+ In Memoriam – Phyllis Hunsberger +
September 19, 2019
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
This, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is our comfort today, and all days. Jesus was crucified. Died. Buried. For Phyllis, and for you.
Jesus defeated death by dying for Phyllis and for you. Jesus overcame sin by becoming our sin.
Jesus rose from the dead on the third day for Phyllis and for you.
Jesus walked out of the grave for Phyllis and for you.
Death no longer has dominion over Jesus. And now in Jesus, death no longer has dominion, death no longer holds a claim over us either. Yes, today we commit the body of our dear sister, Phyllis to her resting place. But this is not the end. God is not done with Phyllis, nor is he done with us either.
As St. Paul reminds us…
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is our comfort in life, and in death, as it was for Phyllis. Death is not the end. Death does not get the last say. Jesus does. This is why we confess, “I believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life + everlasting.” We live in this hope. We are baptized into this hope, even as we are baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection. And we die in this hope, knowing that one day, Phyllis will walk out of this grave as surely as Jesus walked out the tomb that first Easter Sunday. One day, we too will walk out of our graves, as certainly as Jesus walked out of the grave for us. One day, our waiting, our hoping, our weeping, and our longing will be over. And we’ll walk out of our graves. All because Jesus walked out of the grave for Phyllis, and for you.
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment