+ Kari L. Chittendon+

Isaiah 61:1–10 (NKJV) (1-3, 10)

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

1 John 3:1-2 “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

John 14:1–6 (NKJV)

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” Jn 14:1

Jesus used these words a few hours before his death to instruct his disciples on how not to be troubled in death. He does not ask you to forgo your sorrow. He does not ask the impossible. Jesus is truly human, and is fully aware our human emotions. He, of course, is aware of the power of the resurrection as well, and yet, though He knew this He still shed tears at the death of his friend Lazarus.

Nevertheless, He urges us not to be troubled. How can that be?

Why Should We Not Be Anxious, Worried, When Faced with Death?

Well, there are three truths Jesus gave to His the disciples, and to you, for comfort at a moment like this.

I. Because God is Really Here for You to Believe In

Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God”—God, who created us and all that exists, who is the Almighty, who numbers the hairs of your heads, who clothes the lilies of the field, who knows when a sparrow falls to ground. He loves you more than all the things He created. You see, He gave his only Son to die for you, taking upon Himself the punishment and penalty of our sin. So, you can believe in God, who made and loved each one of us, to be with us. He also made and loved Lois.

The second truth Jesus gives to comfort us at a moment like this is,

II. Because Christ is a Real Savior for You to Believe In.

“Believe also in me,” Jesus said.

Remember when Jesus visited the sisters of Lazarus. His calm assurance was

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25–26).

Also,

Watch as Jesus is crucified, and hear him say, “ ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

Believe that the death of Jesus paid for all sins of all time.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7).

And,

Hear the Easter message of the angel:

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay” (Mt 28:5–6).

Lois believed Christ gave her life — life to the full — in his resurrection, and her life was a witness to that faith. Her faithfulness to her husband Ralph, and to all her children and grandchildren — especially those UNO games at Christmas — and how she enjoyed the company of her many friends from almost every walk of life. Through all the ups and downs, especially toward the end, she still managed to keep sense of humor. These are a few examples of how she lived life to the full. Though I did not know her well, I knew well-enough to know of her love for animals, especially her beloved horse, Trixie.

Her Lord Jesus gave her an abundant life and as a result she worked hard with purpose. She was resilient regardless of the circumstances, because Christ Jesus enabled her to do so.

As you all — especially you, Robert (Sue), Steve (Oscar), Larry (Mary Beth), Ron (Mary), Lou Ann (Frank), and Dale; and grandchildren, Ben, Laura, Cole, Rodney, Lindsay, Adam, Ryan, Maggie, and Madison, and all her many nieces, nephews, and cousins — remember Lois.

Remember her love and faithfulness to you and give thanks to God that He placed such an example in your life. Certainly your Mom and grandmother was not perfect, but I think one could say she epitomizes the idea of faithfulness and hard-working, while keeping your sense of humor.

The last truth Jesus gives to comfort us on a day like today:

III. Because There Really is a Place Prepared For You to Believe In.

Then Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (Jn 14:2.

It’s foolish to think we fully understand this picture, but we know this Word of promise comes from the One who is the way, the truth, and the life.

We give thanks for Lois’ earthly life and her Christian witness. We rejoice in her victory, the gift of eternal life, and the crown of righteousness she will wear for all eternity.

“Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Tim 4:8).

It was because of her Lord Jesus that Lois was a loving mother and grandmother, and was a joy to be around. You see, Lois became a new creation in Christ when her Lord marked her as His own when He baptized her. Lois came through those waters, united to Christ her Lord, with a heart of faith, and love.

Some of you may be wondering, “What will we do now that Mom and Grandma is no longer with us,” I want to assure you that your Lord Jesus promises that He will never leave nor abandon those who confess Him as Lord.

More specifically, Jesus will be with you and promises to do the following for you:

To strengthen your faith—so that you are not troubled by things we cannot understand, but will trust in almighty God, who made us his children through faith in Christ. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn 1:12).

To strengthen your hope. as you continue to listen to his words of truth and life. Jesus is the one who has you in his plan, in his arms, in his love. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

To strengthen our love—to care for one another as Christ cares for you, to help you. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. . . We love because he first loved us” (1 Jn 4:14, 19).

This is how Jesus comforts us and all his children. “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 Jn 5:14).

We give thanks for the life and love of Lois Flackey Clark, and we give thanks to Jesus for loving her and for faithfully keeping His promises to her.

And now may we and at our last hour, trust in the comfort Christ has promised! Amen.