The Funeral of Donnel Hankel
December 12, 2024
John 14:1-11
Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion of God’s holy Word for consideration this afternoon is our Gospel lesson from St. John’s fourteenth chapter with special emphasis on verses one through four which read as follows:
““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”[1]
Thus far the Scriptures.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ, we are here today to lay to rest our brother Donnel. And it is no secret that Donnie had hard things in his life. While it would be rather uncouth for me to recount them here at this time, it is enough for us to recognize that mistakes were made during his life. But this should be no surprise to us, after all, sin is the characteristic of this fallen world and each of us has sinned and made mistakes.
More to the point: despite sin and error, Donnie was given to us as a gift from our Father in heaven. He was a father and a neighbor, a brother and family. And despite some of things he did that led to hardship and trouble, he was still a gift to us from God in spite of these things. He had a love for the Scriptures, and even considered seminary or going into Bible translation at one point in his life.
Now what I am going to say here may be disconcerting, but it needs to be addressed. It has come to my attention that someone in our community has raised objection to us having a funeral for Donnie, given the mistakes he has made. I do not know the name of this person, blessedly, if I was told it, I have forgotten it. But such an accusation needs to be dealt with regardless of the clarity of its origin.
Christians do not have funerals for the perfect for the simple fact that none of us are. Each of us sins and has fallen short of the glory of God[2] and anyone who says that he or she is not a sinner is a liar.[3] This is a basic truth of the human condition and a central teaching of the holy Scriptures.
Which it is why it is so bizarre that anyone would see it objectionable to have a funeral for a sinner in a Christian Church. There are no funerals for anyone but sinners. Our right to have a funeral is not because we have earned it by good behavior, moral improvement, or anything like this. We get buried as Christians not because of these things, but because of what Christ has done for us. That is to say, God became man in order to save us from sin, death, and the devil through His blessed death and suffering for us who deserved such things. And make no mistake, the death of Christ is only sufficient to pay for the sins of the world by virtue of the fact that He is God; no man or created being is able to atone for all the sins of the whole world, which is why our Lord not only calls Himself the way, the truth, and the life here, but He also identifies Himself with His Father. As He says elsewhere, the Father and He are one.[4]
So what does this have to do with Donnie? Jesus Christ did not come for the righteous, but for sinners.[5] And each sinner, no matter who objectionable or repugnant their sin, is someone that our Lord calls to Himself. That is to say, the death of Christ is for all people, all sinners, and there is nothing in this earth that is beyond Christ’s forgiveness. Even the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit[6] can be turned away from by repentance and faith in Christ Jesus.
In other words, all Christians get laid to rest in their churches because of what Christ has done for them, not because of what they did or did not do.
This is also the reason for our hope in this time of distress: God Himself became a man in order to die for our sins and save us, save Donnie, from sin and death and the reign of the devil.
This Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, He is the way, the only means by which we can move from this vale of tears to the paradise of heaven. He is the truth, the chief, perfect, and final revelation of God and His character towards us. He is the life, for His death grants us immortality and blessedness in the forgiveness of sins.
This is why He promises to prepare a place for His people, His faithful ones, who have endured the suffering and tribulations of this age, in the courts of His Father’s house. He assures us that this place will be ready for us because of Him and His character, not because of us.
This is what we mean by salvation by faith: we do not appeal to good works or right living or certain moral behaviors for our standing before God. Instead we appeal to the perfect, sinless righteousness of Jesus Christ that has been credited to us. His death earned it, His Word and holy Sacraments delivered it, and faith created in Christians by the power of the Holy Spirit receives it for our benefit.
Everlasting life comes by Christ. He promises this for His people. He declares that He will deliver them from this world of sin to the courts of heaven. This is the basis of our hope during this time.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] John 14:1-4 English Standard Version
[2] Romans 3:23
[3] 1 John 1:8-10
[4] John 10:30
[5] Luke 5:32
[6] Matthew 12:31-32
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