Wednesday, March 21, 2018

IN MEMORIUM - Laurena Conrad



IN MEMORIUM
Laurena Conrad
Born 2.18.1922
Baptized 2.26.1922
Confirmed 4.5.1936
Married 12.27.1941
With Christ in Peace 3.18.2018
Committal 3.21.2018

Blessed are they that die in the Lord


Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

How firm a foundation, Ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say, than to you He has said
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

When through fiery trials your pathway will lie,
My grace, all sufficient, will be your supply.
The flames, will not hurt you; I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine.[1]

Death is so limited…
It has not crippled love,
It has not shattered hope,
It has not corroded faith,
It has not eaten away peace
   Nor destroyed confidence.

It has not killed friendship,
It has not shut out memories,
It has not silenced courage,
It has not invaded the soul,
   Nor reduced eternal life.
It has not quenched the Spirit,
It cannot, has not,
 Nor will not lessen the power of the resurrection![2]

Death…has not shut out memories… There are a flood of memories we have each shared these past days. As we remember Laurena and the impact she has had on us. Laurena was a gifted photographer. In early fall, the first year our family arrived here, as we were making plans to refurbish our worship space, Laurena gave me a photograph. Laurena had taken a picture of the large maple tree which stands at the intersection of Winchester Rd. and 900 North. Dave and Terry, it’s not too far from where your house sits. And she told me, “This is the first tree that turns color in the fall.”She wanted me to have that picture as a reminder of where she had come from and where we had landed. And sure enough, each fall, that’s the first tree which turns color around mid-September. Every year. When I see that tree. I think of Laurena.

Sam mentioned yesterday, “We’ve missed the essence of her strong personality for almost a decade while she suffered from the effects of Alzheimer’s. It’s comforting to know she’s finally in a place of less confusion.”

And that’s the point. We’re living in a broken world. Outside of Eden. We’re living in a world in which memories may fade, where confusion and fear often beset us. 

And yet, Christ always remembers. Christ always understands. When there is a rainbow in the clouds, the Lord, “remembers the everlasting covenant He made with every living creature of all flesh.”[3] He remembers the covenant with Jacob. He remembers the covenant with Isaac. He remembers the covenant with Abraham.[4]

And He promises, “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”[5] The LORD has remembered us; He will bless us.”[6]

He has remembered His loving-kindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”[7]

In fact, the Lord reassures us that He specializes in bringing order out of chaos. He explains to us plainly, in His Word, how He can give clarity in all the confusion in this troubled life.

 That’s why we have been intentional as we have planned this service. Laurena remembered the words of the opening hymn, “Drum sag ich, noch einmal” She’d say it over and over. “Therefore I’ll say again, God loves me dearly.”

Soon, we will pray together Luther’s Morning Prayer. The last prayer we prayed together. On Saturday.  A prayer Laurena remembered. We will recite together the Lord’s Prayer. A prayer she remembered. As we ask, “Lord, remember us in Your kingdom as You have taught us to pray.

The Lord remembers. On the day of her confirmation these words were spoken over Laurena, ““Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10

And so, the church sings,
Fear not I am with you, O be not dismayed,
For I am your God and will still give you aid;
I’ll strength you, help you, and cause you to stand,
Upheld by My righteous omnipotent hand.”

Look not around in terror” the Lord promises. Because I have attached Myself to you in baptism. And the right hand of My righteousness. Will strengthen you. Wherever you go.

Now we are in Lent. But we are always Easter people.  

The Scriptures remind us, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”- 1 Corinthians 15:16-17

Yes, there is something more lasting. More powerful. And greater than your sin. It is the love and compassion Jesus has for us sinners. While each of us were lost and steeped in sin, God our Father had a plan. A plan. Which was in place. Way before the dawn of time.

What God did not become. He could not save. And so, Christ came into the world as one of us. To save us. Jesus came into the world. To be counted with sinners. To save sinners.

At the right time, God our heavenly Father would send His only Son. Jesus would enter into our world. Breaking into time and space. He came to be your substitute. He would live the perfect life for you. He would die the death that you deserve.

And there, at a cross, He would trade your sin, your misery, your guilt and shame to exchange it for His perfection. And work out what you and I could never, ever do!

Yes, Jesus has done for you better than what you could ever do for yourself. When settling the issue with sin, Jesus acts alone. He dealt with the issues of your brokenness Himself. Period. With no help from anyone. The Father sends His own Son to the cross. Jesus bore your sin. He carried it alone. – To the cross of Calvary. There He died for you.

There He wins salvation for the entire world. And on the third day. He rose from the dead to prove to you that this freedom. This forgiveness. This new life. Has been credited to you.

God is completely responsible for your salvation. From front to back! You don’t one-day wake up and decide to follow Jesus – Rather, He plants the seed of faith in your heart in Holy Baptism by the power of His Holy Spirit.

He then nourishes that faith by giving you His eternal Word, which is able to make you wise unto salvation. This is what St. Paul reminds us when he tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Laurena understood grace. She attempted to live gracefully among us. Summed up for us by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians. “I have been crucified with Christ. That is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith. By adhering to.  Relying upon.  And completely trusting in the Son of God. Who loved me. And gave Himself up for me.”
Because Jesus lives. Laurena lives in Him. Because Jesus reigns. Laurena reigns with Him. Because Jesus holds all things. He will hallow you. In the palm of His hands.
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Words –1,345
Passive Sentences – 3%
Readability-83.6%
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level – 3.9
Luther’s Seal © Higher Things







[1] How Firm a Foundation Lutheran Service Book © 2009 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
[2] Unknown source, © Common Domain
[3] Genesis 9:16
[4] Leviticus 26:42ff
[5] Hebrews 8:12
[6] Psalm 115:12
[7] Psalm 98:3

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