Funeral Sermon for Barbara
Hare (Matthew 5:1-10)
Pastor Troy Slater - Our
I'm sure it doesn't make it any
easier, over the last almost year, we have known that this day would be coming
sooner rather than later. Although it
certainly didn't come quite as quickly as the "experts" thought it
would. I guess the medical professionals
had severely underestimated the toughness of Barbara. Plus I think there is something to be said
for the amount of walking that it sounds like Barbara did during her life. And so again, though expected, death is still
not easy. Not easy for the one going
through it or for those left behind.
After all, death is so unnatural, so contrary to the human spirit, so
contrary to what God intended for us when He made Adam and Eve back in the
Garden of Eden. Death is never easy. But it is what we face today.
And so in
the face of death, in the face of loosing a beloved mom, grandmother, a friend,
I would like to continue by rereading just a few of the verses from the word of
God - Matthew, chapter five where we heard Jesus say: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for
they will be comforted. Blessed are the
meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will
be filled." These words of
Jesus come from what is often referred to as the Beatitudes. And at first glance, these words really don't
seem to make a whole lot of sense. After
all, Jesus is declaring as "blessed" those who, really don't appear
to be very blessed - at least according to the world's standards. The "poor in spirit", "those
who mourn", "the meek", "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness". "Blessed are they," Jesus says and
no, that doesn't appear to make a whole lot of sense.
But that's
just kind of how things are when it comes to Jesus. Things are not always as they appear. I mean, look at Jesus himself. We all know of His humble beginnings on this
earth, born in a stable to a poor family in a poor country. And then there was of course the way he
died. Despised, mocked, forsaken, hung
on a cross; crucified as the worst of criminals, hardly a life we might call "blessed". But it was out of that scene of the shame and
defeat of the cross that the greatest blessings of life came. For rising out of Jesus' empty tomb on the
very first Easter morning came a blessed song of victory, "He is risen! Jesus has won
the victory over sin and death! The
gates of the kingdom of heaven are open!"
Yes, with Jesus things are not always as they appear. For by death, He won life. By a cross of suffering, He opened the gates
of heaven. By being forsaken, He secured
blessings for all people. He won
forgiveness for all sins, the sins of you, the sins of me, and yes, the sins of Barbara.
And for that
reason, things are not always as they appear, not only with Jesus, but also
with Barbara. For
although Barbara did enjoy many blessings of life and certainly high on that
list is that blessing of her family who loved her and who cared for her. I don't know if Barbara had a chance to thank
the four of you - but I must say I was struck with the love and concern, the
care that you exhibited to your mother.
Thank you for caring for her during her times when she needed that love
and care. Yes Barbara was blessed with a
family whom she loved and who loved her but in other ways, Barbara's life was
not always one that an outsider would call tremendously
"blessed". Loosing her husband
as she was yet a relatively young woman and then of course the illness that
slowly took parts of her mind and then her body as she was still fairly
young. But yet here in our reading for
today, Jesus is speaking not just to us today, but He's also speaking these
words of blessing upon the life of our sister, Barbara Ann Hare.
For by His
Word, the Lord brought Barbara to faith in Him; she was made to be a child of
her heavenly Father; all of her sin was washed away as those waters of Holy
Baptism were poured over her "in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit." And indeed no
greater words of blessing can ever be spoken.
For there in the waters of Baptism, God the Father promised Barbara that
He would always be with her, that He would never leave her nor forsake
her. Yes though life may have brought
Barbara her share of difficulties, things are not always as they appear. For Barbara was blessed. Blessed with a God who
loved her, who was always with her, who even went to the cross for her. The words of our reading from Romans say it
very well, words that I read for Barbara on several occasions. "Nothing
- not a single thing - not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or
nakedness or danger or sword, nothing in all creation can separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord," not even illness or
disease can take away the blessing of God's love in Jesus. …
Of course
today we acknowledge that Barbara's body has given out. We can no longer visit her, talk to her, read
to her, hold her hand.
And death is a reality that we all must someday face ourselves.
"From dust you are and to dust you shall return." This afternoon
it appears as if death has had the final say in Barbara's life.
But I am here today to tell you that with
Jesus things are not as they appear. For
as
And certainly because of that we can
say that Barbara is with the Lord right now and we can find great comfort in
that - she is no longer suffering. But
Jesus' victory over death and the grave was real; He rose bodily from His
grave. And so I am also here today to
proclaim to you that this body that lies before us will also rise victoriously
from her grave. This body will once
again walk, will once again raise her voice in praise
of her God and Savior. When Jesus
returns, this body that lies here today will join all of us, all who profess
the name of Jesus, around the throne of God in heavenly glory. And there, there will be no more tears, no
more sorrow or pain, no more illness or disease, nor more death. … Blessed forever. …
For no things are not always as they appear.
No, for "blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." …
Yes, blessed is Barbara, and blessed are you, for through Jesus, hers and yours
is the kingdom of heaven. Amen.