The Easy Yoke
Sermon
Day Full Of Grace
Twenty-Five Funeral Messages
Death after long illness
Sometimes it seems as though these words of Jesus haven't been read by the church of the twentieth century. Many have added so much to the "easy yoke" of Christ, and to the "light burden" of Christ. It seems as though our Lord's gospel is too good to be true, so we add a lot of extras: You've got to do this to be saved; you've got to do that; "this" is a must for salvation; these are the steps to take in order to believe.
Thank God the Father that his son, Jesus, was not so complicated. Thank the Lord Jesus Christ that his daughter, _____________ was not so complicated either. Her life was simple, and those of you who treasure memories of her will mostly find little treasures to treasure. You will remember the things that she made, like apple pie and cookies. Her home always smelled of fresh-baked pastry and treats of some sort.
You know what kind of person ___________ was. She was not pretentious. She was just a good, common, hard-working loving person. She made memories, which are far more valuable than things, and she had a caring family.
I don't know how many hours have been invested by each of you during these last several years of her illness and weakness. Whatever the investment, today you reap a wonderful reward. You know that you have been Christian to your own mother, sister, grandmother or great-grandmother. Now, you are released from duty. It's done. Finished. Accomplished. God alone can do what's next to be done for her (namely, her resurrection), since God alone knows how and has the power.
That is the "easy yoke" of Christ for you today. That is the "light burden." It is easy and light, but it is still a burden, for it is difficult to let go and let God. For her sake, and your own, you must do it. Believe that you can find rest for your soul, as Christ promised, by living the rest of your lives as though you'll see her again, because you will.
It's doubly hard on some of us who have had more than this loss recently, and it's doubly hard on those of us who either spent a lot of time with her during the last few years, or, for very good reasons, couldn't be with her as often as we wished. Each of us has a very unique kind of grief work to do, and it is work. Each of us can succeed only with effort, taking the yoke, bearing the burden, doing the same kind of difficult thing you did when you sent your child to school on the very first day. Nevertheless, you let the child go. We must do the same kind of thing we did when we stepped off the side of a swimming pool, as a child, into the safety of our parent's catch. We must do the same kind of thing we did when we said, "I do," to someone very special.
The burden, the yoke, is an act of faith, that God, in his goodness, did not lie when he promised rest: rest for _____, rest for you, rest for us all, as we let God do God's job. God in his goodness did not lie when at __________'s baptism, He declared: "This is my daughter, my adopted daughter, now and throughout eternity." Wait patiently, therefore, for the Lord's time, the Lord's hour, when you are reunited with her who gave you such magnificent little treasures. Those God-given memories make the yoke easier, and the burden lighter.
Sometimes it seems as though these words of Jesus haven't been read by the church of the twentieth century. Many have added so much to the "easy yoke" of Christ, and to the "light burden" of Christ. It seems as though our Lord's gospel is too good to be true, so we add a lot of extras: You've got to do this to be saved; you've got to do that; "this" is a must for salvation; these are the steps to take in order to believe.
Thank God the Father that his son, Jesus, was not so complicated. Thank the Lord Jesus Christ that his daughter, _____________ was not so complicated either. Her life was simple, and those of you who treasure memories of her will mostly find little treasures to treasure. You will remember the things that she made, like apple pie and cookies. Her home always smelled of fresh-baked pastry and treats of some sort.
You know what kind of person ___________ was. She was not pretentious. She was just a good, common, hard-working loving person. She made memories, which are far more valuable than things, and she had a caring family.
I don't know how many hours have been invested by each of you during these last several years of her illness and weakness. Whatever the investment, today you reap a wonderful reward. You know that you have been Christian to your own mother, sister, grandmother or great-grandmother. Now, you are released from duty. It's done. Finished. Accomplished. God alone can do what's next to be done for her (namely, her resurrection), since God alone knows how and has the power.
That is the "easy yoke" of Christ for you today. That is the "light burden." It is easy and light, but it is still a burden, for it is difficult to let go and let God. For her sake, and your own, you must do it. Believe that you can find rest for your soul, as Christ promised, by living the rest of your lives as though you'll see her again, because you will.
It's doubly hard on some of us who have had more than this loss recently, and it's doubly hard on those of us who either spent a lot of time with her during the last few years, or, for very good reasons, couldn't be with her as often as we wished. Each of us has a very unique kind of grief work to do, and it is work. Each of us can succeed only with effort, taking the yoke, bearing the burden, doing the same kind of difficult thing you did when you sent your child to school on the very first day. Nevertheless, you let the child go. We must do the same kind of thing we did when we stepped off the side of a swimming pool, as a child, into the safety of our parent's catch. We must do the same kind of thing we did when we said, "I do," to someone very special.
The burden, the yoke, is an act of faith, that God, in his goodness, did not lie when he promised rest: rest for _____, rest for you, rest for us all, as we let God do God's job. God in his goodness did not lie when at __________'s baptism, He declared: "This is my daughter, my adopted daughter, now and throughout eternity." Wait patiently, therefore, for the Lord's time, the Lord's hour, when you are reunited with her who gave you such magnificent little treasures. Those God-given memories make the yoke easier, and the burden lighter.
