Todd A. Peperkorn, STM

Messiah Lutheran Church

Kenosha, Wisconsin

October 13, 2010

Funeral Homily for Sandra Russo

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Funeral sermon for Sandra Russo

TITLE: “A time for Life”

Family and friends of Sandra, especially, Caroline and Cara, Carolyn, Bette, friends and other family: grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our text for today is from Ecclesiastes chapter 3, and was chosen by Sandra for this sermon.  I would direct your attention to the front cover of our bulletin.  We focus especially on the phrases a time to be born and a time to die, as well as a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Sandra Jeanne Russo nee Delcorps was both on March 2, 1941 in Racine to William and Amanda Delcorps.  She was baptized on April 20, 1941, and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith on May 29, 1955, at which time she received Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar for the first time.  She married her dear husband, Gary, on September 25, 1964.  St. John writes: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”” (Rev. 14:13 ESV)

It should come as no surprise to any of us that God’s sense of timing is not ours.  Sixty nine years is not that old.  Sandy had so much to look forward to, by the mercy of God.  Add to that is the sad reality that her husband, Gary, died already eight years ago.  In every way that we can see and feel and understand, it makes no sense, and it certainly does not seem fair.  Not as we think of it, at least.

Solomon in Ecclesiastes teaches us a little bit about God’s timing, though.  There are times set aside for all things.  Birth and death, mourning and rejoicing, seeking and losing, the list goes on.  One thing is for sure, though, is that Sandy was not stingy about her time.  She was always giving to others, be they friends who were sick or in need, family members, her daughters, and especially her grandchildren.  That was what made her tick through thick and thin.

Then she got sick. Her body, once full of life in service to others, could no longer even care for itself. This was a source of great frustration for Sandy, as I’m sure many of you know. She wanted to care for her family, not be cared for. Sandy always seemed to have a quiet stubbornness about her that wouldn’t give up. I’m sure her daughters could tell us more about that.  On at least one occasion if not more, it seemed as though through God’s grace she had licked this disease.

But that dreadful thief of time, cancer, would not be denied. It seemed to chip away at her, letting up and them coming back with a vengeance.  And of course, as any of you who have suffered through cancer well know, sometimes it seems like the so called cure is worse than the disease!  Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, pills to counteract other pills, none of us will ever truly understand how hard she fought to remain with us now. It is a testament to her love for all of you all that she fought as long and as hard as she did.

Her time, though, had come. A time to live, and a time to die, as Solomon reminds us.  The circle of life is complete.  Or so it may seem.

But that, dearly beloved, is not the end of this time worn story. For God, who is rich in mercy and whose timing is always just right, was thinking about Sandy long before she was born. He knew her struggles, her battle with sin and death. St. Paul wrote,

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4–7 ESV)

So what does this mean doe us sons and daughters of Adam and Eve gathered here his day?  It means that Sandy’s death, as sad and tragic as it is, also will last for but a time. Sandy was not a slave to cancer.  It has not defeated her, or you.  Jesus Christ died at just the right time, and rose again from the dead, so that Sandy’s time would not end at her death here today.  Job, in the face of death, reminds us of this as well:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25–27 ESV)

The time will come when the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible.  That means Sandy, and that means you.  God’s timing may not be our timing, but it is good.  We weep for a time now.  We will miss Sandy, her love and care and devotion and so many other things we cannot even name them all.  God has called her to Himself, and she is safe in His arms even now.  And the time will come when God will call you to Himself, and me, and that the dead in Christ will arise again.  Her body will be whole, free of the ravages of time and cancer and death.  Christ has triumphed!  He is living!  And because He lives, Sandy will live again.  Comfort one another with these words.

Believe it for the sake of Him who died and rose again, even Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

-LL

Sola scriptura minus the scriptura » GetReligion: “”

Except it isn’t.

Really the way that we survived the whole thing is because of the care of our pastor at the time, Rev. John M. Berg.  We did a memorial service, and it was possibly the most comforting thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.  I’ll try and post his sermon here sometime.  I read it every year.

