Scripture Readings: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 11:20-17
A man once asked his wife, “What would you like for your birthday?” She answered, “I’d like to be ten again.”
On the morning of her birthday – he got her up early and took her to an amusement park, put her on all the rides, The Death Slide, the Screaming Loop… everything there was, she had a go. They ate all the fried heart-burn-causing foods that are at amusement parks. She staggered out of the park a few hours later – her head reeling and stomach upside down. He then took her to McDonalds and got her a Happy Meal.
Went to the theater to see a special showing of Star Wars – where they again feasted on popcorn, cola and sweets.
When she finally got home she collapsed into bed, utterly exhausted and feeling horrible from all the food. Her husband leaned over and asked, “So, what was it like to be ten again?”
With only one eye opened and groaning she replied, “I meant the dress size.”
Simple misunderstandings can lead us down all kinds of interesting paths. I tell that little joke because Delores and I had a relationship that usually involved one of us misunderstanding what the other was talking about. I would think she was talking about one thing – we’d have a complete conversation about that thing… before it would finally dawn on one of us – we were talking about two very separate things.
The one that sticks out particularly in my mind, a story I shared with the family already but will now share with all of you, was a time shortly after my marriage, Delores came up to me after the church service and said “Where is the third one of you? I haven’t seen her for a while?” Since my husband was seated almost directly behind me and in her line of vision, I thought she was referring to my newly acquired 17 year old step-daughter. So, I sighed heavily and went… “Well, she’s having kind of a rough time right now with the move to Kearney and everything else. And she’s not real sure about this whole Lutheran thing since she was brought up more non-denominational, so it’s tough getting her to show up for services.”
Delores gave me a rather puzzled look and said, “Oh, well that’s too bad. I really enjoyed her sermons.”
She was, of course, referring to Pastor Meg, the third pastor at First Lutheran, not my step-daughter. We had a good laugh about it and the next week Pastor Meg was there and Delores came up to me and said, “Good to see she didn’t give up totally on us Lutherans.”
And for those of you who know Delores, to have told her that one of the pastors suddenly wasn’t so sure about that whole Lutheran thing would have been quite a shock to her system.
A Swedish Lutheran since birth - roots, faith and church were very important to Delores. She rarely missed a service, was devoted to her women’s circle groups and counting the offering on Monday mornings.
She was quite the genealogist as well, keeping track of where everyone since those first two Swedish Lutherans who stepped on American soil were, going to the big family gatherings, and of course there are even several centers named after many of those relatives – the Lind Center in Omaha, the Sjogren retreat center at Camp Carol Joy Holling. And like any good Lutheran – Delores was a huge Garrison Keillor fan. But at the end of the day – the relationship and name that meant everything was “child of God.”
But misunderstandings like Delores and I had can happen. In fact, our second reading for today from 1 Thessalonians was written to clear up a misunderstanding many people were having about what happened when their friends and family died and missed the Lord’s coming. You see, they expected to see Jesus return in their lifetime – but were concerned about those people who had died before that happened. What about them? If they died before Jesus’ return, would they miss out on God’s Kingdom?
I’m actually glad that Paul took the time to correct this question or misunderstanding, because they are words that are quite central to our faith, and gave comfort not only to the people two thousand years ago in the city of Thessalonica, but are words that continue to give us comfort today.
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that those who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
So we do not misunderstand – we are able to be assured knowing that Delores is with her Lord forever, preceding our own meeting with the risen Christ.
Of course, those words sometimes lose a tad bit of their comfort when we hear that part about all being caught up in the air – given Delores was afraid of heights. She would drive for hours with the family to see things like the Grand Canyon or Carlsbad – and would spend about thirty seconds looking over the edge before deciding that was it. Can’t blame her, really – my own mother crawled her way back to the car when we visited the waterfalls at Yellowstone Park.
But despite her acrophobia, she had no real fear of flying. In fact, Delores loved traveling, seeing new and different places. Tanzania, South Africa, Australia – those were just the places she went to visit during the three years I knew her.
She got to see and experience a lot that this life and that this world had to offer. Hers was a life well-lived, and now she gets to see and experience what the next life holds for her, going to one of the most wondrous places we all look forward to going – to be with Christ.
“I am the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
Let us be sure to not misunderstand this particular promise. “Even though they die, whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” In other words, death does not have the last and final word. Our God is a God of life. A God of redemption and a God of renewal. For those of us at the graveside, we heard the promises of Romans 8 – that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of Christ.
As we gather today – it is in part to grieve and to mourn the fact that Delores has taken that step of passing from this life to death, knowing that we will not see her again until we ALL come face to face with Christ in our new life with Him. We grieve knowing that pen collection of hers will not get any larger…ok, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
We will miss her love for woodworking, being a bridge partner, her fierce independence, and that muttered, Swedish way in which she would say “I love you, too.” We grieve that we won’t hear her wonder aloud why it is people write checks for their offering for nine dollars and thirty-seven cents instead of just rounding it up to ten. We will miss her presence in our lives.
But we gather here today also to celebrate. To rejoice in the knowledge that Delores was simply just ahead of the curve from the rest of us.
I mean, that was Delores, wasn’t it? Always jumping into whatever new thing or technology came around, learning whatever, wherever and whenever she could. The first to get a microwave, cell phone, and her computer knowledge at the age of 81 probably put to shame some of the people half her age.
Yet as a diligent student of the Bible, spending all the years of her life immersing herself in God’s Word and God’s promises, she knew there was something bigger and better waiting for her in God’s Kingdom.
You might say Delores was ready for her upgrade. Ready for the greatest adventure any of us will ever embark upon. It may have happened sooner than most of us would have liked, but there is no doubt that Delores was prepared and Delores was ready.
She knew and believed in the promises of God – that Jesus is the Resurrection and the life, and even though she has died, she shall live eternally with Christ in His Kingdom. To live with her God and King in everlasting life. Surrounded by his constant grace, constant love, and constant comfort.
And we look forward to the day when we will join her again.
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