Mary Weyant Funeral Sermon (4/11/22)

Rev. Thomas Van Hemert

St. Matthew 11:25-30

Mary Weyant Funeral Sermon

April 11, 2022

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus went about preaching and teaching in the cities, such as the cities of Chorazin, Tyre, Sidon, and Capernaum, He didn’t have many good things to say about them. In fact, He pronounced woe upon those cities because they refused to repent. The people of those cities heard Jesus preach and teach, yet many, or most of them, did not repent. So Jesus denounced those cities where most of His mighty works had been done.

Jesus is the preacher of both the Law and the Gospel. The Law—the Ten Commandments: Have no other God’s; don’t take the name of the Lord in vain; remember the Sabbath Day; honor your father and mother; don’t murder; don’t commit adultery; don’t steal; don’t bear false witness and slander your neighbor; and don’t covet. And even in our day, there is a curse for those who break Law of God and don’t repent.

And yet, Jesus is also the preacher of the Gospel. He brings the good news of salvation—that the entire world is declared righteous because of His atoning sacrifice and those with faith in Him are received into His kingdom. We hear part of that Gospel message today in the reading from Matthew. At that time, Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

That rest that Jesus speaks of is rest from pain, rest from hardship, rest from sorrow, rest from sin. This is the rest that we seek after and wait for earnestly. This is that rest that Mary came to a few days ago. She is with her Savior, resting in the arms of His holy embrace. His hands that were pierced with nails now hold her steady, safe and secure. And no one, no one can pluck her from her Savior’s loving arms.

We know without a doubt that Mary rests in Jesus because Jesus revealed Himself to her in Holy Baptism, where He cleansed her, where He washed her clean of all her sin. He claimed her as His own and revealed also His Father to her, making her an adopted child by grace. No one knows the Son except the Father. But through Baptism, Mary knows the Son. No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Mary knows the Father. Today is a day we thank and praise God for revealing these holy and heavenly things to little children—children of the Heavenly Father, like Mary.

Now anyone who knows Mary, knows that she suffered a great deal, not just these last few weeks and months, but throughout her life. There were surgeries upon surgeries, one operation after another, countless doctor appointments, laboring through physical therapy, and a fair amount of medications, to say the least. And what this shows all of us here today, is that from the very moment we’re born, we’re dying. All the medication in the world, all the medical procedures, all of our labor and toil will never be enough to stop death. And so Jesus breaks into these lives of ours filled with death and suffering and says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Here, in Church, worshipping her Lord and Savior and worshipping by receiving from Him what He desires to give in Word in Sacrament, that is, His true Body and Blood, true and real forgiveness from all sins, eternal blessings of life and salvation, and rest from this life, in these things, Mary truly found eternal rest. And because she found rest in her Savior, she was able to meet the days ahead of her, knowing that she had to face yet another hip surgery; knowing that she would have to take more medication; knowing that she would have to endure more physical therapy and more time away from home and away from her family. But she knew that because Jesus loves her, she could endure all of it. And so can you. Jesus loves you. He loves each and every one of you. It’s difficult now, of course. It would be insane for someone to say that we shouldn’t cry that we shouldn’t weep for our loved ones because death was never part of God’s original design for creation. But one thing we know, is that Jesus lives and Mary lives in Him.

Medical history aside, in my conversations with Mary, I was told one of the most difficult times the entire family went through was Tim’s death. No parent should have to bury their child. But for many years, I know, not just Mary, but the entire family lived with and still lives with the sorrow of Tim’s death and now add to it, Mary’s. How much more must we suffer? How much more grief can we endure? Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Today is not a day for denouncing unrepentant cities and proclaiming judgment upon sinners. Today is a day that we proclaim the resurrection of the dead. For Jesus Himself died and thus hallowed our own graves. He is the firstborn of the dead and has come out of death. And so He will lead Mary out of death, He will lead all those who have faith in Him out of death and the grave. For we must return, all of us to the dust of the earth. For from the dust of the earth was man created, and so to dust we shall return. But that is not the end. That is not it. Death does not have the final word, it cannot. For Jesus lives. He is the resurrection and the life and He calls out to His little lambs and says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 

That rest we are promised, John sees and describes to us in the book of Revelation, “After this, I [that is, John], looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne with be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes.’”

What John is seeing in this vision is the time after the last judgment, where all Christians, all those who confess the Trinity, all those who confess that Jesus is Lord, all of them will gather before the Lamb who was slain but who lives. Here John is seeing Christians from all nations, from every tribe and people and language—languages that hadn’t even been invented yet, John sees. He is seeing Christians of all time and places gathering before the Lamb. John sees Christians who live hundreds of years after he lived. And who does John see there? He sees Mary. After all, is she not included in “every nation, and tribe, and language, and people”? She is. And if you confess that Jesus is Lord, John sees you there with Mary as well. And there is no doubt about it, that Jesus is gathering all His saints to Himself and calls out to all of them saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

That rest, that eternal Sabbath rest is found only in Christ. Not in our works or in our own self-sufficiency or our merits or in life coaches or in anything we do. That rest is found only in Jesus. And the rest He provides for you, He gives to you in His Word in in the Sacraments. This is how all of us can find the strength to meet the days ahead. Because that great and glorious day when Jesus will gather His saints around His throne is coming. Thus we pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”

In +Jesus’ name.