The whole matter also brings to my mind the sadness of our culture views life, even in the church.  A miscarriage is the death of an unborn child.  It is one of the greatest tragedies a family can experience.  Yet for many, there are serious questions on whether this is even a life, far less all of the more spiritual issues involved.

My approach as a pastor is fairly simple.  In the case of the death of an unborn child, we rely on the mercy of God. God is merciful, and He wants to save them all.  We have the example of John the Baptist leaping in his mother’s womb at the greeting of “the mother of my Lord.”  This demonstrates to me that A) Children in the womb can have faith; and that B) God wants to give it to them.

When one of my parishioners loses an unborn child, I try to comfort them with these words and that simple reality.  We don’t know all the answers.  We aren’t universalists.  But we do trust in the great and mighty mercy of God, who sent His only begotten Son into the womb of Mary for us.  I don’t know all the answers.  But I know that God is loving and merciful, and that He longs for His children to be with him.

Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Judica, Lent V (March 9, 2008)
John 8:42-56
For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “The Taste of Life”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this morning is from the Gospel lesson just read from John chapter 8. We focus particularly on Jesus’ words, If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.

One of the things we have largely lost in our culture is a sense of transcendence. It is difficult for people to think about spending money or time or energy on things that will last, because we live in a day and in an age where up-to-date-and-speedy is much more important than enduring and steady. Whether you’re talking about a fast food menu, a car, the music on the radio, a computer, or the look of the furniture in your living room, if it isn’t the newest, the freshest, and the neatest, then, well, it just isn’t worth the effort is it? Why spend time or money on things that will last when they will be out of style in three years?
Transcendence means something that goes beyond its own time, reaches back into the past and forward into the future. Transcendence is one of the characteristics of God. But sin, of course, is almost always about the moment. Instant gratification rather than humble service, self-promotion rather than sacrifice, do what feels good now, and worry about the consequences later. That is the way we all operate, to one degree or another.

This is, I believe, a big part of why the church, if it is truly being the church, is always so far out of step with the society and culture of the day. When we say something like don’t live together before you’re married, don’t gossip, don’t covet, or honor your father and your mother, or any of the rest of God’s Laws, we are out of step with what our culture considers important.

This, though, is not about cultural analysis or even simple family priorities. It is about you, who you are before God and before your neighbor. For Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins changes you, who you are and what is important to you. Jesus says before Abraham was, I am. What that means is that the things that matter in your life are not the things at all. What matters in your life is that your very life is worth more to God than His own life.

Now let’s think about that for a minute, because it is profound and changes everything. God Himself says that He loves you so much that He is willing to sacrifice everything, suffer everything, give up life itself for you and for your salvation. What does that mean about the importance of your life? What does it mean about your understanding of sin and grace, forgiveness and eternal life?

What it means is that the things in this world which we consider important, the toys we have, the stuff we acquire, that these things are not what life is all about. Who you are in Christ is infinitely more important than what you have in this world.

This is what our Lord is talking about when He says that Abraham rejoiced to see His day. Abraham went up the mountain to kill His Son, but the angel of the Lord stayed his hand. In the place of Abraham’s son, Isaac, a ram was found for the sacrifice. That ram points us to Jesus, for He is the one who fulfills the sacrifice of Abraham. Jesus’ death is the center of all human history, the pinnacle of God’s love for mankind. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, the saints of old, indeed, all of heaven itself peers down and watches to see the drama of our Lord’s life and death and life again unfold.

But the key to this is understanding that it is all for you. For you he lived and was baptized. For you he preached and healed the sick. For you he raised the dead and comforted the brokenhearted. For you he suffered. For you he died. For you he rose again from the dead. He did all this for you so that you would never taste death. The bitter gall of sin cannot sour and poison you. All it can do is kill you, and it cannot even do that right. When you die He completes what He promised to you in your baptism. God promises to see you to Himself in heaven.

Abraham saw Jesus’ day and rejoiced. You, too, see our Lord’s day here, in the Divine Service. Here our Lord comes to you with all of the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation which only He can give. As we come near the end of Lent and we journey with our Lord to His cross, remember this: He does it all for you. You are holy and precious in His sight. Rejoice now with heaven and earth, as God Himself brings you into His holy presence. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.