The text this morning is from the Gospel according to John, the twelfth chapter:
And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
Of course we today are grieving. We should. It’s a hard day when we lose our mother, our grandmother, our aunt, our friend, our sister in Christ. Having Helen taken away from us by death is not an easy thing. Not for us. But, for Helen, this is a great day. She closed her eyes in death on Saturday, but immediately opened them and saw her Lord. And soon, she, even in this body, will open her eyes again, and see, not only her Lord, but also all of us who are in Christ.
Helen knew what it was to plant. She knew what it was to put a seed in the ground, bury it, water it, feed it, care for it, and have from it grow a beautiful flower. Now, she didn’t really know how it grew. No one actually does. What is it about a seed that really makes it split open and shoot up a stem and have a plant grow? I don’t know, Helen didn’t know.
But our Lord knows. He is the one who commands the winds and the waves. He is the one who speaks all things into existence. He is the one by whom all things, even Helen, were made. And He knows how a seed gives life to a plant. In the same way, He knows how it is that when Helen’s body is buried this morning, how He will keep her safe until His return upon this earth. And when He comes back, He knows just how to bring her up from the ground and resurrect her, body and soul, so that she may live forever.
And that’s because our Lord, not only is the one who created the process, but because He Himself went through it. Our Lord was crucified for Helen’s sins, and the sins of the world, He was buried in a tomb, and after three days, He was raised from dead so that He might live unto eternity. He truly is the grain of wheat spoken about in today’s text. He is the one who gave up His life. He is the one who lost His life. He is the one who lives eternally. And He is the one who gives this all to Helen, and even to you. He did this all for Helen and you, that you would live unto all eternity as well.
While death has taken her soul to her Lord and away from her body for a time, there will come a day, and it will come soon, that her soul is rejoined with her body, she will step out of her grave, and she will live forever. This body in front of us will be raised, it will be made alive, and it will be made perfect in Christ, never to die or suffer again.
This is because our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who died, the one who was buried, He rose from the grave like a flower coming from a seed. And because He rose up, He bears much fruit. Jesus is the seed that bears fruit. He is the one, who by His death, gives life to all people. We are the fruit of His resurrection, for we are His and we believe in Him.
But, you know, when we think about a plant that bears fruit, we really do think about how we have to nurture that plant, feed it, water it. Was Helen fed? Was she watered? Of course. Our Lord, not only has brought life to all those who believe in Him, but He even takes care us by watering us with the waters of Holy Baptism, and He feeds us with His body and blood.
Helen was watered; she was fed. She was baptized into the death and resurrection Christ. She has the promise from Jesus’ mouth itself that she had died to sin and made alive in Christ. And she was strengthened by eating Jesus’ true body and drinking His true blood. She was taken care of by our Lord. She is even now being taken care of.
She is with her Lord, and He is watching over her as she is in heaven awaiting the day of resurrection. And she is here, with us, her body, and He who created her and sanctified her, will watch over her body as it rests in her grave. And when He returns, when Jesus descends back to this earth where He will recreate it and spend all of eternity with His created beings, Jesus will continue to watch over Helen through that eternity, allowing her to never sin again, never to cry again, never to grieve again, never to feel anything but the love of God forever.
And so, too, may we be. Christ has promised that we, like Helen, have the promise of everlasting life. Christ has promised that as we are washed in Baptism, as we are fed and nurtured through His Supper, we may be confident that this same promise is ours. This is what gives us strength to persevere unto eternal life. This is what allows us to make the good confession. This is what makes us confess Christ. And without these gifts of God in Christ, without Baptism, without His Supper, without hearing His Word of forgiveness for all of our sins, we would doubt.
But, Helen doesn’t doubt. Not anymore. While we all sin through this life, while we all are weaker at some time or another, our Lord continues to give to us the gift of faith so that we might see Him and be with Him forever. And now that Helen is with her Lord forever, she never doubts for she sees her Lord face to face. We should all desire this day, and this day is certainly coming.
We need not fear the dark of the grave. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, unless it is covered over in the dark of the earth, it would remain alone, without life. But, if it dies, if it is put where it needs to be, it will rise up from the ground bearing much fruit. This is our Lord. He is the one who is raised from the dead. And Helen is His fruit. And you are His fruit. Let Him feed you with His body and blood. Let Him water you through Baptism. Let Him speak to you, softly, tenderly, with words of forgiveness. Like Helen, then, you shall be with your Lord forever and ever. You shall rise from the grave. You shall live. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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