Introduction

This is a funeral homily I preached at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009.

Readings

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Psalm 31:1-5
1 Timothy 6:11-16
John 14:1-7

Message

It’s hard to listen to the words of the Philosopher,
telling us about the times and seasons
for the passages we face in life,
and not hear the tune of Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
in our minds’ ears.

But it doesn’t really matter
whether we sing these words to ourselves
or read them from Ecclesiastes;
they remain powerful and true.

And normally, we focus on the contrasts
between the highs and the lows,
the birthing and dying,
the mourning and dancing,
the seeking and losing.

But the constant in the passage
is God’s gift of time.
No matter what life brings to us,
no matter what we face,
we live because God gives us that gift.

And not only that, he gives us himself in our time,
because he is a God who shares his history with us,
a God who makes history in our midst.

And ultimately, this is what saves us,
because at the center of his history stands the cross
upon which the Father’s love
conquered the death of his Son
through the power of their Spirit.

And now, history has turned another page
and the life of Theda has reached its conclusion.
She now rests in the arms of the same Lord
who stretched out his arms on the cross
to give Theda and you and me eternal life.

This life is God’s power lying at the center
of Theda’s confirmation verse from 1 Timothy [6:12, NRSV]:

“Fight the good fight of the faith;
take hold of the eternal life,
to which you were called and for which you made
the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

During her life, Theda used this gift of time
to love her family, celebrate her grandchildren,
and to enjoy the companionship of friends playing cards.
She gave her time to the Church and to the Salvation Army.
She worked out the timing of baking and gardening and canning.
To everything, there was a season.

Today we prepare for the turning of the seasons.
This morning we turn to God in thanksgiving for the gift of time.
And in his time, when his history turns the pages in our life stories,
we ourselves will rest, along with Theda,
from fighting the good fight of faith,
and we will take hold of the eternal life,
where we will have all the time in God’s heaven
for planting and laughing and dancing,
for embracing and loving and living in peace. Amen.