Munoz Funeral

What words can be said that could ever heal the hurt you are feeling. While death comes for us all, the tragedy of death is often suffocating. When we experience great sorrow it feels at times as though we will never feel joy again.

Dina was a wonderful woman. Just from the stories I have heard this last week I know that she is beloved by her family and the community. Dina was a lover of many things. Her sweet tea, her plants, her blue eyeliner, even those Ohio State Buckeyes. She was care free and joyful, she loved to be outside, and did I mention blue eyeliner? She cared deeply about many things but none more than her family. Dina did whatever it took to care for her family.

Michelle shared with me this passage that she felt described Dina beautifully.

Proverbs 31:25–31 NASB95

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. 26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 29 “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.

Dina was a wonderful woman. And the loss you feel, I know, is painful.

The existence of pain and sorrow does not mean that the Lord is not good in His love towards us or that He is far off. The Lord is near to the broken hearted. He understands our hurt. The prophet Isaiah says that Jesus is a man of sorrows and acquainted with our grief. He sees our pain and He offers us comfort in Himself.

Jesus experienced the full breadth of the human experience. He was betrayed, denied, rejected, mocked, beaten, and put to death on the cross. And He endured all these things with joy in His heart because it is through Jesus’ faithfulness that we have a hope for eternity in times of sorrow and heartache. When the punishment of our sin was measured against us, Jesus stepped in and paid the price for our rebellion. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin and He rose again on the third day in victory over sin and death. And while the world around us is broken and loved ones are taken from us, God is not caught off guard or unprepared to comfort us in our hurting nor is He unable to pour out His grace and mercy over us.

In a time of great hurting and turmoil the prophet Jeremiah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote these words.

Lamentations 3:21–25 NASB95

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

The Lord’s love for you never ceases, His compassions never fail. He is faithful every morning. My prayer this morning is that you will make the Lord your portion. Trust in Him. Jeremiah says to remember the Lord and His faithfulness and all the bitterness and anger and pain melts like snow under the tender love and care of Jesus. We don’t have all the answers but there is a God who does.

Jeremiah says that the Lord is his portion. This world is but a vapor. Seasons change. Years go by. Loss and grief are inevitable. But there is one thing that never fades. One constant in a world of change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is never changing in His love towards you. When everything around him was chaos, Jeremiah found the Lord to be an anchor in the waves, a firm foundation.

There is a quote that always comes to mind that I want to share with you as I close. The quote says, “When you can’t trace God’s hand, you can always trust His heart”. There are times in life when we do not understand what the Lord is doing or why bad things happen. But God is in control. He loves us and He is calling to us in our hurt to trust in Him and to find the peace and forgiveness that only He can give.

Dina was a wonderful woman. We celebrate her life and the beauty she brought to the world around her.

Pray

Father we thank You for Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for Your faithfulness to Your promises and Your redeeming love towards us. God I pray for this family in the hurt that they have. I pray that they would feel your peace and comfort. Be reminded that You are near. Lord even in this hurt we praise You for Your goodness and Your righteousness. We praise You because You are worthy of our praise. Show us Your mercy. Show us Your grace. It is in the name of Jesus we pray these things. Amen.