Christ Holds Dale Into And Out Of The Grave
Text: Romans 14:7-9
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Now, I certainly do not have to expound on this much in
great detail, for you are all currently experiencing this forceful wedge of
death right now. Death has indeed acted like a cruel wedge that has slammed
right in between everyone and Dale. All the memories, all the time, all the
joy, and fun together with Dale – severed from you. Death comes down like a heavy hammer with no
sympathy – it is like a rusty wedge that severs with no compassion. And as a result, here we sit, cut off from
our loved ones. For this, I am so
sorry. Irene, I am so sorry for this
pain.
And so, is there any comfort for us right now?
Irene, family, and friends, listen to our Epistle Reading,
which has a word of comfort for you in this time of distress. Yes, listen to the comforting word:
“If we
live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the
Lord.”
Irene, family, and friends, you see, it is indeed true that
death has divided you from Dale. Death
has acted like a nasty wedge that has severed ties of love and care. But listen again to the words of the Apostle
Paul:
“So,
whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
Now, did you hear what the Apostle Paul said about death
and Christ? Keep in mind that Paul is
not offering you some silly pious sentiments.
These words are not sappy words that are meant to make you feel warm and
fuzzy for a moment and then vanish the next.
No, the Apostle Paul is leaving nothing to our imaginations. He is not speaking religious fluff. He is not playing with your emotions. But instead, Paul is telling you and me how
it is with Christ and death.
Let me state this one more time, making it really personal:
“If
Dale were still living, he would belong to the Lord. If Dale were to die, he would belong to the
Lord. And so, whether it is Dale in life
or Dale in death, Dale belongs to the Lord.”
Let’s make it even more personal:
“Today,
alive, you belong to the Lord. But if you were to die today, you would belong
to the Lord as well. And so, give me
life or give me death, it does not matter because I belong to Christ!”
And so, to be perfectly clear, what the Apostle Paul is
telling you and me is that death cannot end the Lord’s possession of us. Our dying does not drive a wedge between
Christ and us. Death does not cause us
to slip from the hands of Christ.
Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to Christ; Jesus never lets
go of us.
Irene, family, and friends, take comfort right now with
these words from the Apostle Paul. In
your pain, lookup through your tears to Christ.
Yes, look to Christ and hear the good news that regardless of life or
death, you belong to the Lord – you are His precious possession. You belong to Christ because Christ has paid
the ransom for your redemption. In life
and beyond the grave, you are Christ’s own, in all eternity.
But what about Dale?
What about this current wedge caused by death with Dale? What can be said about all of this?
Well, that’s the thing, if you and I are in Christ – and
Christ holds us in life – and Dale is in Christ – and Christ holds Dale in
death – are we really that separated from each other? No, we are not.
Irene, even though the pain of death is great right now,
hear this: you are in Christ; Dale is in
Christ. You have the same Lord; the same
Lord has you. And so, even though death
has stung Dale, you both are not forever separated.
What this means is that you will see Dale again, Irene. At the great resurrection, Dale will be
raised to immortality. And both you and
Dale will be given new bodies, never to be separated by death again. Christ
will make all things new at that great last day; there will be no more hunger,
no more thirst, and no more tears. But
there will be dancing, joy, and laughter – the kind of joy and laughter that
comes out of little children who have just opened a gift on Christmas
morning.
Is death painful?
Does it sever? Does it act like
a wedge? You bet. No one has said that death is easy. But nonetheless, today, we shall not let
death have the final word. We will not
leave this sanctuary as if the wedge of death is all that there is. No!
Today and right now, we shall lift up our chins and cling to Christ, as
He clings even more to us. We grieve for
our loss of Dale, yet we make a fist and grit our teeth, knowing that the same
Lord who holds us now, holds Dale right now as well. And so, we know that everything is going to
be alright because of Christ Jesus.
Irene, family, and friends Christ holds you. And take comfort, even though death has stung
our brother Dale, Christ holds him into the grave and will hold him out of the
grave. Christ has authority over life
and death; He will make all things new.
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