A Time and Season for Everything: A Funeral Sermon
Grace and
peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
“For everything there is a season, and a time
for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to
plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to
heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time
to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4).
Solomon’s
words ring true in our ears, especially today. For JoAnn, there was a time to
be born and a time to die: August 28, 1931 and February 2, 2017. Indeed, there
is a time to be born and a time to die for all of us. But this was not always
so. In the beginning, there was only a time to be born and not a time to die; a
time to laugh and never to cry; a time to dance and never to mourn. The Lord
God looked upon all that He had made and behold it was very good. The world
knew nothing of weeping and mourning and death. Man was created with eternity, not
just put in his heart, but as a central feature of God’s plan.
Then “sin
came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread
to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Planting and harvesting were
cursed with pain and sweaty toil, thorn and thistle. The blessing of birth came
with pain. The joy of marriage became mixed with strife. And every human being returns
to the dust from which the first man came. We are all subject to times and
changes over which we have so little control. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under
heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Solomon contrasts the changing human affairs with
God’s unchanging will. Throughout Ecclesiastes, he frequently changes his tone,
describing both the frustration and fickleness of life, as well as the firmness
of God’s Word and blessing. In so doing, Solomon is showing that everything is
in God’s hands.
Rather than stifling human effort, this truth
encourages us to follow God’s will as revealed in the Scriptures. As God’s children,
we do what we can; then we leave the outcome in His almighty hands. In His
infinite wisdom and power, God fits everything into His eternal plan, and so
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” The apostle Paul writes: “And
we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for
those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). To see life’s
hardships and joys alike as part of this grand scheme is like viewing life as a
beautiful mosaic from the hands of the master Artist.
Yes, seen in such a way, Solomon’s words ring true,
but they do not tell the whole truth. For that we need Jesus. Only He—His cross
and resurrection—can make sense of it all. You see, for JoAnn and for you and
me, sin and death are not the only season. They are but the fall and winter.
Cold and cruel, to be sure, but temporary. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, willingly
subjected Himself to the seasons of time and humanity in order to begin an
eternal spring and summer. Christ was born. He lived, suffered, died, and was
buried in order to bring you the eternity God set in your heart.
Yes,
there is a time to be born and a time to die, even for the Son of God. He was
conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary for you. He lived a
perfect obedient life for you. At the appointed time, He was crucified, died,
and was buried for you. And, just as had been prophesied, He rose again on the
third day for you.
For everything there is a season, and a time for
every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
And so,
for JoAnn there was a time—September 20, 1931—to be exact, where she died and
was born all in a matter of a few moments and three splashes of water. “I
baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
said the pastor, even as Jesus was saying, “Behold I make all things new.”
JoAnn’s
Baptism was truly a time to die. Her sin was drowned and washed away. And her
Baptism was also a time to be born anew by water and Spirit. And in God’s eyes,
JoAnn was very good. In fact, she was better than good. She was perfect, holy,
sinless. All of that because she was baptized into Christ’s death and
resurrection, credited as righteous by grace through faith. Christ having exchanged
His perfect righteousness and obedience for her sin and disobedience.
This
Christian faith is the firm foundation upon which JoAnn—and countless others—have
been built as they learned and studied and memorized each week in Sunday School
and worship, in the home, and later in catechism class. JoAnn publicly confessed
that faith in the Rite of Confirmation on April 14, 1946. Her confirmation
verse, John 3:16, is the Gospel in a nutshell, a wonderful promise to all who,
like JoAnn, are brought to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior: “For God so loved
the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
This
faith in Christ also led JoAnn to a life of service as she was able. Freely she
received Christ’s mercy, freely she gave to those in need. With her various interests,
she demonstrated repeatedly that there’s a time for tearing and sewing, for speaking
and remaining silent, and a time to dance.
But above
all, this faith in Christ gave her words of comfort. Words she learned from the
wisdom of Solomon, as well as those which come to our ears straight from the
lips of Jesus in the Gospel:
Let not your
hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house
are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a
place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also (John 14:1–3).
Yes,
there is a time for death and mourning and weeping, but for you who mourn and
weep, Jesus has words of comfort and assurance. For JoAnn, and for all who rest
with Christ, John gives us this picture in the book of Revelation:
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them,
and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither
shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things
have passed away (21:1-4).
Yes, there is a time to mourn; but there is also a
time to dance. For death has no dominion over Jesus, over JoAnn, or you.
Yes, there is a time to weep; but there is also a
time to laugh and rejoice. We see and hear that now, in part, in the
Scriptures, hymns, and promises of Christ in Baptism and in the Supper. We will
see and hear it in full before the throne where the Lamb of God makes all
things new.
Yes, there is a time to die; but there is also a
time to rise; a time to be planted in the earth for rest from our labors; and a
time to be plucked up from our graves by our Lord Jesus Christ to live with Him
for eternity.
And then there will be no more time for sin or
sorrow or tears. There will be no more seasons. No more death. For the former
things will pass away. These words are trustworthy and true. It is finished!
And whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor can
anything be taken from it. Amen.
The peace that passes all understanding keep your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
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