Linn Lehr Memorial

There's no more empty chairs at the table. Only the fullness of the life and the presence of the lord who loved them and loves still perfectly. And this hope is not wishful thinking. It rests on a historical fact there's an empty tomb in Jerusalem, and there were over 500 witnesses to the fact that that Jesus rose out of that tomb. And it's also a transformation of these apostles that went with and hid away because they were afraid that they too would be crucified along with Jesus. And then they saw him alive, and they spent the rest of their life proclaiming they saw Jesus out of that tomb. [00:34:36] (40 seconds)  #EmptyTombEvidence

And that is truly the most important question you'll ever answer on this side of eternity. Do you believe this? Jesus spoke these words to a woman who was suffering and sorrowful like we are this morning. Her brother, Lazarus, had just died. She was grieving. She was disappointed, wondering what is going on? Jesus is our friend. How could he let Lazarus die? But Jesus did not offer her platitudes. What he offered her was himself. [00:29:50] (33 seconds)  #DoYouBelieveJesus

Yet still in the middle of our tears, still in the middle of our heart sorrows, god knows. He really knows how much we're hurting. But scripture speaks a word that speaks beyond this tragedy that we're all feeling right now. Hear the words of Jesus again in the gospel of John chapter 11. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? [00:29:14] (36 seconds)  #ResurrectionAndLife

When we think about it now, what what does that mean for Lynn this morning as we think about her? We know that she trusted in Christ. We know that she rested in his finished work on the cross, and we know that Lynn belonged to him in faith. And being that is so right now, she is more alive than she has ever been. Her body is no longer here, but her spirit is with the Lord. And one day that body will be raised imperishable, glorious, free from pain and sickness. No more cancer. [00:32:16] (40 seconds)  #RaisedInGlory

So the last second that Lynn breathed her last, when her heart finally stopped beating, she went into the presence of the lord that she loved at that very nanosecond. And Lynn was welcomed to a home that Jesus had gone before and made just for her. CS Lewis reflecting on those words of Jesus from John chapter 14. He said her place in heaven will seem to be made just for her and her alone because she was made for it, made for her stitch by stitch as a glove is made for her hand. [00:28:34] (41 seconds)  #MadeForHeaven

So we don't pretend that our hearts still don't ache even though it's been several weeks now. We don't pretend that it doesn't hurt into the depths of her soul. I invite everyone in this room to turn it to God, to give it to God. David wrote a psalm at a time that reflected on one of the darkest times of his life, at a time when his heart was breaking, a time of deep despair. In Psalm 56, he said, Lord, you keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle, and you recorded each one in your book. God knows and he understands our sorrow and our grief. [00:26:21] (44 seconds)  #HeKnowsOurSorrow

The apostle Peter said that God in his great mercy, he has given us a new birth into a living hope. It's through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and it's an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. It's a living hope. It's a sure thing because it's a promise for the one who can guarantee it. It's a promise for the one who sent his son to that horrible Roman cross that died for all of our sins. [00:31:34] (34 seconds)  #LivingHope

I'd like to leave you with this final thought. Grief is love's echo. Has someone touched our life deeply enough to leave a sound long enough after they're gone? The shortest verse in the bible is also one of the strongest where it says Jesus wept. His dear friend Lazarus had died, and he stood at that grave site, and he cried. And if Jesus wept, it's okay for us to cry. And people say, well, time heals, but the truth is it's god who heals over time. Grief will reshape us. At first, there's a storm and then there's a wave. And then finally, we'll have memories that will no longer sink us. [00:36:43] (52 seconds)  #GriefIsLovesEcho