Funeral for Wayne Sipe

Wayne Morrell Sipe

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I was blessed to meet Wayne very shortly after I came to Miller’s. The men’s group had a weekly breakfast, and they invited me to join them early on Wednesday mornings. As I made this weekly outing part of my routine, Wayne was there almost every week. He would order his one pancake and enjoy it quietly. Then as the clock would approach 8:30 or so, he would tell us that he needed to head off to work.

The first time I heard him say that, I thought “Wayne, you’re 88 years old! What are you doing going to work?!?!” But that was just part of who Wayne was - a worker.

As I talked with the family over the last few days, I heard the same observations about him come through in several different ways, as with his work ethic. But one stood out to me more than the rest: he was just a downright good man. At one point, one of the family (who I won’t name out loud) said “would you like to hear about his bad side?” This was quickly followed by “there really isn’t one. He was just a good man.”

Every time I saw him, he was in a good mood, with a little grin on his face - like he was up to something.

And Wayne was a man of faith. He had great trust and hope in his savior Jesus. If you didn’t know this about him, I hope you hear it in the hymns we’re singing this afternoon. Wayne picked these hymns. Although I never heard him sing, I’m told he was quite the singer back in the day, even singing in a barbershop quartet. I’m sorry I didn’t get to hear that. So for him to pick these hymns: Amazing Grace, Precious Lord Take My Hand, Abide With Me… you know these hymns spoke to his faith in Jesus.

I also hope that you hear Wayne’s faith in the lessons he chose.

In Revelation 21, God has given St. John a glimpse of the final victory that Jesus has over everything that is broken in the world. “[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” [Revelation 21:4]. All of these things: sadness and loss, illness and death… these are part of the world that was broken apart because of sin. In the final victory, all of that brokenness will be undone. In the next verse he says “Behold, I am making all things new.” In the Biblical language, it’s understood that this action is ongoing and perpetual. This is the new state of things - constant renewal.

But I think that verse 3 is even more important: Revelation 21:3 “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” This is somewhat different from what we’d normally expect. The pagan gods of other religions sit high in the clouds or on the highest mountains - unreachable by mere mortals. Our God is certainly in heaven now, high above us at the moment…but that is not what this promise says. Our God will come to be with US for eternity. His dwelling place IS WITH US. That is what He wants, and that is what will be our eternal joy.

But even before this final victory, God has already come to be with us. He did this first when he sent his Son. In the Gospel lesson we read from St. John, Jesus is telling his closest friends - and now us - what’s in store for eternity. He is going to ensure that there will be a place for all of us in His Father’s house. And he then tells us how to get there, and there’s only one way. The only way to the Father is through Jesus. That’s it. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” [John 14:6]. If you know Jesus, you’ve got all that you need.

Jesus is the way: he was our great teacher, giving us a greater understanding of God’s will for all of us, and how to live in peace and harmony with one another. Jesus is the truth: he opened the scriptures to us to give us greater understanding of what God’s plan is. Jesus helps and guides us to know right from wrong and good from evil. He is the Living Word. He is the Truth.

Jesus is the life: because of our sin, the proper and deserved punishment is death, but that is no longer so. This speech we heard from Jesus came just moments after he told his 12 closest friends that one of them was about to betray him, and that he would be arrested, tried, and killed on that Friday. In his death, he would take away the sins of the whole world. And in his resurrection on that Sunday morning, he would show the new life that God promises all of us… and that we are allowed to have because of the love of God that we have been shown in Jesus Christ.

This is what Wayne believed in. And just as Jesus told his disciples in the first verse: John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” I would offer the same encouragement to all of you. This is not to say that you shouldn’t be sad. Not at all. Grief is natural and sadness is appropriate. Please don’t try to avoid that - let it happen; it’s normal.

What Jesus is saying is that we need not worry. Our future is secure. Our place in God’s house is all arranged and set. The cost has been paid and the rooms are ready. Wayne knew this and trusted in it. He believed in God and in his Savior Jesus. And because of that, I hope all of us will share that hope and faith that Wayne had, knowing that he is now in God’s tender care until that day that John described in his Revelation, when there will be no more crying or pain or death…that day when we will all be together again.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.