Funeral Sermon - Willard Lee Gerke

TEXT: Luke 11:27b-28
“a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (NKJV)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear Robyn and Randy (Willard’s children), Fern, Clifford, Maxine; other family, and friends of Willard;

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

This morning you gather together for two primary purposes. First you come together as those who mourn the death of father, a brother, and a friend. I pray that you have come to this service to hear the Gospel. This morning you will sing the Gospel in the hymn, speak it in the liturgy, and hear it proclaimed in this sermon. I suppose there are other things that you could do to try to ease the pain of mourning, but none of them compare to the comfort given to us in the Gospel of our dear Savior, Jesus.

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

The text chosen is Luke 11:28 where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” This verse was given to Willard on the day he was confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church on March 26, 2008.

Jesus spoke these words after He had driven a demon out of a man (v.14). The demon had caused the man to be a mute… he couldn’t talk. Many people today would laugh at such silly nonsense. “You mean to tell me pastor that you believe that people were (and are) actually possessed by demons?” Yes. It’s true. No it wasn’t some psychological disorder… or some strange illness that was later explained away by modern science. Demons had a diabolical way of entering people and causing them no end of misery. And demons especially love to possess Christians. If they can keep a Chrsitian’s mouth shut, then that’s one of God’s children that won’t be able to confess Jesus as Savior.

But Jesus is the Son of God… and demons can’t mess with him. The Scriptures record no end of times where Jesus spoke to demons and they had no choice but to obey him.

The people who saw it were amazed that Jesus spoke with such authority that demons would run at the sound of his voice. But some tried to discredit Him. They would say, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons he is driving out demons. But Jesus shut them up to when He said, “… I drive demons out by the finger of God.”

One woman who saw Jesus’ miracle cried to Jesus, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” How true that is… Mary, the mother of Jesus was certainly a blessed woman. Blessed in this sense: That even while she was a sinful human being God chose her to be the mother of the sinless Son of God… and even more that her own Son would die for her that she might have everlasting life.

Baptism has often been described as an exorcism… as a driving out of demons. “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son…” Col 1:13. On Oct. 3, 1947 Willard was baptized in his home. He wasn’t quite yet two weeks old but his parents knew that Willard was born a sinner… a child of Satan and in need of the Sacrament of Baptism. On that day Willard was declared to be demon-free and was brought into the kingdom of the Son..

Fourteen years later, Willard was confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church. On that day, the pastor asked him these question, “Do you this day, in the presence of God and of this Christian congregation, confirm the solemn covenant which at your Baptism you made wit the Triune God? Do you, then, renounce the Devil and all His works and all his ways?” And to these Willard answered, “I do.” Then Willard was asked, “Do you also, as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, intend to continue steadfast in the confession of this Church, and suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?” And to that Willard responded, “I do so intend with the help of God.”

When Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” He means to say, “Blessed are those who hear my words and believe them. Blessed are those who are baptized. Blessed are those who confess me before men in the rite of confirmation.” Willard never denied the faith once given to him and the faith that he confessed in the rite of confirmation.

Willard will be remembered for many things. His love for cars and horses. He loved NASCAR and rooted for #24 Jeff Gordon. His generosity in mowing the lawn for his neighbors and shoveling their snow in the winters. He was quite the gardener and always had fresh produce. He loved to make watermelon bowls for friends and family. He taught Robyn how to ride a bike. He liked music, especially Dire Strait’s “Walk of Life.” He was a loving father and brother.

And while it is good to remember the earthly life of Willard let us not forget that it isn’t generosity, goodness, or sincerity that wins anyone salvation. When it comes to the gift of life eternal, these things matter very little. For the Scriptures declare that the blessed man is the one who hears the word of God and Keeps it. To “Keep” means to “BELIEVE it.”

And to believe simply means to know, to trust, and to hold fast to Jesus Christ alone. To cling to His innocent sufferings and death alone… Nothing else.

To those who keep the Word of God in this way, God gives the blessing of eternal life, the blessing of the resurrection of the body, and the gift of heaven.

God grant it for Jesus’ sake! Amen.