06. April 2024
Funeral of Merlin W. Spieker
Matthew 28:20
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ—Debbie, Tom, Sarah, spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family, friends, and fellow saints of God—grace, mercy, and peace are yours in Jesus Christ, your LORD and Savior. Amen. Jesus’s last words to His apostles before He ascended into the heavens were, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). Jesus promised Merlin the same on the day of His confirmation, “Lo, I am with you [Merlin] always, even to the end of the age!” And today, hear Jesus say the same for you, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age!”
If we step back just a few verses, we hear Jesus say, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus has put all His enemies under His feet by His suffering, death, and resurrection. He bled for the consequence of every thought, word, and action against His Word. He was bruised for all this world’s rebellion against Him. He silenced the evil one’s accusations with His cross. He died our death that our sin deserves and rose from the dead in His body, giving the promise of resurrection to you. He broke the bars of hell and opened the gates of heaven for all you who believe. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth that gave Merlin and now gives you forgiveness and life and to inherit eternity in heaven.
Thus, we confess the Apostolic truth, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We all earn death because we fall short of the glory of God, but we get eternal life as a free gift of God. This is phenomenally good news, Gospel! In no way, shape, or form are you responsible for your salvation—salvation is entirely in Christ your Lord. Even the faith needed was given to Merlin and is given to you by His Word and Spirit. Your hope, confidence, and life are received outside you from Jesus. He’s promised to be with you, but how can you be sure?
Thus, Jesus turns to His apostles, saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” He gives the authority that is His from eternity to His apostolic church. He sends His church with His Word and Spirit to call others to follow Jesus in faith. Rather than go and find Jesus, He sends His church to find you and bring you to Jesus. Everything that Jesus did for you by the cross on Golgotha is given to you here and now by apostolic authority. Jesus authorized His church to call sinners to repentance and preach forgiveness of sins. Lo, He is with you always!
And He gives you something real and tangible to hold onto. He puts this Word that makes you His own in Holy Baptism. He says to His church, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” God the Holy Trinity attaches His name to your Baptism. You are given to follow Jesus because He has made you to be His own. Our brother Merlin was born again and from above by water and the Spirit just months shy of 90 years ago. In Holy Baptism, we are all joined together to Christ, given faith, forgiven all our sins, and assured of eternal life. Lo, He is with you always!
But there’s more! “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” And as for earthly birth, so with heavenly birth. The baptized are newborn infants fed with the pure Spiritual milk of the Word. And as we grow in faith and love, Jesus keeps feeding us His Word, which He calls bread from heaven. His Word comes from outside us as His church fulfills His mandate of “teaching them to hold fast and treasure all things I have commanded.” Where the Word is, there is Jesus, the Word incarnate. He is our meat and drink indeed, sustaining us through this life.
Jesus was, is, and always will be with Merlin. We confess that Jesus is always with us in His Baptism, Name, and Word. From the saving waters of this font to the Word proclaimed from His altar, to the faith confessed before this congregation, to Christ’s body given and blood shed for Merlin and given to him to eat and drink at this altar, and now to this funeral and resting place in our cemetery, Lo, Jesus is with us always until the end of the age, just as He was for Merlin.
There is no doubt why my friend Merlin was so overjoyed to have the gifts of his congregation brought to him at home, in the hospital, and in hospice. Debbie frequently told me how his demeanor would change, and he seemed to recover after those visits. In faith, he wanted to know that Jesus was still with Him. He knew it to be true and wanted the confidence that the Absolution, Word, and Sacrament give. And Christ’s church came to him even as he grew more ill and his last hours in this life came. This was, after all, how Jesus promised to be with Merlin always, even to the end of the age.
And every promise made to Merlin is yours, too. And even more, we share with Merlin even now every good gift of Jesus. We are joined in eternal fellowship, for us by faith and for Merlin now by sight. While we say that death parts us, that’s not the whole reality. We are joined together as members of the body of Christ. All those who believe in the past, those present, and those in the future are joined in one Church. This is also how we are given to say that at the Supper, we sing and feast with saints, angels, and the whole company of heaven. We are never so near to Merlin as we are when gathered at the altar, that is, until the Day of Resurrection. And not just Merlin, but also his beloved Lois, parents, brother, grandchild, and all those who have died in faith.
We know that our Redeemer, resurrected and ascended, lives, and because He lives, Merlin lives. We need not grieve like others who have no hope. We dare to mock death and the grave this day as defeated enemies. On the last day, the end of the age, we will behold Jesus face-to-face and with Him, all those who believe in Him. We will see our father, brother, and friend Merlin face-to-face, on His feet, and rejoicing with the whole host of heaven.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ—Debbie, Tom, Sarah, spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family, friends, and fellow saints of God, Jesus kept this promise to be with us always. Because Jesus is with us, we need not fear. He leads us to the still waters of His mercy and the green pastures of His Word. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, as today, He is with us by Word, Spirit, and gifts to comfort and sustain us. Lo, He is with us always!
May the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School – Sherman Center
Random Lake, Wisconsin