At home with the Lord.

 

Funeral sermon for Norman Geihl, 3-18-2022

O Lord, we are gathered in sorrow, yet not as those who have no hope.  We thank You for all the blessings bestowed on our brother in faith now fallen asleep and for all the blessings given through him.  But most of all, we thank You for making him Your dear child by faith in Jesus Christ.  Give us all to have complete trust and sure hope in Jesus always.  We ask this all in His holy name.  Amen.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

For our comfort this afternoon, we read the words of our Savior recorded by St. John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

John 14:1-7  “Do not let your heart be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.  ²In my Father’s house are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going to prepare a place for you.  ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am.  ⁴You know where I am going, and you know the way.”  ⁵“Lord, we don’t know where you are going,” Thomas replied, “so how can we know the way?”  ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.  ⁷If you know me, you would also know my Father.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (EHV)

At home with the Lord.

Dear friends of Norman Geihl, and especially his family: Mark, Pam, Paul, David, and John, spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,

            I think it would be a fair assessment to say that Norman was a builder.  One of the highlights of his life was building the family home with the help of his children.  More than that, Norman was active in helping to build his community, providing the lumber and supplies for many a home and farm in our town and area.  He was a dedicated servant of his community, helping to establish the golf course here, and working actively in many other ways to promote his community and interests.  Norman was proud of the family he and Marilyn built and the accomplishments they have achieved since leaving home.

At the same time, Norm knew there was one home he could not build, nor could he do anything to obtain it, and that is his home in heaven.  Norman knew that this life on earth is not the end, but he also knew that he couldn’t earn or work his way to our true home in heaven.  However, by the grace of God, he also knew the promises of everlasting life through faith in Christ.  Through baptism and hearing the Good News of our Savior, Norman knew Jesus and his Father in heaven, and he was eagerly looking forward to joining Marilyn at the throne of our God.  Early this past Monday morning, the angels came and took Norman to be At home with the Lord.

In our reading, Jesus says, “Do not let your heart be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.”  Jesus spoke this to His disciples because this world is filled with trouble and pain.  All of that is the product of sin in the world.  Sin corrupts everything about this planet and everyone on it.  It is the reason there is death.  Norman was a good man, a good father and grandfather, a good citizen, and a good friend, but Norman was also a sinner.  We have the proof of that here in front of us for “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  Norman publicly confessed his sinfulness all the years he was a member of this congregation and before that too, I would imagine.  He also confessed it to me personally at home visits these last couple years.  Yet, repentance is more than just admitting sin.  True repentance requires trust in the Savior for forgiveness of that sin.  Norman had that too.

Norman believed in Jesus and all that Jesus has done for him.  He believed, as the Bible teaches, that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth taking on human flesh through His mother, Mary.  Norman believed that Jesus lived a holy life on our behalf and died on the cross at Calvary to pay for the sins of the whole world, Norman’s included, and yours and mine too.  This is why Jesus tells us not to be troubled.  Through faith in Christ, God credits the believer with the holiness of His Son.  Jesus took all our sins and paid for them with His sacrificial death, so we would be counted holy by God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit St. Paul tells us, “So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) 

Today, we have a body before us, the result of sin in the world, yet there is also life for Norman in heaven, because “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)  The world might like to tell you that death is the end, and some people hope that it is because they fear facing God’s wrath, but Jesus tells us, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus then reminds us what that means: “In my Father’s house are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am.”  Jesus spoke those words shortly before He went to the cross to die for all of us.  By His death, He purchased for us what we could never earn: forgiveness of all sin, eternal life, and a home in heaven.  The proof of this statement is found at the tomb on Easter morning.  Death could not hold our Savior.  The devil, sin, and death were defeated when Jesus rose to live again.  The most profound part of this is that now, we too will live and rise from the grave on the last day—then with our bodies glorified—never to suffer or die again.

This afternoon, we will commit to the earth your father and grandfather and our dear friend, but for him, this is not the end.  Today, he lives At home with the Lord, yet a day is coming when even his body will be raised to live again.  The prophet, Job, said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the end of time he will stand over the dust.  Then, even after my skin has been destroyed, nevertheless, in my own flesh I will see God.  I myself will see him.  My own eyes will see him, and not as a stranger.” (Job 19:25-27)  This is the Christian faith that gave comfort to Norman to the end.

Now, there are many in the world that would mock the Christian for believing in life after this world, but we have a sure and certain proof that it is real.  On the third day after He was crucified, died, and was buried, our Lord, Jesus, rose from the grave with a glorified body prepared for an eternal reign as our Lord and King.  His resurrection is the certified seal that God’s promise of our resurrection is also true.  Thus we say with King David, “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon Me to the grave.”  Sin brought death into the world.  The Son of God conquered death so that those who believe in Him as their Savior will live and die no more.

Dear friends, if you have been baptized into the Christian faith, if you believe that you are a sinner for whom Jesus died and rose again, then you too have God’s assurance that He has a mansion waiting for you in heaven.  Jesus said, “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) 

When he heard that Jesus was leaving him behind in death, the disciple, Thomas, wondered how we could ever reach our home in heaven.  Jesus told him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.  If you know me, you would also know my Father.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.”  The only way to forgiveness and eternal life is through faith in Jesus.  Norman knew that; he trusted it, and he certainly hoped all of you do too.  He couldn’t wait to be reunited with his Savior and the love of his life, Marilyn.  Yet, that also means he doesn’t want to be separated from any of you that he loved.  Neither does Jesus want to be separated from you forever.

God sent Jesus so that at the end of our days, here on earth, we could be taken to His house where there is no more suffering, sorrow, pain, or death.  Today, as we mourn, Norman rejoices in the presence of God, experiencing the glory of God and the magnificence of the saints and angels singing and praising his dear Savior as he enjoys life in heaven that will never end. 

As you go through the coming days, when sorrow, pain, and fear may trouble you, remember that what Jesus did for your loved one, He also did for you.  God took away all your sins, every guilty stain, and He put those condemnable things on His own beloved Son, and Jesus took them to the cross and paid the penalty of death for you, so that believing in Jesus as your Savior, you too may live with Him forever. 

God bless each of you as go today.  May the comfort His promises brought to Norman also be your comfort and joy.  Then, trusting in Jesus as “the Way and the Truth and the Life,” you too will spend eternity, At home with the Lord.  Amen.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.