the details, even showing me pictures of the fluid that was drained! Still, it was a bit of shock to me when I heard that she passed away. I wasn’t ready for the news. Like you, Phil, Craig, Nicole, like all of you, I was saddened by it.
Donna was the parishioner every pastor knows: the parishioner who serves to bless the pastor when he comes to see her. This was true even before she was sick. Phil would always offer me a beer, no matter what time of day. But Donna would always pray with me; pray for me; pray for her family, for my family, for her friends, for what she called you all, her “church family.” She talked theology with me and got excited about the liturgy. It probably borders on heresy, but I always thought Donna would have made a good Elder.
After she got sick, sometimes I would leave their house wondering who benefited more from the visit, who was visiting whom with comfort and blessing; myself or Donna? This was true even when she was suffering and uncomfortable.
I know that Donna’s family and friends were not ready for this news. You may not be ready for this day. But, dear friends, there is a subtle difference between being “ready” and being “prepared.” For Donna herself may not have been ready to die, as she submitted once more to the chemo prescribed by her doctor, with the hope of prolonging her life. But I can say most certainly that Donna was prepared for death. She was prepared because Jesus prepared her.
What I mean is this: from the moment of her conception, from the day of her birth, through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism, in receiving His forgiving word, in faithfully partaking of His Holy Eucharist, Jesus prepared Donna; even as He prepared Simeon in the Temple.
Donna was lovingly created by God the Father in both body and soul. Formed and fashioned according to His definite plan and foreknowledge. Donna knew this. Even when the grotesque cancer was eating away at her, she knew that she was made in the image and likeness of God and that her body, though deteriorating, was not evil or worthless or a prison.
In fact, right after she so bluntly revealed to me that she was dying, she added, “But, Pastor, we’re all dying.” For she knew, like old Job, that the hand of God is on all of creation. That she, like every one of us, suffers the effects of Adam’s Fall. We are all culpable to that fateful eating and have been plunged headlong into death’s cold grasp. It manifests itself in any number of ways: rare, disgusting cancers, vicious gossiping, contentious quarreling, wicked jealousy, anger, immorality, drunkenness. And like Job, Donna cried for mercy. Have mercy on me, O Lord, according to your steadfast love!
She never cast judgment on the sins of others, for she knew her own sin. She knew her own weaknesses and faults, those temptations against which she fought.
And she confessed them. She drowned them anew each day in the waters of Holy Baptism. She would stuff her Old Adam’s head back under the flood waters and arise in repentance and faith to live before God in the righteousness and purity of Christ her Savior, which is her’s by faith in His shed blood.
We heard about Baptism earlier, from the words of St Paul to the Romans, Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead, by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Rom 6:3-4). This is how Jesus was preparing Donna. For St Paul goes on to say that if we have died with Christ in Baptism, we will rise with Him in a resurrection like His (v5).
Donna was prepared for death because God Himself had prepared her. Christ Jesus died on the Cross for her. For her renewal, for the forgiveness of her sins, for her victory over death, for “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” This is why we make the sign of the holy cross when we hear those mighty baptismal words of Jesus: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And every time I visited Donna these past months, every time I spoke to her again those words, “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” every time, Donna would add her “Amen,” that is, “Yes, yes, it shall be so. This forgiveness is for me.”
Donna knew that Jesus is her Redeemer. She confessed the words of Job that we have read and sung so many times in this very sanctuary: “I know that my Redeemer lives.” These words, along with her confidence in her baptismal identity, that newness of life in which she walked, allowed her also sing with boldness, “Death, you cannot end my gladness, I am baptized into Christ! When I die, I leave all sadness to inherit paradise!” (LSB 594).
You see, Donna loved good hymnody. Whether is was Alan Jackson, Elvis Presley, or Erdmann Neumeister; she enjoyed music. Especially good theology set to good music. She once told me, “If nothing else, Pastor, you’ve taught St Peter’s a lot of good hymns.” Her favorites were, by far, those we sang each year at the Easter Vigil; God’s Own Child being one of them, which we’ll sing in a moment. In this too, God was preparing her for death.
For like the blessed Simeon, Donna longed for the courts of the Lord who has been our dwelling place in all generations. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, she was righteous and devout, waiting for her last day. And the Holy Spirit, given her in Holy Baptism, renewed in her by the Holy Absolution and the Lord’s Preaching, was with her.
And the words of Simeon that we sing each Lord’s Day, is her song. Lord, now lettest Thou They servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel (LSB, p199f).
