A Sermon for the Funeral of Ruby Sonnenberg
The Funeral of Ruby Sonnenberg – 8/20/2024
Job 19:21-27, Romans 6:1-11, John 5:19-24
Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Gospel lesson from the Holy Gospel according to St. John in the fifth chapter, with special emphasis on verse twenty-four which reads as follows:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
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 this afternoon to lay to rest our dear sister in Christ, Ruby Sonnenberg. Our text for today is a special one; it is a verse that Ruby wished to have read and preached on at her funeral. And, of course, pastors love nothing better than an opportunity to preach, so I was glad and humbled to satisfy this request of hers. Not only did she pick this verse, she also picked our Epistle lesson from Romans chapter six. These are the words of holy Scripture she wanted you to know here at this hour.
Now the reason for this is very simple: Ruby Sonnenberg is a Christian. Notice that I say, “is.” She is not dead, though her body will shortly be committed to its final resting place to await the resurrection of the body at the end of all things, but she is alive in Christ. And this is not hubris or arrogance to say this, as some mistaken beliefs might indicate, it is simply to speak again and apply specifically what the Lord Jesus Himself has said and taught. In other words, what Ruby wanted to have you hear today is true not in some abstract and general way, but specifically for her and all who have been granted the gift of faith by the Word of God.
Ruby’s Christian faith was a foundational aspect of her life; she loved her Lord and how He had given Himself up for her in His saving death on the cross. She read her Bible regularly. She came to church as often as she could, until health forced the church to come to her each month. She certainly prayed for each of you. And as befits a Christian woman like her, she wanted you here at the last, to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ, who she had faith in throughout her life. I know you kids all knew her Christian convictions. Many have you have said things in the past few days about your mom’s deep love and faith in Jesus.
And this Christian faith, this true religion, in not misplaced faith as so many things are. It is really very simple in its basic form: God became man so that we might be saved from sin, the devil and all spiritual evils, and that great looming danger death. Jesus Christ is this Godman, the one who is able to die in our place for our sins by virtue of His being a human being and whose death is sufficient to pay off all sin debt, defeat the devil, and grant eternal salvation to all who trust and believe this. I know that it seems to simple, but faith is really the thing that matters, since it is a passive thing that by trust receives what another gives and, in response to this, we live as our Lord commands, going to church, hearing His Word and teaching, and loving each other in Christian charity and compassion.
The thing that makes faith, like Ruby’s, powerful is not how strong it is or how deep or mature; faith has strength unto everlasting life because of the one that the faith is in. And Jesus is no weakling, no empty shell like the pagan so-called gods like Zeus or Thor. His power is made manifest in weakness; by death He destroyed death and unmade sin and guilt and set us Christians free from such things.
But Jesus did not set content to leave salvation as an abstract thing. The second passage Ruby chose notes this: God does not work in the abstract, or in confusing, subjective, so-called spiritual ways. He works openly, in ways that He promised so that we might know with crystal clear clarity when and where He has come into our lives for our benefit. Baptism is one of these, indeed, it is foundational to the Christian life. Ruby was baptized into Christ on December 30, 1923. Ruby chose this passage because baptism is where we are brought into Christ, where she was brought into Christ by water and the Word of God. She wanted you to know about this because her baptism, indeed all Christian baptisms, unite us to Christ’s death so that we might be raised like Christ. In other words, this blessed sacrament grants us the saving death of Jesus and makes us part of His own living body. It is a place where God hand delivers to us what he gave to her over a century ago: the life won for her in Christ Jesus. And this baptism into which she died put to death Ruby and her sin. And this death, the one that we are gathered here today for, is merely the working out of what God did in her baptism all those years ago.
She died to death in baptism and she now lives in Christ. And in Him there is no death, no sorrow, no pain anymore. With Job, she knows that her redeemer lives and that there will be no problem, suffering, or hardship that will ever hurt her again.
Dear friends, our sister Ruby, dear Christian woman that she is, wanted you to know here as we lay her to rest, the comfort and peace that comes in the salvation of Christ Jesus. She wanted you to know about her Lord, who redeemed her and all those who believe in Him. She wanted you to hear the consolation that comes by the saving Gospel of Jesus, to know that joy, peace, and certainty that come in Baptism, and to see the Savior that she built her life on.
We need not worry about Ruby; she is with her Lord and there will enjoy all of His blessings forever. This we know not because of how sweet and kind she was, because even with all her wonderful qualities, she was still a sinner in need of a Savior like the rest of us. No, I can say this with great confidence because her salvation was earned for her by Christ and Him alone. And her state is guaranteed by Him.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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