Family and friends of Delbert, grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

What can we say about Delbert? We can reminisce for quite a while, I would bet.  96 years is a long time to live. And Delbert did a lot. He farmed, he worked at the Sugar factory, he helped raised a family, he served the community through the church and through other means.  The list could go on and on.  

Throughout his life Delbert could stand on all these achievements, to be sure.  He was a good man, a strong man, a proud man.  The last year or so, Delbert slowed down and his body started to act its age, even though he still had that sense of humor and hint of mischievousness he had carried throughout his life.  But the last two weeks of his life knocked him off his feet, literally.  When standing on the doorstep to death, the list of virtues crumble no matter how firm they might have been in life.  When faced with standing before a righteous and holy God, all other ground is sinking sand.

But there is hope, hope for Delbert, and hope for you. That hope rests solely upon Jesus.  This isn’t the kind of wishy washy I’m uncertain but I really want it to be true kind of hope.  This hope is certain. This hope is sure.  This hope leaves no room for doubt because it’s not based on us. It’s based upon the solid rock of Jesus, the One who died for us, the one who was raised from the dead for us, the One who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  The one who promises and delivers that eternal life by the victory over the great enemy of death by the resurrection.

This is why the Christian faith is so important. It doesn’t mean that a person is going to be smarter, richer, or better than anyone else.  It doesn’t mean that a person is going to have a long and happy life.  It means simply that we trust in the One who is the way, the truth, and the life.  Without Christ, without faith in the Son of God, there is not just death and nothingness, there is eternal suffering, sadness, pain, and tears.  But with Christ, there is life.

Delbert made evidence of this in his life.  He helped raise a family, was a faithful husband and father. By faith, he did the works of the Lord to serve God and to serve others through God’s church. These were not a cause of his hope nor his salvation, but it was a result of it.  Delbert was not perfect, make no mistake. He could have been a better husband and father, a better friend, a better Christian. And he knew it. He was a sinner in need of a savior. And a Savior he has in Jesus.

And it was his wish that you here today might have that same faith, that same hope, that same future, that same knowledge, that same Jesus; to stand upon that same solid Rock of Christ.  To build your hope, not just for this life, but for eternity upon Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  That knocks down all our pride, all our attempts to gain glory, all our sin so that when face to face with God all that stands is one redeemed, made righteous, declared innocent of all sin, the new creation in Christ.

Delbert is not standing anymore. And one day, the enemy of death will come to us as well. It will knock us off our feet just as it did to Delbert, with none of our good deeds to lift us up. So what are we to do?  What are we to say? What are we to think or believe in the midst of sorrow, of pain, of suffering, of our own grave? Hear the words of the prophet Isaiah concerning Jesus, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from the Lord, for the Lord has spoken.”

Christ reigns over all enemies, including death, and being raised from the dead He now stands over the grave with victory.  God’s saints will stand with Him, on the solid foundation of the resurrection of the Son of God.  He will lift Delbert back up on to his feet, and what’s more, by His death and resurrection, Christ has gone to prepare a place in eternity for Delbert and for all who believe in Him.  This is not just some hotel room, not wearing white robes and playing a harp on a cloud. The future for those who believe in Christ is in a bodily resurrection to stand, in our flesh reunited with our soul, to see God face to face in the new creation. Shoulder to shoulder with all the saints, all those who know by faith God the Father through God the Son by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

This is the gift of eternal life. Death is not the end for all who believe in Him.  Jesus is the life that overcomes the grave. He brings His everlasting kingdom, a kingdom of righteousness, peace, joy, and blessing. Rejoicing with all the saints, of all ages, in the presence of God. No more sin, no more sorrow. Glorified bodies in a restored creation. Singing and praising and unending joy. This is the treasure that Christ has won and that awaits God’s people.  While the sadness lingers, let us be glad and rejoice in God’s salvation for Christ has killed death. Amen.