Funeral sermon for Aubrey
Rose Popowski, 2-4-2023
O Lord, we are gathered in sorrow,
yet not as those who have no hope. We
thank You for the gift of this child now fallen asleep. But most of all, we thank You for making salvation
and eternal life ours through faith in Jesus Christ. Comfort and help those who here mourn and give
us always to have complete trust and sure hope in Jesus. We ask this all in Christ’s holy name. Amen.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ,
At times of great sorrow such as this, it is very common
to have more questions than answers, and to desire more explanation from God than
He, in His divine wisdom, has provided in His Word. When we find ourselves in such a predicament,
it is vitally important that we seek His guidance and find our confidence, not
in what we wish, but in what God has surely given in His Word, for His Word is
life. (John 6:68)
Some of
the most common questions when a baby dies is “Why?” Why did God allow this? Why do we have to suffer so much pain? What did this baby or these parents do wrong? The answer is no one did anything wrong. The child didn’t cause its afflicted body,
nor did the parents. What Scripture does
tell us is that the curse of sin on the world is the root cause of all
death. It is because of that curse of
sin that we all will die. Some will die
at what seems like a very old age, perhaps after even a hundred years. Others die very young. Which is better? Death is never good, nor is it what God
intended for any of His dear children, which is why God chose to send His beloved
Son to take the death every person deserves for sin, so that we might be given
eternal life through faith in Him.
Still, physical death comes to all people, because the curse put on the
world for man’s sin affects all people. (Romans 5)
Now, as
you heard a few moments ago, while God has given the Sacraments for our use in
bringing people to saving faith, He does not limit Himself in bringing little
children to believe. Therefore, when
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me,” He meant that with all
His heart. Jesus put His whole life,
body and soul, into gaining forgiveness and salvation for all people—little
children included—because “God our Savior,…wants all people to be saved and
to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
It is in
Jesus that we find salvation and peace.
We can’t always understand how God can work through His Word, but He
promises “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes
through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
Now, some
may question how Aubrey may have heard God’s call to faith, but we know for a
fact that babies hear in the womb, and that our Almighty God can make believers
out of little children just as easily as He can any adult and often more
easily, for as Jesus said, “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark
10:14) Melissa and Lucas, you read and
confessed God’s word out loud at home, and while still in the womb you brought
little Aubrey to church where the Word and salvation of Jesus Christ is
proclaimed, where the Holy Spirit had opportunity to bring saving faith to that
little broken child.
Of
course, doubts may come nagging at us.
How can we know whether Aubrey believed and is saved? Just like with older people, that determination
is up to Jesus, not to us. But we rely
on what our God has told us. The Bible
promises, “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17) Again Jesus said, “I came that they may
have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) The Bible assures us that saving faith is
never a personal decision or something we do to come to God. Rather, St. Paul tells us, “God, because
he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us
alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!” (Ephesians
2:4-5) Just as God gave you faith in
Jesus as your Savior, so He could work the same gift of grace in little Aubrey
Rose.
From
God’s Word, we also know that Aubrey was not a mistake, but rather a gift to
you and to God’s kingdom. That may seem
hard for you to believe right now in your pain, but the Word says, “You
created my inner organs. You wove me
together in my mother’s womb. I praise
you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows
that very well.” (Psalm 139:13-14)
Melissa
and Lucas, God gave you the gift of a daughter to love, and He gave you hopeful
expectations for her future. Though
right now that seems like a very short-term gift, your love for her will
continue, and your hopes for her future remain appropriate, for our God’s main
purpose is to bring us home into His everlasting mansions where there is no
more sorrow, illness, pain, or death.
Whether young or old, we each must go through death because as St. Paul
wrote, “This perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal
body must put on immortality. But once
this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put
on immortality, then what is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up
in victory.’” (1 Corinthians 15:53-54)
No matter how badly broken Aubrey’s little body was in this world, in
that God-given victory over death, we can trust that there is a future for
Aubrey in heaven and, by faith in Jesus, for you to be with her again, not with
brokenness, sadness, and pain, but in a life whole, perfect, and filled with
unending joy.
How do we
know God cares for Aubrey? When Jesus
was teaching us not to worry, He told us about His Father’s care, saying: “Look at the birds of
the air. They do not sow or reap or
gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:26) Every sparrow, chicken, or pheasant that
finds a kernel of grain, weed seed, or bug finds the food God has delivered to
feed that life. God knows our every
need, and He provides for us in this world with the goal of bringing us home to
Himself in glory. God knows each of us
so well, He has numbered the hairs of our heads. Nothing, and no one, escapes God’s attention
and care, so we know He cares for Aubrey, and Jesus cares for all of you just
as well. In fact, Jesus invites us in
every sorrow, trouble, difficulty, or pain, “Come to me all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
We have
God’s invitation to bring every need, sorrow, temptation, loss, or pain to Him
for help. Jesus is our High Priest, our
go-between with our heavenly Father.
Now, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet
was without sin. So let us approach the
throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to
help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)
When His
friend, Lazarus, was dead in a tomb for four days, “Jesus wept.” (John
11:35) Jesus wept even though He knew He
was going to raise Lazarus immediately, so Jesus wasn’t worried about death’s
power. Rather, Jesus wept because He
felt the pain His dear friends, Mary and Martha, were feeling at the loss of
their brother. Through faith, you too have
a connection with Jesus. He knows how
you hurt. He loves you enough to die for
you, which He did on a cross to pay for all of your sins, doubts, and
weaknesses. He loves you enough to hear
your anguished cries, to hold and comfort you in your sorrow, and to give you
the strength to heal as He carries you on.
Dear
friends, at times like this, we are always full of questions, and doubts may
creep into our minds. Our God and Savior
promises us, “Certainly my plans are not your plans, and your ways are not
my ways, declares the Lord. Just as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my
plans are higher than your plans.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) We can’t say with certainty why God allowed
this sorrow and pain to enter your lives, but we do know that we have a loving
God who gave His Son to be our rescuer from sin and death, the true God-Man who
suffered the same sorrows and pain we go through yet remained without sin so
that He could be our Savior.
Jesus
promised His people, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he
dies. And whoever lives and believes in
me will never perish.” (John 11:25-26)
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead proves that His promises are true and
that He is the same God who promised through Isaiah, “I will never forget
you. Look, I have inscribed you on the
palms of my hands. Your walls are never
out of my sight. Your children are
hurrying back.” (Isaiah 49:15-17)
The nail holes in Jesus’ hands, still visible after His resurrection
from the dead, are visible signs that Jesus lived, died, and rose for you, so
that in the end you too will be raised alive from the grave to join Him in His
eternal home. He did the same for Aubrey
Rose. Trust in God’s Son, Jesus, who
gave His all to give you forgiveness of sins and the sure and certain hope of
life everlasting in heaven. All glory to
His name. Amen.
Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is
at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
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