1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At a time of grieving like this, those who are present, and I, on behalf of our congregation at Grace Lutheran Oak Creek, offer your family and all who were closest to Doris my deepest sympathy. May our Lord who knows your needs, comfort and give you strength to uphold one another. The funeral message for Doris is based off of Romans 8:31, 38-39, which says, “31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The message is entitled, “What, Then, Shall We Say?”
2. Questions! Questions! Life is filled with questions. We want to know. Whether we are young or old, we find ourselves asking, Why this? Why that? Who’s coming? What’s for dinner? When will it happen? Where are we going? How can we do it? And today, facing the reality of Doris’s death, we raise questions—Why God, now? Why did she have to suffer the way she did in the hospital cut off from family and friends during this Covid-19 pandemic? How do you take a loved one from us to you? When will Doris rise again? Is she watching us now as we struggle with questions too deep for answers?
3. For a moment let us join with the apostle Paul and raise his question—What, then, shall we say in response to this? We can say, “Thank you, Lord, thank you for Doris.” Thank you for her witness as she faithfully came to worship at Grace Lutheran Church Oak Creek, along with her niece Jeannette. They both welcomed me as their new Pastor when I first started at Grace back in August of 2020. It was such a blessing to be welcomed by them.
4. What then shall we say? We can say, “Thank you, Lord, thank you for Doris’s witness to her family.” She enjoyed going out and driving around to see her relatives, even during this pandemic. She loved her family, especially being able to go shopping, and of course beating her niece Jeannette in cribbage.
5. What, then, shall we say? We can confess with the apostle Paul as confessed. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift” (2 Cor 9:15)—namely, the sending of his Son. Thank you, God, for blazing the trail of life now and life hereafter through Jesus Christ. Thank you, God, for beating back our enemy death, which would have robbed us forever of a loved one like Doris. Thank you, God, for giving her an eternal future. Thank you, God, for giving us that future as well through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
6. Yes, the coming of Jesus Christ with his life, death, and resurrection gives us the strength, power, and purpose for all our thank yous. His coming leads us through our grief. His coming replaces our ceaseless questions with ceaseless praise. His coming makes this hour a time of gladness in the midst of our sadness. That’s why here in Romans chapter 8, St. Paul is at pains to focus the Christian on the final outcome of the war. He wants us to learn to live from the victory that will be ours in Christ, and from that certain future to find the strength to battle on in the present.
7. St. Paul weighs the future glory against the present sufferings and declares the future glory to win hands down. Creation is on tiptoe, eagerly waiting for that wondrous moment when it will share in the freedom of the sons of God as we are unveiled for who we really are in Jesus Christ. The creation groans, waiting for that day. And we do too. Wonderful as the firstfruits of the Spirit are in our lives, we ache for the final victory. But the Spirit is a wondrous gift.
8. Sometimes we are so worn out in the battle we don’t even know how to pray anymore, what to say, how to ask. In such moments, the Holy Spirit raises within us prayers too deep for words, always asking for us exactly the right thing, according to God’s will. What a comfort! But there’s more. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We fight along, comforted by the Spirit praying within us, and comforted by the certainty that whatever we are passing through God is weaving together to bring us final blessing. Talk about living in triumph!
9. To be able to face each suffering that comes into our life and realize it is our servant, to bring us good, that is peace indeed. And there’s even more. When we think of all these things, we realize that God has loved us with a love immeasurable, deep, and divine. The One who did not spare His only Son, but gave Him up for us all, with Him will surely give us all things. No one can condemn those whom God has acquitted. Jesus Himself at the right hand of the Father is constantly interceding for us.
10. Lots of bad things can and will happen to us, but none have the power to defeat us. “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Nothing, nothing at all in creation, not even death itself, has the power to drive a wedge between us and the love God has given to us in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. When we remember that, we conquer indeed!
11. Before our eyes this morning we see our beloved Doris, who is now absent from the body, but present with the Lord Jesus. But, we remember that Doris was baptized into Jesus and her baptism covered her with Jesus’ righteousness. Doris’ baptism covered her in the death and resurrection of her Savior. Yes, it still hurts to lose her. She’ll be missed. But we shall not grieve as those who have no hope. We won’t be shaking our heads in despair. Why? Because we, like Doris, believe in the invitation of Jesus, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened; and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:28–30).
12. Imagine: Because Doris believed our Lord’s invitation, she is now experiencing a whole new world, where there is no more pain, misery, or sorrow, but complete joy, peace, and happiness. So, then, what shall we say in response? God is for us! He sent us his Son! He raised his Son from the dead: And God shall raise and all who believe in him on the day of glory. Thank you, Lord, thank you. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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