Service for Carolyn Palmer

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition John 14

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.”

Getting to know Carolyn

I never got to know Carolyn Palmer.

And as I’ve been talking with the family this week, that’s really unfortunate, because she sounds like my kind of person!

Family Was Everything

Carolyn was married to Ed for 30 years.

In fact in a strange moment of coincidence, Ed passed away on March 2nd 2020, and Carolyn on March 1st. Ed’s service was exactly three years ago today.

She loved her children

I’m told that even recently, Laurie still had to call Carolyn and check in, or else she’d be in trouble.

She for sure passed down her sense of humor and love of laughter to her children.

And she absolutely loved her grand children, her nieces, and nephews.

She regularly just showed up to pick the grand kids up for another adventure.

She was always here in the hallways of Beulah Preschool to pick up the kids, ask them about their day, and just love on them.

Welcoming to Everyone

Carolyn regularly collected neighborhood kids and friends over at her house.

She collected “strays,” so many that she started getting a reputation as having the lonely hearts club coming by the house all the time.

I was even flabberghasted to learn how massive an undertaking like Thanksgiving was.

Frequently the feast would include up to 75 people!

Carolyn loved to have company, to celebrate together, to host parties.

A smack and a laugh

Carolyn seemed to have a bit of a mischievous streak too.

If you misbehaved around her, she would smack you upside the head, followed by a healthy laugh.

Stay in line, but also know that there’s joy even in correction.

No, it certainly is a shame that I didn’t get to know Carolyn.

But I can tell you about someone I do know.

I do know Jesus

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

In our passage this morning, the disciples are pretty nervous.

Jesus has been telling them that he’s about to die.

And sure, he’s saying that he’ll rise again in three days, but that probably didn’t make sense in moment.

What the disciples are feeling was grief.

And so Jesus speaks into their grief and ours when he says “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

When we believe in God, when we believe in Christ, there is a comfort that passes all understanding that finds its way to our hearts.

For sure this isn’t easy, and it’s not the same thing as fake happiness.

We can allow our hearts to be comforted when we draw near to the comforter himself.

Jesus has the ultimate house party going on!

For someone like Carolyn, I think this image that Jesus gives us is perfect.

You think she was good at collecting strays for her lonely hearts club parties?

Jesus has prepared a place for each and every one of us, Carolyn included.

And this mansion is a place of celebration.

This is a party going on in heaven!

And I’ll bet that dish towel over her shoulder, she’s excited to be there and be a part of it.

Jesus has taken Carolyn to place he was going.

It’s not enough that a place is prepared for Carolyn.

Jesus Christ loves her deeply enough to bring her to himself.

Jesus offered the gift of love to Carolyn.

Jesus offered the gift of salvation to Carolyn.

Jesus offered eternal life to Carolyn.

And Christ offers the very same to each of us.

Do not let your hearts be troubled friends.

We will see Carolyn again in the Kingdom to come.

And while we know that to be true, we are still here with our grief.

I think that Jesus gave us each three gifts today to guide us through a season of mourning.

Three Gifts

The gift of our memories.

I am painfully aware of how inadequate 10 minutes worth of stories from the pastor are to sum up a life well lived.

I’ll bet that in this room right now there are endless stories about Carolyn.

Stories about the love she had for us.

Stories that will make us laugh.

Stories that will make us cry.

Stories that will inspire us to do better in our own lives.

Those memories of Carolyn are a precious and beautiful gift.

Don’t keep them to yourselves.

The gift of each other.

Take a moment just now and look around this room.

Carolyn clearly impacted a lot of people’s lives.

Everyone who has gathered here today has gathered because Carolyn meant so much to them.

While grief can be hard, and grief can be heavy, we never ever carry it alone.

Christ has given us the gift of each other

To be story sharers, carrying on those memories of Carolyn.

To be comforters, to know that we are walking in the same grief together.

To be friends and companions along the journey.

My encouragement to you today is after the service, or maybe even later with a phone call or an e-mail, connect with someone here at this service to talk about Carolyn.

Share a few stories, share a laugh or two, and even shed a few tears.

It’s ok to let our grief come out, especially when we remember the third gift Christ has given us today:

The gift of the promise.

When God makes a promise, he makes it for all time.

Christ has indeed gone to prepare a place not just for Carolyn, but for each and every single one of us.

Christ has indeed conquered the grave, so Carolyn can experience the gift of everlasting life, as you and I will also.

Christ will bring us to be with him in the kingdom to come, where we will be reunited with Carolyn again.

Christ has made us this promise that no matter how heavy our grief is, no matter how difficult the days are, no matter what might lie in the path ahead of us, we are loved, and we will never be alone.

And so my brothers and sisters, do not let your hearts be troubled.

We will see our sweet sister Carolyn again in the Kingdom to Come.

Thanks be to God our Father. Amen.