Funeral Sermon for Clarice Harms based on Psalm 23:1

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Dear Family and Friends of Clarice,

This morning we remember Clarice and her life among us. Clarice was a farmer’s wife in this area for many years. She raised her children and was a grandma to her grandchildren. Clarice enjoyed doing quilting, making handmade gifts for others, and doing charcoal drawings.

Clarice was baptized in the Name of God the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit here at St. John Lutheran Church on October 2, 1927, not long after she was born. She was confirmed in the Christian faith she was baptized into here at St. John Lutheran Church on September 7, 1941. She was married to her husband, Lawrence, on July 9, 1948, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa. They were parents of four children: Yvonne, Gordon, Kathryn, and Brian. They enjoyed time with their grandchildren.

I remember Clarice sitting in the front pew of the church when I first became the pastor here over 8 years ago. That way I could serve Holy Communion to her and the other women who sat beside her, since they were not able to come to the altar due to their health challenges. I remember going to visit Clarice in her home in May City about a block away from the church. Then she moved to the Care Centers in Lake Park and later in Milford where I would visit her.

I was not able to see Clarice when she was younger. She taught Sunday School and was active in church in May City. She was a longtime member of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League group at St. John Lutheran, too.

Her Junior Confirmation verse was Psalm 23:1. That Psalm is well-loved by many Christians. Psalm 23:1 tells us, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23 was written by King David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. David had been a shepherd as a young boy. He knew what being a shepherd over sheep was like. Sheep are in constant danger from wolves that want to kill them. Sheep need a shepherd to take care of them. When young David wanted to fight the giant Goliath, King Saul did not think that was a good idea. David said to King Saul in 1 Samuel 17:34–37, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” With the Lord’s help David defeated Goliath with a stone he slung at him and hit him in the head with and he used Goliath’s own sword to kill him.

David trusted the Lord to be his shepherd. David trusted that the Lord would take care of all his physical and spiritual needs. Clarice also trusted in the Lord as her shepherd. She trusted that the Lord would take care of all her needs of body and soul as well. David did not always have life easy. Clarice did not have life easy all the time either, especially with her health struggles.

Clarice also knew who her Good Shepherd was in life. Jesus was the One who made the promise of Isaiah 40:11 come true: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” She believed the words of Jesus in John 10:11 when He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” The words of 1 Peter 2:24-25 in the New Testament tells us what this means for us today in referring to Jesus: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

So, do you believe the Lord is your shepherd, so that you shall not want? If you do, then the rest of Psalm 23 is good news for you as Psalm 23 was good news for Clarice throughout her bad days and good days of life. The Lord will help you as He leads you beside still waters … restores your soul … is with you even in walking through the valley of the shadow of death … so that you will fear no evil … are comforted by the Lord and have a cup that overflows … and surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life and you shall dwell (like Clarice) in the house of the Lord forever.

None of us knows what the future holds, but Christians know who holds the future and His name is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who died and rose to save sheep like us from sin and eternal death. Amen.

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