(prior to the sermon the funeral home played the old Country hit “Lord, I hope this day is good.”)
OPEN: Kay was a wonderful woman who struggled with a terrible disease that ultimately took her life. Every day that she had to go to see the doctor she’d ask her daughter to play the song we just heard “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” because she was always concerned it might not be.
Kay was a wonderful woman, but she could be a difficult patient… because she had suffered through so much at the hands of medicine that she literally knew what would work and what wouldn’t. If a doctor or nursing staff wanted to do a certain procedure she would often say “No, that’s not going to happen. You tried that once and it didn’t work.” And she was right because she’d gotten to the point where she knew as much about her disease as her physicians did.
This afternoon, we are gathered at a funeral for Kay and we are in the presence of the Great Physician. And though many have believed they knew more than He, no one knows more about what you and I face than He does. Consider a funeral that Jesus attended:
Text: John 11:17-44
I once heard the story of a young girl who walked thru a cemetery every night because it was the shortest route to her house. When asked WHY she wasn’t afraid to pass thru the graveyard: ''The reason I'm not afraid is that my home is just on the other side''
This afternoon we’re gathered here to celebrate the life a woman who has made her way home over to the other side.
While she was here… her home was with YOU. So many of you have gathered today that I know that you loved her and were loved in return by her. She especially loved her children and grandchildren and great grand-children.
I’m told she found her joy in cooking for you, and playing games with you and listening to tell about your plans and your dreams.
But, she’s not going to be able to do that anymore… because she’s no longer with us. And that hurts. That song we heard earlier says “Lord I hope this day is good, I’m feeling empty and misunderstood. I should be thankful, Lord, I know I should, but Lord I hope this day is good.” Life is like that. We all experience times when we feel empty and misunderstood. We all face times when we’re mistreated or rejected, or we struggle with pain and sorrow. And we will all face death. And it ain’t right! We shouldn’t have to die (or go through all those other struggles in life). We were created to live forever. But because we live in a fallen world that is engulfed in sin, that’s what we face. And that’s why funerals are so often sad times.
Even Jesus wept at a funeral. Well… He was four days late to the funeral but the shortest verse in the Bible… is right here in this story – “JESUS WEPT.” Lazarus had been Jesus’ friend. They weren’t just casual acquaintances, Lazarus was a man Jesus enjoyed being with. But why did Jesus weep? I mean … in just a few moments Lazarus is going to rise from the dead. His family is going to embrace him and everybody will go on their way to rejoicing. So why would Jesus weep? Well… because Lazarus would have to DIE again. He’d live for a few years, but eventually he’d have to go through all this again and die.
Did you know that Jesus never performed a funeral? Every funeral Jesus ever attended (3 in total) the dead were raised. Jesus spoke… and each one awoke. But they ALL had to die again. If Jesus had been here… could He raise Kay from the dead? Of course He could! But would you want Him to do? Because she’d have to go through this all over again.
You see – we Christians have an advantage that others do not. When Jesus comes back, were told “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
And when Jesus calls her from the grave, Kay won’t ever have to go thru this struggle again because she has a promise from God “the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” 1 Thessalonians 4:16
ILLUS: One old preacher noted that it was a good thing that, when Jesus came to the grave, he cried out “Lazarus, come forth!” Because if he hadn’t called Lazarus by name, every grave within earshot would have opened and all the dead would have risen in the cemetery.
ILLUS: When I was 5 years old my grandfather died. We had been as close as any grandchild and grandparent had ever been. And now he was dead, and I had hard time wrapping my young mind around that truth. Back then, when you went to the cemetery, the grave was totally open – you could look right down into the earth, 6 foot down. And I looked down into the grave… and I looked at my mom… and I looked down into grave… and I asked mom “How’s Grandpa ever gonna get out of there?” because this made absolutely no sense to me. But my mom was a good Christian and she explained that he wouldn’t be down there forever. That when Jesus came again, he’d rise up and we’d see him again.
You see, Jesus came to earth to fix that which was broken… and death was the main thing He came to fix. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus became like us so that “through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Jesus died and rose from the dead to show us that He could do it for us, and God drove that home by making baptism the way we become Christians.
Romans 6:3-5 tells us “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. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
The beauty of baptism is that it not only tells us that, when we’re buried in that watery grave our sins remain in the water… but also that as we rise from THAT grave, it’s God’s promise that we shall also rise from our earthly one. When Jesus comes back, no grave will be able to hold us.
ILLUS: Years ago a woman was sharing in our Sunday School class that (when she was young) her sister had died while still a young child. Every year, on the girl's birthday, the father went out to the graveside and cried inconsolably. Year after year, he repeated this grieving at the grave. One day, her father and mother were sitting at the kitchen table and the wife said “You know, if we ever want to see our daughter again, we need to become Christians.” And so they went to church, eventually they were baptized into Christ, and their lives changed. Her father still went out to the graveside every year, but his grief was no longer overwhelming. He would lay flowers at the grave, but he no longer wept as he had before.
That’s our hope and our promise. Is it yours?
