Jodi Waggoner Funeral

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

Today we gather with heavy hearts as we say goodbye to Jodi — a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, and a bright spirit in our community. We also gather in the hope and comfort that comes from the promises of God. In times like this, when the pain of loss is so real, we turn to His Word for strength and reassurance. And today, I believe God has something powerful to say to us through Romans 13:8-14.

Paul writes, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law… Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”

When I think of Jodi’s life, the word that keeps coming to mind is love. Jodi had a way of making everyone she met feel like a friend. She trusted people immediately, and her kindness and warmth were unmistakable. Whether she was clowning in the Musky Fest parade, bringing laughter to children, volunteering in the community, or simply making her daily rounds through Hayward to catch up with old friends, Jodi embodied a love that was generous, open, and joyful.

Paul reminds us here that love is at the very heart of God’s purpose for us. Jodi’s love wasn’t just a personality trait — it was a reflection of God’s love for her. In 1 John 4:19, we read, “We love because He first loved us.” Jodi’s life was a beautiful echo of the love she received from her Savior, Jesus Christ.

But we also know that Jodi, like all of us, was not perfect. She needed grace. She needed the forgiveness that only Jesus can give. And that’s why the second part of this passage is so important. Paul urges us to wake from sleep because salvation is near. This is a call not only to live in love but also to live in the hope of the salvation Jesus won for us.

This hope finds its foundation in something beautiful — in the gift of baptism. In baptism, God made Jodi His own beloved child. Through the water and His Word, God claimed her, forgave her sins, and clothed her in the righteousness of Christ. As Paul writes in Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Jodi’s identity, from that moment on, was wrapped in the perfect love and grace of Jesus.

In baptism, God made a promise — a promise that He would never leave nor forsake Jodi. A promise that every sin would be washed away, and eternal life would be hers. This promise wasn’t based on anything Jodi did or didn’t do; it was based solely on God’s boundless mercy and love. And that’s the promise He makes to each one of us in baptism. Through those waters, we are united with Jesus in His death and resurrection. We are marked as His own forever.

Paul’s words in Romans 13 take on even greater meaning when we consider them alongside Jesus' own words in John 14:1-7. Jesus speaks to His disciples in their own moment of fear and uncertainty, saying, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms… And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

What a powerful promise this is — that Jesus Himself has prepared a place for Jodi. Her journey on this earth has ended, but her life has not. She now rest in the arms of Christ. And this home isn’t just any place — it is the eternal presence of God, where there is no more pain, no more sorrow, and no more separation.

The call Paul gives us in Romans 13 — to love one another and to wake from sleep — reminds us that our time here is precious. We are called to live in readiness, with hearts full of love and hope. And we live this way because of the sure and certain promise of Christ’s return, when He will gather all His children to Himself.

Jodi knew that hope. She knew the love of Christ that forgives every sin and promises eternal life. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have the assurance that Jodi is now in the arms of her Savior — where there is no more pain, no more sorrow, no more goodbyes.

And so today, even in our grief, we hold fast to that promise. We remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jodi has found that perfect rest. She is at peace, and she is home.

For those of us who remain, Paul’s words in Romans 13 offer a challenge and an encouragement. Let’s honor Jodi’s memory by living lives of love — the kind of love that trusts, gives, forgives, and brings joy. Let’s also hold on to the hope we have in Christ, knowing that one day we, too, will see Jodi again when we stand together in God’s presence.

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.