In Memoriam: Funeral Sermon for Joyce Marfiak

+ In Memoriam – Joyce Marfiak +

September 10, 1929 – January 19, 2020

Psalm 63:1-8; Job 19:21-27; Revelation 21:1-7; Matthew 11:25-30

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

  

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In the midst of his suffering, Job saw Jesus, his Redeemer from afar and confessed these famous words of hope in the resurrection of the body.

I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

In his exile on the island of Patmos, St. John saw Jesus, the Lamb at the center of the heavenly temple and gave us these words of comfort in God’s promise to make all things new.

I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

In her last days, Joyce, a beloved mother, neighbor, friend, and sister in Christ looked through her suffering, like Job and John, and saw her Redeemer, Jesus, who was with her. Even from her hospital bed, she confessed, “I just want what God wants; I want to see the Lord.”

In the Scriptures, it’s a bold thing to want to see the Lord – for unholy people to see his holiness face to face without a mediator. But, of course, anyone who knew Joyce knew that she was a woman of great boldness. Bold in her love for others. Bold in her faith and hope in Christ. 

Bold, but not boastful. There’s a difference. And Joyce knew that difference well. She knew that when it comes to ourselves, we’ve nothing to boast about. She knew that our boldness and confidence is never grounded or anchored in our reason, strength, or anything belongs to us, but is solely and always God’s gift to us. Our boldness is in Jesus. Like Moses, tucked in the cleft of the rock as God’s glory passed by him, we are safe in the wounds of Jesus. Jesus wraps himself in our humanity, robes himself in humility, and humbles himself to be born of the Virgin Mary, to be crucified, died, buried, and rises again – so that one day we, along with Joyce will do exactly what she confessed, “I want to see the Lord.” And we will. All because of Jesus, our mediator, redeemer, savior.

Later on in chapter 21 of John’s Revelation, he goes on to describe what he saw…

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 

The Lamb, Jesus is at the center. That’s who John saw. That’s who Job saw. That’s who Joyce saw. For throughout her life, our Lord Christ, the Lamb, saw Joyce and baptized her in his holy name. He saw Joyce love others as he had loved her. He saw her receive his body and blood in forgiveness and saw her reading his Word with delight, seeing in those simple things of word, water, body and blood, the face of God turned towards us in love.

When Joyce confessed “I want to see the Lord”, she was confessing with great boldness and confidence that comes from knowing what Jesus won on the cross for her, and for you,. In Jesus, we see God’s love shown to us and for us: a baby born in a manger for you. A perfect man who lives, prays, teaches, and keeps the Law for you. One who is like you in every respect yet without sin, for this man is also the very face of God in human flesh. Jesus lives, suffers, dies, rises, ascends, and lives and reigns forever, for Joyce and for you, so we too might see him face to face.

In Jesus, God has a face that looks on us in love and mercy. In Jesus, God has eyes that are full of compassion, focused on us and our need. He also hands that are pierced for us, a body that lives, suffers, dies, and rises for us; words and promises that he speaks to us. In Jesus, God sees you as he saw Joyce, as his beloved child, purchased, won, and bought by the blood of the Lamb; baptized in his holy name. In Jesus, we see the face of God and live forever.

This is how Joyce, and we, and all God’s saints approach God, confident, not in our merit, but in his mercy. We’re bold and we boast in Jesus crucified. Our sure and certain hope is in his resurrection, an unshakeable, unwavering, unmoving promise, that one day, along with Job and Joyce and all the faithful departed, we too will see our Lord Christ face to face, with our own eyes in the resurrection. 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep you in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.