Ada Schlabach--Funeral Sermon

John 14:1-6, 19, 27:
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions;if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Because I live, you will live also.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

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

John chapter 14 is full of wonderful promises given by our Lord. In the Gospel reading that was just read, Jesus promises that in His Father's house are many mansions and that Jesus prepares a place for all believers--including Ada. Later on in verse 19, Jesus gives the promise that because He lives, all believers shall live also. Verse 27, promises that we have God's peace--it is not a peace that the world gives, but a peace that passes all understanding. However, before we focus in on these promises of our Lord and how they were meaningful for Ada, it is important to remember a promise that God had made long before Jesus ever spoke these words.

We read in the book of Genesis about how Adam and Eve ate the fruit from a tree that they were told by God not to eat. From then on, Adam and Eve, and everyone that descended from them, Ada included (along with all of us), had a sinful nature. God made a promise that He would send a Savior to forgive the sins of all people. The Old Testament continued to repeat that promise. We heard it from Isaiah 25 where it was foretold that Jesus would swallow up death forever. We listened to "Comfort Ye" at the beginning of this service today; those are direct words from Isaiah 40 where the people were told to take comfort in the fact that a Savior was to come. We heard words about making rough places plan and the crooked made straight. That is analogy of how our sins would be forgiven through the Christ that was to come.

And when the time had come, Jesus was born as a baby in the manger in Bethlehem. He would minister to the people on the earth, and it was while He was on earth where He made the promise of God's heavenly mansions, and a place was being prepared for all believers. The Lord also prepared a place in His heavenly mansions for Ada, where Ada is now living. Ada firmly believed in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, and she is in the place that was prepared for her.

Jesus mentions the promise that because He lives, all believers shall live also. It is true that Ada's earthly life is complete and she will be missed. But she lives because of Jesus. Because Jesus died on the cross, Ada is forgiven, and you and I are forgiven. And because Jesus lives, Ada lives in heaven.

Ada was always at peace with her Lord Jesus Christ. She had Jesus' peace. On a personal note, it was my privilege to be Ada's pastor for the last 5 years. Every time I visited with her, she was always at peace; she always mentioned that she believed in Christ, and she gladly received Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of her sins and for the strengthening of her faith. She had the love of Jesus in heart. Because Jesus loved her, she was able to be a friend, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. God's love enabled her to be loving to her friends at Flora Healthcare. She enjoyed being a friend, listener to the residents, anything to make their day better. All this she did because Jesus loved her.

Ada knew and believed in Jesus as her Savior, and that the Savior was born her, lived a perfect life for her, died for her, and rose for her so that she would have eternal life. That is the message that Ada knew and believed. That is the message that Ada would desire for all of you to know believe. More importantly, that is the message that our Lord desires for all of you to know and believe. Jesus was born for you, Jesus lived a perfect life for you, Jesus died for you, Jesus rose for you.

As we continue with our earthly lives, let us always ponder in our hearts and minds the love Jesus had for Ada and how that is why Ada is living in heaven, and let us always remember the love that Jesus has for all of us. He gives us His peace. In His' Name. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our risen Lord and Savior. Amen.