In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The first word that Jesus says to His disciples after His resurrection is “peace.” So, peace to you, family and friends of Jon, especially Patti, Jennifer, Jaclyn, Jordyn, Ashlyn, Jackson, and Christian. Peace from the Lord who has been raised from the dead and so death is no longer Lord over Him. Instead, He is Lord of life and death, and His mercy and comfort are for you today.

I never had the opportunity to meet Jon, so I can’t tell any good stories or share any memories. Dan shared a number of things with me, and it sounds like Jon loved well and was well-loved, though he, like all of us, had his share of struggles and difficult times. You all know about his personality, his work, his hobbies and projects, his coaching, his love of fishing, and everything else much better than I do, and I encourage you to share those memories with the family and with one another. I don’t have those memories and stories. But I do have the remembrance and the story of Jesus, who not only knew Jon better than any of us, but is the only one who can assure us that this separation between Jon and us does not separate him from Jesus.

That is the promise that is everywhere in the Scriptures: that nothing, not in life and not in death, is able to separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ. And the reason that we cannot be separated from Him is because He is risen from the dead. In the Church calendar, we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection last Sunday, and the celebration continues for 50 days. And even after that, of course, every single Sunday is a little Easter, because it is the day on which Jesus rose. It is also a reminder of a couple things: first, that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are not only for the past, but for the future. And, second, that Jesus is not only for our lives in this world, but for eternal life.