When I would visit her and Phil with the Lord’s Supper these past few months, she would receive our Lord’s holy Body into her gloved hands and partake of our Lord’s precious Blood and then, after the dismissal, we would pray these words of Simeon. And if she wasn’t already, she would start to cry. Tears of joy for having received again the Medicine of Immortality, the Body and Blood of the One who brought life and immortality to light. Donna received into her body the very same Christ Child Simeon held in his arms. And she said with the old saint, “Lord, I am ready to die in peace, for You have prepared me.”
In Christ, God prepared Simeon for this moment in the Temple. Likewise, in Christ, God prepared Donna for that moment last Sunday morning. She sang these words of Simeon week in and week out for the better part of 50 years here at St Peter’s; right here in this holy house, even as we will sing them today with her, with the angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven, as you heard in the Revelation to St John. Because He prepared her, Donna died in peace. She is clothed in the white robe of Christ’s righteousness that covered all her sin; the palm branch has been placed in her hand, and she sings with the whole company around the throne of the Lamb.
Behold, for us, that throne is His Holy Altar from whence comes the Body and Blood of the Lamb. Each time Donna went to the Lord’s Supper, she left singing that she was prepared to die. So now, in going to her death, it was as if she was going to the Lord’s Supper. Donna was prepared.
She has departed in peace, in Christ, in Baptism, and according to His promise of life everlasting. And now she waits in glory. Waiting to be reunited with us. Waiting for the resurrection of the flesh. Waiting for the new heavens and the new earth. She waits without pain or suffering. She waits triumphantly. She waits in the presence of the Lamb who is her Shepherd, being guided to streams of living water, together with all the saints who from their labors rest. Donna is prepared!
While we may not be ready, dear friends, let us all, like Donna, remain prepared in Christ, through repentance and faith. Let us be prepared joyfully to see Donna again, prepared for eternal life in Jesus’ Name and according to His Word.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Dear Phil, Craig, Nicole, and Kelsey, dear family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and honored guests: Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.
We’re never really ready for death. Not for our own. And not for the death of our loved ones. We know what is coming, but even then, we just don’t expect it when it does. And why should we? We were not created to die. This was not God’s plan for us. We were created with the intention to live forever; in perfect union with the Blessed Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Contrary to what many well intentioned people say, even some Christians, death is not normal. Death is not natural. Death is not a part of life. It is the very antithesis of life! In 1 Corinthians 15 St Paul says that death is an enemy. An enemy to life. An enemy to God and to His Christians. In fact, he says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor 15:26).
None of us were ready for our dear sister in Christ to be called home. Donna had been receiving chemotherapy, but when it was shown not to be working, she and Phil went to MD Anderson in Houston to get some answers. Upon their return I visited them and Donna relayed to me the news. “I’m dying,” she bluntly told me. She shared the rest of the details, even showing me pictures of the fluid that was drained! Still, it was a bit of shock to me when I heard that she passed away. I wasn’t ready for the news. Like you, Phil, Craig, Nicole, like all of you, I was saddened by it.
Donna was the parishioner every pastor knows: the parishioner who serves to bless the pastor when he comes to see her. This was true even before she was sick. Phil would always offer me a beer, no matter what time of day. But Donna would always pray with me; pray for me; pray for her family, for my family, for her friends, for what she called you all, her “church family.” She talked theology with me and got excited about the liturgy. It probably borders on heresy, but I always thought Donna would have made a good Elder.
After she got sick, sometimes I would leave their house wondering who benefited more from the visit, who was visiting whom with comfort and blessing; myself or Donna? This was true even when she was suffering and uncomfortable.
I know that Donna’s family and friends were not ready for this news. You may not be ready for this day. But, dear friends, there is a subtle difference between being “ready” and being “prepared.” For Donna herself may not have been ready to die, as she submitted once more to the chemo prescribed by her doctor, with the hope of prolonging her life. But I can say most certainly that Donna was prepared for death. She was prepared because Jesus prepared her.
What I mean is this: from the moment of her conception, from the day of her birth, through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism, in receiving His forgiving word, in faithfully partaking of His Holy Eucharist, Jesus prepared Donna; even as He prepared Simeon in the Temple.
Donna was lovingly created by God the Father in both body and soul. Formed and fashioned according to His definite plan and foreknowledge. Donna knew this. Even when the grotesque cancer was eating away at her, she knew that she was made in the image and likeness of God and that her body, though deteriorating, was not evil or worthless or a prison.
