Funeral Sermon - Nash Adam Sievers

TEXT: Matthew 19:13-15
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

In the Name of Jesus.

Dear Tracy, Brad, and Tate (big brother); grandparents, Randy and Denise, Scott and Judy; other family members, friends, as well as fellow saints at Zion Lutheran congregation….

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

Today we gather as those who mourn the death of a son, a little brother, grandson, great-grandson, nephew, cousin, fellow baptized believer, saint in the One Holy Christian Church and brother in Christ. And it is okay for us to mourn. Even our Lord Jesus Christ wept at the funeral of Lazarus. Jesus wept, even when He knew that Lazarus would be raised again. We are no different. We may weep, but our tears are not without hope. Rather we weep as those who are confident in the bodily resurrection at the End of Time.

We also gather to care for the body of Nash. And we do that with the resurrection in mind too. The Lord has taken care of Nash’s body these 6 months and we must trust that He will also do with it as He sees fit until He comes again.

The Scripture chosen for the message this morning is taken from Matthew 19, where “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’ 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.”

Mothers made a habit of bringing their children to Jesus…. children of all ages… from newborns (Luke 18:15) to school-aged. All of them came to Jesus. They brought them not for a game of patty cake, or peek-a-boo, or itsy-bitsy spider… although, there is no doubt that Jesus loved to play with children. But the mothers brought their babies to Jesus so that he might lay his hands on them.

But what’s the big deal about getting a pat on the head by Jesus? In the New Testament Church (Acts 8), the laying on of hands was part of Baptism and the occasion for giving of the Holy Spirit. It was no mere, insignificant, “Oh isn’t he so cute,” gesture… no petty, meaningless liturgical act. To have Jesus lay His hand on your child was to receive gifts from God. To have Jesus lay His hand on your child was to receive the same Holy Spirit that lighted upon Jesus during His own baptism. If Jesus laid His hands on you, you left with the Holy Spirit. No doubt about it! And wherever the Holy Spirit is there is the “ticket,” the assurance of being received, into the kingdom of God: Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:5-6)

The laying on of hands is still an important part of Baptism today: Jesus Himself, through the office of the Holy Ministry, makes the sign of the cross upon the forehead and heart of the one being baptized to “mark him as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.” During the praying of the Lord’s Prayer, the pastor puts his hand on the one being baptized. After the child is baptized, the pastor lays his hands on person’s head and says, “The Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of the water and the Spirit and has forgiven you all your sins, strengthen you with His grace to life +everlasting.” The baptismal rite is full of the laying on of hands.

On March 29, 2008, Nash Adam Sievers had the hand of Christ laid upon him at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano, TX. St. Paul says that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph 4:5) and so Nash through Baptism was made a member of the “one Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints.”

On the day of His baptism, there would be no doubt that little Nash had received the Spirit of God. No, his little tongue could not speak of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But there is no doubt that little ones can and do believe in the Trinity… that they do confess every article of the Creed. Jesus says so. You remember when the disciples came and asked Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child to Him, put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn (repent) and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven… Whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Nash believed in Jesus. Nash had received the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism. In baptism, Nash was saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Nash had all the promises of Scripture given to him in Baptism:

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” Mark 16:16

“You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:11

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Titus
Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children…” and there were 3000 souls added that day. (Acts 2)

The assurance of Heaven is a comfort for Christians. It is a comfort for those of us who cannot but deny that we are sinners and in need of a Savior. Nash was not exempt from sin. King David said, “Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Nash needed a Savior. Even better, Nash has a Savior in Jesus Christ.

But even while we are sure of heaven our mind wonders, “Why Lord? Why my little boy? He was not even quite 6 months old? And the timing Lord, during a weekend when all the family was coming together to celebrate… why this sadness?”

There are things that are a mystery to us. Sin has so tainted our understanding of the things of God that we “see through a veil dimly.” In other words, it is impossible to understand all the things of God. What God ordains is always good. And our prayer must simply be, “God help me in the midst of things I do not understand to believe that You are only interested in what was and is best for Nash and his salvation and what’s best for me and my salvation.”

God is not the author of death… but of life. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and Life.” God is the Living God… the God who breathed life into Adam and Eve and the God who continues to give new life today. Death is not God’s idea… it’s not His creation… death’s not natural but unnatural. Death is the result of sin… it’s the joy of Satan… and the enemy of men.

God in Christ has overcome death. Through Jesus’ holy, innocent sufferings and death, He beat death. And on the third day, Jesus rose again, proclaiming His victory over death.

Just as Jesus rebuked his disciples, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them…,” so He said to you, Tracy and Brad, on July 1st, “Let little Nash come to me and do not hinder him. I have prepared a playroom for Him in heaven. I have died and risen again for Nash, it is time for him to receive his crown of glory. The time is right. The time is perfect.”

Today, Nash Adam Sievers is crawling all over heaven. He is playing patty cake with angels. Nash is being cuddled by great grandma Jane. Today he plays peek-a- boo with great grandpas Leland, Edwin, and Paul. The heavenly chorus is singing him lullabies. There is no tear in his eyes but only smiles and laughter… forever. Just as the Lord Jesus would take up the little children into his arms and cradle them, so Nash is being held by His Savior and tenderly caressed by the Savior who died for Him… the Savior who bore the name “Nash Adam Sievers” inscribed upon His hands right near the place where the nails were driven in.

And make no mistake. This little, precious body that lays here asleep will one day be woken up again. When the angels come to gather the saints, a loud trumpet will sound. All those who have received the gift of faith in Baptism will awake from their sleep. And when you see Him again, there will be no heart problems, no hidden congenital illness. He will be perfect and whole… an extreme makeover of divinely cosmic proportions. We will not see him for a little while, but in a little while, then, we will be with him where our Savior Jesus is - forever.

God will grant it for Jesus’ sake.