The text that I have chosen for Norma’s memorial service is 1 Corinthians 15:12-26.

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Here ends our text.

Sharon, Douglas, Paul, Linda, Kari, Peggy, and Bryce, friends of Norma, we are here because our sister in the faith has died. Friday, her family and friends faced the loss of Norma from their midst. Now we are here together. Each of us bears a sadness. Each of us feels an emptiness that comes when someone near and dear to us is suddenly gone. While some may seek comfort in the hope that time heals all wounds, as Christians we turn to the Word of God, where we find comfort and joy as God’s people.

One thing that we all share in common with Norma is our sinful condition. Each and every one of us is a sinner. St. Paul says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That is not something that any of us want to hear or even acknowledge. However, it makes it none the less true. That statement is an all-true reminder of who we are. That statement means that we are separated from God and His glory. It means that we are separated from His righteousness. That is the result of our sin. That was the result of Norma’s sin. Fortunately for Norma and for us, that is not the condition in which we find ourselves today – eternally separated from God.

Because of all of this, we sit here today, mourning the death of one of God’s beloved children. One question that we ask ourselves is this: is death final? Is this all that there is for Norma or for any of us? How do we handle the possibility of death? Some people believe we can overcome its intrusion, that surely the medical advancements of today postpone death; but every medical doctor admits that 100 percent of their patients eventually die. Others believe life is a matter of sheer will. Still others ignore the possibility of death or shrug their shoulders and say, “It’s fate.” No human answer is satisfactory.

The answer that we have is this one from Romans: “For the wages of sin is death.” Death is inevitable. Death is the ultimate result of our sin and there is no way to get around it, at least not from anything that you and I could ever do. God saw it fit to redeem His creation from the Fall into sin. He sent to His creation the means of salvation from the effects of sin and death. He sent to us His Son Jesus. Because of Jesus, we have life. Because of Jesus, Norma has life.

In our text, St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, who grew up disbelieving in the physical resurrection of the dead. For them, death was the final statement in any person’s life. Paul responded with the Good News of the Gospel. First, that God’s Son took the sins of the world upon Himself and died to pay that terrible debt. But death was not the last word in Jesus’ life. Second, God raised Jesus from the dead as acknowledgment of His Son’s payment. Because Jesus was raised, His death for our sins was accepted. Jesus was raised for our justification, that is, we are made right with God through Jesus’ payment.

What Paul is proclaiming is truth. Our faith, which hears these words and accepts them, is not useless; it holds solid comfort. We are not still in our sins, stuck in the dead-end direction of damnation. Those who die in the hope of their Lord are not lost. They live in Him.

Today, we celebrate the fact that our sister in Christ now enjoys the full joys of heaven. Norma clung to the promises found in God’s Word. It was God’s Word that called Norma to receive the gift of life in the promises of her Baptism. She confirmed her belief in Christ as a young woman. She bore witness to her faith in Christ by worshiping the Lord. She heard and responded to the promise our Lord made in His Last Supper, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus was the living bread in her life, and in Jesus she knew she had eternal life. God worked grace in Norma’s life through the Word, and by the power of the Spirit Norma received the gift of life in Jesus’ name. Norma believed her sins were fully paid for on the cross and that her dear Lord won for her eternal life by grace through faith. This was Norma’s witness, what she believed. And this was her hope that he shared with you her children.

For us, we are left in this world grieving at the loss of a mother and of a friend. We do not grieve as those without hope. We do not have to wonder if Christ has been raised from the dead. We do not have to wonder if there is a resurrection of the dead. The fact that Jesus is risen from the dead declares that He did, in fact, die. He has paid the price for your sins and for Norma by His suffering and death—and He has been raised from the dead for our justification. You need not ever wonder if God the Father has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for you. You know that the Father is well-pleased with His Son, for He has raised Jesus from the dead. And if the Father is well-pleased with His Son’s Passion and death, then you can be certain that forgiveness is yours—because Jesus is risen from the dead. While we mourn today, we look to that joy that we have forever because of Christ, a joy in knowing that we will be with those who have died in the faith, but more importantly, a joy where we will be with Him. Sharon, Douglas, Paul, Linda, Kari, Peggy, and Bryce, look to Jesus, for He alone can give victory, a victory that He has granted to Norma and a victory that He grants to you as well. Amen.