Kim's Wish Come True Death of a Young Adult
Sermon
In Sure And Certain Hope
An Anthology of Exemplary Funeral Messages
R. J. Lavin
I will begin my sermon today talking about a horse. More specifically my focus will be a horse's name. The horse of which I speak is the one owned by Kim. I speak of that horse, not because Kim loved horses, although she did. I speak of that horse, not because Kim was an athlete, although she certainly was. I speak of Kim's horse because of the horse's name. Kim named him, "Kim's Wish Come True".
Kim must have named her horse with this unusual name because, in fact, the horse was a wish come true for her. Of course, I will not speak about the horse, but the fulfillment of Kim's wishes and a number of connections between this name and Kim's Christian life.
It was Kim's wish come true to be baptized. She was baptized on Sunday, October 30, 1977. She died just two weeks later on Sunday, November 13, 1977. Some months prior to her being baptized she had indicated her desire to be baptized, confess her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and thus become a part of God's family, the Church. For about two months she attended a class of instruction. It was not always easy for her to attend, because of her physical condition. Nevertheless, she attended the sessions and indicated that she had learned a great deal from them.
On Sunday, October 30th, she had to arise at 3:00 a.m. so by the time she came to church she would be stable. Kim was frequently dizzy, especially when she first got up in the morning. To assure the fact that she would be able to participate in the 8:00 a.m. worship service, she arose at 3:00 a.m. When Kim wanted something, she was willing to make the appropriate sacrifices to get it. She wanted to be baptized.
She told me just a few short weeks ago that it was her desire to be baptized originally, because she was afraid that she would be punished for not being baptized. She also indicated that she had come to a much more positive and holistic view of Baptism through the classes. She wanted to be baptized because she knew God wanted her as a part of his family.
We had considered the possibility of Kim being received at an evening service because of her physical condition. We spoke of the possibility of November 6th at the evening service. If we had waited until Sunday, November 6th there would have been serious difficulty, because Kim had to go to Rochester, Minnesota to Mayo's Clinic that day. It was good timing that Kim was received into the Church by Baptism on October 30th. She also received her first Communion that day. It was for her a wish come true.
Another wish for Kim was to be with her Heavenly Father. While she did not expect to die as early as she did, she knew that death must be faced by all. Eternal life is not something that is earned, but is a gift from God for those who believe in him and accept him as their Lord and Saviour. Kim came to an understanding that she could be with the Father through faith in Christ. She came to understand that God intersects our lives, becomes a part of our lives before we die, as well as bringing us to his Kingdom in fulfillment of his promise after we die.
Kim knew that through faith in Jesus Christ she would be with the Father in Heaven when she died. She came to understand that heaven is not given as a reward for those who have done good deeds, but a gift which comes to sinners from a gracious and merciful Father.
Kim's wish to be with the Heavenly Father came true. From our time schedules it came too soon. Our time schedules do not always determine what will happen.
In addition, Kim had another wish. That wish was that her family and friends would be with her. Just before she went into surgery at Mayo's Clinic she said, "I'll see you all later." She was,
of course, thinking of seeing her family after surgery. The words, however, have wider implications in that Kim never fully recovered from that surgery. Since coming into the church by Baptism, she indicated her feelings that she would like her friends and family to become a part of the Christian faith. New Christians are like that. They want to share what they have found with others. We therefore consider Kim's words in the larger context, namely that Kim would like to see us all later before the throne of God. It would be for her a wish come true: "I'll see you all later," she said.
One of the rooms which God surely has reserved for those who believe in him will be marked, "Reunion Banquet ... Kim, Hostess."
I will begin my sermon today talking about a horse. More specifically my focus will be a horse's name. The horse of which I speak is the one owned by Kim. I speak of that horse, not because Kim loved horses, although she did. I speak of that horse, not because Kim was an athlete, although she certainly was. I speak of Kim's horse because of the horse's name. Kim named him, "Kim's Wish Come True".
Kim must have named her horse with this unusual name because, in fact, the horse was a wish come true for her. Of course, I will not speak about the horse, but the fulfillment of Kim's wishes and a number of connections between this name and Kim's Christian life.
It was Kim's wish come true to be baptized. She was baptized on Sunday, October 30, 1977. She died just two weeks later on Sunday, November 13, 1977. Some months prior to her being baptized she had indicated her desire to be baptized, confess her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and thus become a part of God's family, the Church. For about two months she attended a class of instruction. It was not always easy for her to attend, because of her physical condition. Nevertheless, she attended the sessions and indicated that she had learned a great deal from them.
On Sunday, October 30th, she had to arise at 3:00 a.m. so by the time she came to church she would be stable. Kim was frequently dizzy, especially when she first got up in the morning. To assure the fact that she would be able to participate in the 8:00 a.m. worship service, she arose at 3:00 a.m. When Kim wanted something, she was willing to make the appropriate sacrifices to get it. She wanted to be baptized.
She told me just a few short weeks ago that it was her desire to be baptized originally, because she was afraid that she would be punished for not being baptized. She also indicated that she had come to a much more positive and holistic view of Baptism through the classes. She wanted to be baptized because she knew God wanted her as a part of his family.
We had considered the possibility of Kim being received at an evening service because of her physical condition. We spoke of the possibility of November 6th at the evening service. If we had waited until Sunday, November 6th there would have been serious difficulty, because Kim had to go to Rochester, Minnesota to Mayo's Clinic that day. It was good timing that Kim was received into the Church by Baptism on October 30th. She also received her first Communion that day. It was for her a wish come true.
Another wish for Kim was to be with her Heavenly Father. While she did not expect to die as early as she did, she knew that death must be faced by all. Eternal life is not something that is earned, but is a gift from God for those who believe in him and accept him as their Lord and Saviour. Kim came to an understanding that she could be with the Father through faith in Christ. She came to understand that God intersects our lives, becomes a part of our lives before we die, as well as bringing us to his Kingdom in fulfillment of his promise after we die.
Kim knew that through faith in Jesus Christ she would be with the Father in Heaven when she died. She came to understand that heaven is not given as a reward for those who have done good deeds, but a gift which comes to sinners from a gracious and merciful Father.
Kim's wish to be with the Heavenly Father came true. From our time schedules it came too soon. Our time schedules do not always determine what will happen.
In addition, Kim had another wish. That wish was that her family and friends would be with her. Just before she went into surgery at Mayo's Clinic she said, "I'll see you all later." She was,
of course, thinking of seeing her family after surgery. The words, however, have wider implications in that Kim never fully recovered from that surgery. Since coming into the church by Baptism, she indicated her feelings that she would like her friends and family to become a part of the Christian faith. New Christians are like that. They want to share what they have found with others. We therefore consider Kim's words in the larger context, namely that Kim would like to see us all later before the throne of God. It would be for her a wish come true: "I'll see you all later," she said.
One of the rooms which God surely has reserved for those who believe in him will be marked, "Reunion Banquet ... Kim, Hostess."
