The text this morning is from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, the 4th chapter:
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.Thus far the text.
Dear Kathleen, Tim, Robert, and my dear friends in Christ,
Elmer is at peace in the arms of his Savior, but this is not the end. Elmer was a good father, at least from all I’ve heard. He was an active church member. He was a strong believer in what He knew was right. He was a servant, a soldier, a beloved child of God. And now, he isn’t with us, before our eyes any more.
It’s true, his body is here. This is Elmer. This is what our sin has done to us all, that it has destroyed our bodies in this life. That Elmer was a sinner should be no more distant from our thoughts than our grief. The evidence of it is here. The fact that Elmer is dead is no comfort to anyone, and it stands as a testament to the sin and the shame that he knew he had in this life. But this is not the end.
The fact that Elmer’s dead body is here, in this place, in this church that he loved, that he served, this church where he learned, where he received the Lord’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, where he remembered his baptism, where his sins were washed away, testifies to a greater hope that Elmer had. When we say hope in the Church, we don’t say it as a wish or an uncertainty, we say hope as in it is that thing in which all our lives are wrapped up. We say hope in the most certain way possible. We say hope as if it were, because it is, the only true thing in the world. Elmer’s hope was that, as he decayed through this life, facing his own mortality, our Lord would be good and gracious to him, taking him to be with Christ Himself, where He reigns at the right hand of God the Father. Elmer’s hope was fulfilled. But this is not the end.
Don’t be deceived. This is not right. It is not right that Elmer is dead, but he knew that. He knew it was coming for him eventually. But it’s not right that a body and soul should be split apart. That’s what happens in death. It’s not natural. It’s not a part of being human. It’s what happens because of sin, but that’s it. But this is not the end.
The end, indeed, comes, when our Lord returns from heaven, with a cry of command, with the cries of the archangel, with the sound of trumpets. Then the end comes. Because in that moment, as Christ descends upon the earth, He will command all of the graves to spit out those who are asleep in Christ, all those who have died in faith toward Him. The earth will then split itself open, the grave dirt will disappear, coffins will come spewing out of the earth, like the fish spit Jonah out on the beach, and they shall open, and there, will all the faithful, shall stand Elmer, perfect, beautiful, incorruptible, sinless. In that moment, all of the hope of the world will see its fulfillment in Christ, for all those who have gone to sleep in Christ, will find their souls reunited with their bodies, will find themselves risen from the dead, will find themselves never dying again, will find themselves with those whom they love who are in Christ. And there, Elmer will reach out and find the hand of Marilyn and they will walk into eternal years.
This is the great hope of the world, that the Christ, the God who took on your flesh, the God who lived perfectly among us, the God who died for you, the God who rose from the dead for you, the God who ascended on high for you, would bring to you the very life that He won through His life, death, and resurrection. Elmer and Marilyn are both no waiting for the day when all that has been promised comes to its completion. And when it comes, they will rise up from the ground to meet our Lord.
This is such a fascinating picture. When the king would return victorious from war, the whole city he was coming back to would stream out of its gates to meet him and escort him home. When our Lord returns to this earth, victorious for having defeated sin, death, and the devil, all those who belong to Him, His whole city, those in the ground, will stream up to meet Him and bring Him home. So will it be for Elmer, that, being part of those who love Christ, he will welcome his Jesus back to His earth, and there live in His peace and blessedness for eternity.
Don’t be deceived, brothers and sisters. Death stinks. There’s no two ways around it. It’s unnatural. It’s hard. It’s empty. But our Lord has overcome death. He has risen from the grave and made Himself alive, and He promises that same life to all who believe in Him. This life is not the end, because, for those in Christ, there is no end. There is no end. Elmer, Marilyn, even you who are in Christ, we shall love together for eternity in the love of Christ, in our resurrected bodies, in a time when there will be no more sin, no more grief, no more sorrow, no more decay, no more death, for we will live in the resurrection Christ forever. 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment