Sermon for the Funeral of Sandy Carstensen
[Jesus said:] “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. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:1–6).
Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
The tension was thick that
night. The mood was somber because death was near. Repeatedly and increasingly,
over the weeks and months, the Lord had told them that He was going to
Jerusalem to be crucified. Now the betrayal was underway and His alarming
prophecy would come to pass in less than 24 hours.
So, what would the
Eleven do? As long as Jesus was with them, they were disciples of the Christ,
the Son of the Living God. But if He were dead, what were they, then? Nobody. They
were absolutely nothing without Jesus, but lost sheep, with no hope and waiting
to die. They could look back at the good ol’ days for a bit of comfort, but that
would give them no help for the future.
So Jesus said, “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. And you
know the way to where I am going.”
But did they? Did they
know the way? Jesus was leaving via the grave. How would they be reunited
again? Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can
we know the way?” What sort of path led from life, through death, to beyond?
What would they have to do to get there?
Jesus replied, “I am
the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me.”
They needed to know Jesus,
and that was all. Why? Because when it came to their salvation, He was going to
do all the saving. They didn’t have to climb any stairway to heaven—Jesus is the
Way to heaven. They didn’t need to seek out some sort of hidden knowledge,
because Jesus stood before them to tell them the truth that He would die for
their sins and rise from the dead. They didn’t need to find some miracle medicine,
some fountain of youth somewhere, because the risen Jesus would give them life.
By His death on the cross, He would deliver them from sin. By His resurrection
from the grave, He would deliver them from death. He was already getting ready
a place for them in heaven forever.
He is the Way, the
Truth, and the Life for them; and He would keep His promises. No wonder He said
to them, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”
Of course, as long as
the disciples lived in this sinful world, they’d still be troubled. While Jesus
underwent trial and cross, they’d run away, hide, deny, and despair. They knew
the way, the truth, and the life because they knew Jesus, the One who is the
Way, the Truth, and the Life; but their eyes saw terrible things that filled
them with fear.
No matter their fearful
doubt, though, Jesus rose three days later. He made His way to them, spoke His
truth to forgive them and give life. He sent them out to tell the world that He
is the Way to His Father and heaven. Of those apostles, all would die—all but
one a martyr’s death. Even then, however, salvation was sure, and the hope was
certain. When bodies were wracked by pain, hearts were still not troubled. They
knew Jesus because Jesus knew them. By His death and resurrection, He had
prepared a place for them. Forever.
“Let not your hearts be
troubled,” said Jesus once again. This time, He said it to a little girl named
Sandy. “Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms,
and by My death and resurrection, I have prepared a place for you.” Yes, make no
mistake, Jesus said this specifically to Sandy on April 25, 1937 at St. Paul
Lutheran Church here in Pipestone, Minnesota. Oh, He used different words, namely,
“Sandra Jeanne Bucher, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.”
These words were spoken
over Sandy before she was old enough to comprehend the words; but on that day,
the promise to her was sure. Jesus declared that when He died on the cross for
sins, He had already suffered God’s judgment for her and risen again; and now
in Baptism He shared that death and resurrection with her. That day, the Lord said:
“Sandy, you don’t know all that I have planned for you. No one does but Me. But
this you know, because I declare it to all this day: I have already given you
forgiveness and faith and eternal life. Your soul already lives in Me forever! No
matter what lies ahead, rest assured that you know the end of the story. For My
life and death and resurrection, I have prepared a place for you in heaven. Let
not your heart be troubled.”
And having begun this
good work in His beloved child, the Lord Jesus remained faithful to her. So
Sandy’s life in the Lord’s hands continued, and He provided her with all sorts
of gifts—including a young man named Bill. The Lord blessed this union with 61
years of marriage, four children, 12 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren (and
counting). There would be days when Christ’s blessings were richly apparent,
and days when there was little but anxiety and trouble and doubt. But day after
day, year after year, Christ attended her by His Word, to give her more grace
and strengthen her faith. Time and time again, He spoke His Gospel into her ear:
“Sandy, I have made you My own and I forgive you for all of your sins. There
will be both trials and joys for you, but you can be sure that My mercies are
new for you every morning. My faithfulness to you is sure, and I will be your
portion now and forever. “Let not your heart be troubled. I am the Way, the
Truth, and the Life for you.”
So the years passed by
quickly, the Lord was faithful to His promises for His beloved child. But this
is a sinful world, and time and age wear away at body and health. Disease and
distress proclaim the wages of sin in a way more piercing than any sermon every
could. And as happens to all in this life, so it came to Sandy. But as He had
for so long, the Lord did not forsake Sandy. Even as foes like sickness and
death circled her and sought to rob her and her loved ones of life and hope,
Jesus remained faithful.
Despite the presence of
these enemies—indeed, because of them, He continued to prepare a table for Sandy.
He continued to say to her, “Take and eat, this is My Body. Take and drink,
this is My Blood… for the forgiveness of sins.
Even though you must walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
have gone there before you and destroyed its power. I will be with you now, and
I will raise you up to life everlasting.”
The Lord always keeps
His promises. That is why, although you mourn today, you do not mourn without
hope. Christ has died for all the world and Christ is risen from the dead.
Risen from the dead, He promises forgiveness to all who repent of their sin and
believe in Him. He promised this to Sandy. She believed and she was ready to go
to be with the Lord. He promises the same to you.
And so He declares to
you this day, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” In His Father’s house are many
rooms. As He did for Sandy, by His death and resurrection, He has prepared a
place for you. Christ Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Knowing Him,
you know the way to heaven. Forgiven for His sake, heaven is already yours.
We do not see heaven
with our eyes, only by faith. For now, our eyes see the enemies of grief and
age, sickness and death. By faith, though, we see what St. John saw in
Revelation 21: “And 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 the throne saying, ‘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’” (Revelation 21:2–4).
The holy city in
Revelation 21 is the Church, the Bride of Christ—the sum total of all of God’s
people in the history of the world. Throughout history, we see the Church move
on, often troubled and worn and ailing. But throughout history, she lives on
because her Savior is always with her. The Church doesn’t look especially triumphant
in this world; but in that vision of heaven, John sees her in her glory
forever, set free from sin and sorrow and crying and pain.
What is true for the
sum total of believers is also true for each individual believer. Gathered here
today, you mourn the death of Sandy Carstensen, and you witnessed some of the
griefs that she endured. But for the sake of Jesus, her Savior, for her there
is no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There is no more pain, for these are
former things that have passed away. God has wiped every tear from her eye and
made all things new for her.
That is the promise fulfilled
for Sandy Carstensen. That is the certain hope by which you live this day. Let
not your hearts be troubled. Amen
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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