Memorial Service for Judy Dyer

Memorial Service

for

Judy Dyer

“On This Mountain”

February 10, 2007

Isaiah 25:6-9

"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”" (Isaiah 25:6-9, ESV)

Introduction: Rhonda, Rachelle, Renee, family and friends of our departed sister Judy, on behalf of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, I give you all our sincere sympathies and pray that this time of worship may serve to lift you up in this time of grief.

“On This Mountain”

We count Judy’s presence with us at Trinity a blessing from God. I first learned about her seven years ago when Judy walked right up to me and my wife Bonnie and introduced herself and welcomed us as friends. Her words of welcome were warm and, as time went by, proved sincere. But Bonnie and I were not the only ones greeted by Judy that way. If there was a new face that showed up at Trinity’s door, Judy would be right there giving them the same kind of warm welcome. That was Judy. That was our friend. That was your mom.

What a mountain of a person she was for you, for our Sunday School, for Trinity as a whole, and for all who knew her. I think you girls phrased it this way: “We were all living on her optimism.” But now, for some of you, there might be this question: “What will we do without Nanny?” Actually, that was a question Judy was thinking about with regard to all of her beloved children, right up to the point of her death—I’m sure. It isn’t that she didn’t know that you would all get along just fine without her. No, the question had much more depth than that. Judy wanted most ardently for her family—which to Judy was quite extensive, reaching way outside of her immediate family—to know the mountain of God. When Isaiah says “On This Mountain” he is not speaking only of a physical mountain, but also“The Mountain” who is able and does bless all people—the mountain of God’s eternal presence that had become Judy’s strength in difficult times.

This mountain rises far above any other. This mountain is the dwelling place of God. This mountain is for the blessing of all people with all that heaven gives. But this mountain will also remain an unknown myth to all who do not know the true God. Sadly, for such people there can be no end to their grief. For such people there can be no end to their sorrow. For such people there can be no end to their tears. For such people there can be no end to their reproach. How terribly sad this is because it is so clear from the text that:

the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

Shelly, Renee, Rhonda, the greatest love your mom believed she could show you was the love she had come to know from the God who prepared this most glorious and lasting of all feasts. You see, there is now a present reality to what Isaiah here says the Lord of hosts “will do.” It is a reality that every child of God comes to know; a reality that your mom came to know; a reality that your mom desired so much to give to you—yet knew it was not within her power to do so—though she prayed for it and provided for it as best she knew how. The reality she knew is the one that you also know in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

You see, the sumptuous feast is the very body and blood of Jesus. Through His life, death, and Resurrection, God has already swallowed up the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. How so? By swallowing up death forever! This is what the Apostle Paul speaks of when he says:

"When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, ESV)

There is something unique about this victory that Judy knew very well. She knew that by way of God’s promise it was already hers by faith. But she also knew that the fullness of the promise was yet to come. This putting on of the imperishable and immortality is something that already belongs to every believer in Jesus Christ. But it is not yet in the sense that we are not immune from trouble and the death of the body. But, THAT DAY is at hand when the already part of this picture will be combined with the not yet, and become NOW! Then, all who died in Christ will have imperishable and immortal bodies—no more pain or suffering—no more hard times—no more tears of sorrow—just eternal peace with God.

That Day is the day Jesus returns, the day of Resurrection, the Day of Salvation, the Day of Eternal Life, the Day of Redemption, and the Day of Atonement. Yes, THAT DAY is here today—but not yet! As of yet we await the glorious return of Jesus Christ.

This is the mountain Judy wanted all of her family to know. This is why she endured hardship and pain and suffering and still knew that all was well with her soul. This is what faith does. And you saw it as a non-judgmental mom and grandma who was very set in her belief but left you free to disagree. You saw her faith in action when your beloved “Nanny” said, “I love you,” and meant it from the deepest recesses of her heart. You saw her faith in action at Christmas-time when she was so determined to give because the Christ-child had been given to her. This mountain of the Lord of Hosts is where your mom now waits to see you—with tears dried, with the reproach of sin removed, with death clearly defeated—all because of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

I’m sure that we will all remember Judy in our own special way. That’s because she touched so many people in so many different ways. Whether through her day care, her church, her family, or her partners marching for the unborn, Judy brought blessings of her own to us all. We will all miss her, but we will also honor her. Yasmany, you might not realize it, but you honor your great-grandma—your nanny—when Rhinoceros says “Good morning Judy!” and when in your prayers you say, “I love you Judy.”

One of the last conversations I had with Judy, she said that she did not want her family to worry, and that she loves you all very much, and that you all are loved in Jesus Christ, the mountain of God. And we can all count on that love to never cease, because “the Lord has spoken.” Amen.