Video of the service is here. The sermon begins around the 24:50 mark.

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

Family and friends of Julie, especially Les: the grace and peace of God in Jesus Christ, and the hope of the resurrection be yours today. It is often good to be together at times like this, to share grief, laughter, stories; to remember the good things that Julie both gave and received. Her work with the youth group here was before my time, but I am sure that many people remember those times fondly. This is not always the opportunity to gather that we may we want, but it is the opportunity we are given. God grant you His comfort in Christ today and in the days to come.

I think it is easy to sympathize with Martha when Jesus finally shows up in Bethany. Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick, and still He waited to go. And when He finally does get there, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days already. So we can sympathize with Martha when she says, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” That is, Martha believes that Jesus can heal sicknesses, and if Jesus had come when Mary and Martha had sent for Him, then He would have been able to heal Lazarus before he died. But now it’s too late. Lazarus is dead and buried. But, Martha says, even now, I know that whatever You ask, Jesus, God will give to You.

Jesus says to her, “Your brother will rise,” and Martha says, “Sure, Lord, I know that he will rise on the last day.” That will happen, but what about now? And we can understand that. What about now, Lord? What about the fact that the people we love get sick and die? This is not right. It’s not right that Lazarus should have died. And it’s not right that Julie should have died. It’s not right that families should face as much grief as this family has faced. How long, O Lord? Have mercy, O Lord. How long shall the enemy, death, be exalted? How long until sin, and sickness, and death are banished from Your creation? How long until tears are wiped away and sorrow and sighing are no more? How long, O Lord?

Consider and answer me, O LORD, my God. What does He answer Martha? He says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Resurrection is only what it is because of who Jesus is. Life is only life if it is lived in Jesus, who is the Life. Outside of Him, we see only evil and death. I am the Resurrection and the Life, He says. The one who believes in Me, even if she dies, will live. Jesus is not as distant as He seems. When He gets to the tomb of Lazarus, He hears the weeping and He is angry at the death that causes such grief. He is angry because death is a reality. He is angry because death has invaded His good creation, which was meant to be filled with only life. And when He sees the grave, He Himself weeps. Sorrow and anger are Jesus’ own response to death, and so it is right that we should grieve and be angry at death.

But there is more than that. It is not impotent rage at something outside of Jesus’ control. He tells Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and he does. Wherever Jesus is, death may not have the last word. Whoever has Jesus has life. What, finally, does Jesus do about death? How does He bring an end to something, the power of which we see all around us? Jesus also is crucified and dies. When He is on the cross, He does not hear an answer from His Father to His question, My God, why have You forsaken Me? If we were to judge only by what happens to the Son of God on the cross, we would have to conclude that there is no answer because there is no God to answer. How long, O Lord? And the answer would be nothing, or “forever.”

But where Jesus is, death will not have the last word. On the third day, the answer comes: He is not in the grave; He is risen. Do not look for the living among the dead, the angel says. He is the Resurrection and the Life, and death cannot hold Him; the grave must give Him up. And so it is for those who belong to Jesus, who have been joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection in baptism, as Julie was. When she was baptized, Jesus put His Name on her, so that whenever He called her to Himself, she would not belong among the dead, but with the living Jesus. And so she is; her soul rests with Jesus, free from sickness, and hospitals, and medications, and nursing home beds. But that is not the end for her, as if the separation of the living and the dead would last forever. Death is not the final word for her, because Jesus was and is with her, and she is with Him. He knows His own, and they know Him. He is the Resurrection, not will be. He is the Life, not will be. And as He says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

That is the promise that Jesus brings to Martha in the midst of her sorrow, and it is the promise He brings to you in the midst of yours. Even Lazarus, to whom Jesus restored physical life, did not remain in this world forever after. He still died again, and he awaits the eternal resurrection with Julie, with Judith, with Les, Jr., with Christy, with Miles, and with all those whom we love who have died in the faith. The Lord does not give us the answers to our questions; He gives Himself as the answer. I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who is living and believing in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?

Martha’s answer is “Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Grief and sorrow and tears remain as long as we live in this world the way that it is. But Jesus remains as well, and He remains beyond death. The one who is the resurrection and the life has been raised from the dead. Death is no longer lord over Him; He is Lord over both life and death. He is Julie’s Lord, and He is your Lord. She’s alive now in the presence of Jesus, but that will not be enough for Jesus. He wants her body, and yours, raised as well, and He will do as He promised. In baptism, you have already died. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you, and Julie, and all God’s holy ones will also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4). Lord, You have been here; You are here; and though we die, we will live. How long, O Lord? Until the last enemy is defeated, and death is no more.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, ESV). Amen.

– Pr. Timothy Winterstein, 2/8/24