In fact, right after she so bluntly revealed to me that she was dying, she added, “But, Pastor, we’re all dying.” For she knew, like old Job, that the hand of God is on all of creation. That she, like every one of us, suffers the effects of Adam’s Fall. We are all culpable to that fateful eating and have been plunged headlong into death’s cold grasp. It manifests itself in any number of ways: rare, disgusting cancers, vicious gossiping, contentious quarreling, wicked jealousy, anger, immorality, drunkenness. And like Job, Donna cried for mercy. Have mercy on me, O Lord, according to your steadfast love!
She never cast judgment on the sins of others, for she knew her own sin. She knew her own weaknesses and faults, those temptations against which she fought.
And she confessed them. She drowned them anew each day in the waters of Holy Baptism. She would stuff her Old Adam’s head back under the flood waters and arise in repentance and faith to live before God in the righteousness and purity of Christ her Savior, which is her’s by faith in His shed blood.
We heard about Baptism earlier, from the words of St Paul to the Romans, Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead, by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Rom 6:3-4). This is how Jesus was preparing Donna. For St Paul goes on to say that if we have died with Christ in Baptism, we will rise with Him in a resurrection like His (v5).
Donna was prepared for death because God Himself had prepared her. Christ Jesus died on the Cross for her. For her renewal, for the forgiveness of her sins, for her victory over death, for “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” This is why we make the sign of the holy cross when we hear those mighty baptismal words of Jesus: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And every time I visited Donna these past months, every time I spoke to her again those words, “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” every time, Donna would add her “Amen,” that is, “Yes, yes, it shall be so. This forgiveness is for me.”
Donna knew that Jesus is her Redeemer. She confessed the words of Job that we have read and sung so many times in this very sanctuary: “I know that my Redeemer lives.” These words, along with her confidence in her baptismal identity, that newness of life in which she walked, allowed her also sing with boldness, “Death, you cannot end my gladness, I am baptized into Christ! When I die, I leave all sadness to inherit paradise!” (LSB 594).
You see, Donna loved good hymnody. Whether is was Alan Jackson, Elvis Presley, or Erdmann Neumeister; she enjoyed music. Especially good theology set to good music. She once told me, “If nothing else, Pastor, you’ve taught St Peter’s a lot of good hymns.” Her favorites were, by far, those we sang each year at the Easter Vigil; God’s Own Child being one of them, which we’ll sing in a moment. In this too, God was preparing her for death.
For like the blessed Simeon, Donna longed for the courts of the Lord who has been our dwelling place in all generations. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, she was righteous and devout, waiting for her last day. And the Holy Spirit, given her in Holy Baptism, renewed in her by the Holy Absolution and the Lord’s Preaching, was with her.
And the words of Simeon that we sing each Lord’s Day, is her song. Lord, now lettest Thou They servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel (LSB, p199f).
When I would visit her and Phil with the Lord’s Supper these past few months, she would receive our Lord’s holy Body into her gloved hands and partake of our Lord’s precious Blood and then, after the dismissal, we would pray these words of Simeon. And if she wasn’t already, she would start to cry. Tears of joy for having received again the Medicine of Immortality, the Body and Blood of the One who brought life and immortality to light. Donna received into her body the very same Christ Child Simeon held in his arms. And she said with the old saint, “Lord, I am ready to die in peace, for You have prepared me.”
In Christ, God prepared Simeon for this moment in the Temple. Likewise, in Christ, God prepared Donna for that moment last Sunday morning. She sang these words of Simeon week in and week out for the better part of 50 years here at St Peter’s; right here in this holy house, even as we will sing them today with her, with the angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven, as you heard in the Revelation to St John. Because He prepared her, Donna died in peace. She is clothed in the white robe of Christ’s righteousness that covered all her sin; the palm branch has been placed in her hand, and she sings with the whole company around the throne of the Lamb.
Behold, for us, that throne is His Holy Altar from whence comes the Body and Blood of the Lamb. Each time Donna went to the Lord’s Supper, she left singing that she was prepared to die. So now, in going to her death, it was as if she was going to the Lord’s Supper. Donna was prepared.
She has departed in peace, in Christ, in Baptism, and according to His promise of life everlasting. And now she waits in glory. Waiting to be reunited with us. Waiting for the resurrection of the flesh. Waiting for the new heavens and the new earth. She waits without pain or suffering. She waits triumphantly. She waits in the presence of the Lamb who is her Shepherd, being guided to streams of living water, together with all the saints who from their labors rest. Donna is prepared!
While we may not be ready, dear friends, let us all, like Donna, remain prepared in Christ, through repentance and faith. Let us be prepared joyfully to see Donna again, prepared for eternal life in Jesus’ Name and according to His Word.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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