Funeral Sermon - Bob Miller

TEXT: Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

O LORD, OUR SHEPHERD, LEAD YOUR SHEEP IN GOODNESS AND MERCY AS WE PASS WITH YOU THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH TO YOUR ETERNAL HOME, WHERE YOU LIVE AND REIGN WITH THE FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, ONE GOD, NOW AND FOREVER. AMEN. (LSB Agenda, pg. 100)

Dear Marj (wife), Chad (son), and Michael (son), John, Jim, and Florence (siblings), other family, friends of Bob, and fellow saints at Zion Lutheran Church,

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

This morning we gather together for two primary reasons. First we come together as those who mourn the death of a husband, father, brother, friend and fellow saint in the Lord’s Church. We have come to this service to hear the Gospel. This morning we will sing the Gospel in hymns, speak it in the liturgy, and hear it proclaimed from the pulpit. I suppose there are other things that we could do to try to ease the hurt, but none of them compare to the comfort given to us in the Gospel of our dear Savior, Jesus.

The second purpose for which we gather is to properly care for the earthly remains of Bob. And how is it that we do this properly? It is done with the resurrection in mind. Because the Scriptures teach that there will one day be a resurrection of the dead, we bury Bob’s body knowing that it will rest until the Christ comes on the Last Day.

The text chosen is perhaps one of the most well-known in the Holy Scriptures… the 23rd Psalm.

Bob was happiest when he was outside. He loved farming. How interesting that Bob’s Savior is portrayed as a shepherd in the 23rd Psalm. A shepherd is one who farms sheep. In the Old Testament, the title, “shepherd” was sometimes used of kings or prophets. Shepherds were public servants. One of my favorite hymns is “I am Jesus little Lamb.” It’s a hymn that is often sung by little children, but it’s a good hymn for us adults too. When we say, “I am Jesus little lamb” it’s a reminder that Jesus is our Shepherd. In John 10, Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for His sheep.” Jesus is a good and loving Shepherd. He does not rule over His sheep as a selfish dictator. Rather, Jesus demonstrates His authority in a way that no other King or Prophet ever has. He willingly laid down His life for His sheep. Jesus the Good Shepherd was made to be the Lamb of God. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. God’s ways are not our ways. What the world considers valuable and important, the Lord could care less about… wealth and power and good reputation. Jesus cares for sheep… stinking with sin, unsophisticated sheep. That’s the Lord’s concern. He is concerned about sheep who are sinners. He died upon the Old rugged cross so that His sheep would not die, but inherit eternal life. That’s the kind of Shepherd that Jesus was to Bob… and is to all of us too.

The Good Shepherd carried Bob beside still waters. Bob’s trip to the still waters first happened on April 23, 1939, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church where he was baptized with water and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On that day, Bob became one of the Lord’s sheep.

Bob was an avid fan of John Wayne. It has been said that John Wayne was not baptized until he lay on his deathbed with stomach cancer, drifting in and out of a coma. Not Bob. His parents saw to it that He was made a child of God in the Sacrament of Baptism and raised in the paths of righteousness. And while Bob often confessed that that He was a poor miserable sinner, He also firmly believed that in and through Baptism He was a forgiven child of God. Bob ate and drank the forgiveness of sins in the Lord’s supper. Through Word and Sacrament Bob’s cup of forgiveness runneth over.

This past Thursday at about 7:30 p.m., Bob walked through the valley of the shadow of death. It happened suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye. Last Thursday was the first day of forever for Bob. Today He dwells in the house of the Lord forever. Heaven has become his new residence. Heaven’s pastures are always green and the waters are always still. IN other words, there is no sorrow or sadness. There is only perfect joy. The joy of standing face to face with the The Good Shepherd. The joy of being reunited with his parents, grandparents and brother, George. The joy of victory over sin, death, and the Devil. All the thrill of heaven is his forever.

Bob has fought the good fight. He has finished the race. His death was only the door to eternal life. That’s the promise for the Christian who dies in true faith.

It won’t be so very long and you will see Bob again. This body will rise in the resurrection on the Last Day. That body will have a perfectly healthy heart… it will be a glorified body that will never fall apart. No aches, no pains. All believers will dwell for eternity in Heaven’s green pastures. Surely goodness and mercy has followed Bob in this life and will continue forever.

“Lord Jesus, who alone is that one Good Shepherd, thanks be unto you for all your spiritual and bodily benefits. Let the Word of Your salvation dwell in us richly, and suffer not that trusty staff, the word of your promise, to be taken from us. And when the shadow of death spreads over us, conduct us safely to the fold of the perfected saints [where Bob dwells], the tabernacle not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (Reading the Psalms with Luther, pg. 60)

Amen.