Julius Diers Funeral Sermon

Joshua 4:1-7 (ESV)
4:1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

One evening when Julius was in the hospital I had the opportunity to visit with him just the two of us. As I had been taught in Pastoral Class this was the time for the preacher to ask the difficult questions.
You see one of the most rewarding times for a minister to proclaim the gospel to an afflicted soul is when they are near death. This is when they are listening, really listening. They have despaired of their own ability and are searching for comfort. Most of the world doesn’t know where to look for comfort so they look in many different places all of which leave them empty and still waiting for the comfort they seek. The only place to find comfort in this world is the Christian Church. And which church, you might ask, is the true Christian Church? The true Christian Church is wherever sins are being forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now God is omnipresent (present everywhere) so what is the difference between where sins are being forgiven and other places? Well my friends it the difference between God naked and God clothed. The naked God, God not clothed in Jesus Christ, is a God of wrath and is a God present yes but not present FOR YOU! As a matter of fact it is God present against you; this is the God of law, the God that seeks to shine the light of truth on your sins. In contrast God present clothed in Jesus Christ, hence forgiving sins: in confession, preaching, worship and in the sacraments is God FOR YOU! This is a God of grace, a God of love, a God who seeks to reconcile His beloved creation onto Himself at whatever cost. This is the God of the gospel. The God clothed in Jesus Christ, the God FOR YOU, is the God that the minister brings to an afflicted soul when they are near death. Please do not mishear me, I did not say that this is the God that a called and ordained minister of the church brings to an afflicted soul when they are near death; I said this is what a minister brings. You all ARE the ministers I speak of. Yes, for the sake of order, in most cases this task is performed by a called and ordained minister however ordination is not what qualifies you for this task. Baptism and a profession of faith in response to that baptism is what qualifies you for this task. You are the priesthood of all believers! You are qualified to proclaim the gospel!
Anyway back to my story. This was the time to ask the difficult questions. So I asked, “Julius, are you afraid to die?” Then waited for what I believed would be a positive affirmation of his fear thus I was standing ready to proclaim to him that on account of his baptism and his repentance his sins were forgiven. But, he sent me spinning. Seminary does not prepare you for the answer that Julius gave. He looked at me and said, “Pastor, the good Lord will take me when He is good and ready.” I was speechless. Which, for any of you who know me, know that this was a rare occasion.
You see in this world the rebellious human nature is always seeking better words from God. The human will asks, “Could it really be that salvation is found in a first century peasant whom claimed to be God incarnate, and was thus crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem, the promised city, next to the sewer of the city in which unclean rotting animal carcasses were thrown?” “Surely not!” they say. “God must be holding back the good stuff from us. His very best must be hidden behind this man Jesus Christ whom John proclaims as the very Word of God in the flesh.” They then seek to get a peek at God in the nude; the naked God. And we have already discussed the result of that sad story.
But not Julius Diers! Julius took God at His word. In 1916, at First Lutheran Church, Jesus Christ claimed Julius as His own at his baptism. That Day Christ promised Julius that he would someday be with His Savior in the promise land, in paradise for eternity. Our reading from Joshua toady is a prelude to that promise. This reading describes Joshua leading the nation of Israel in to the land promised to Abraham and his offspring. Land on this earth was the promise to Abraham the promise of the old covenant. But Christ fulfilled that covenant, the covenant of the law, by his death on the cross and through His resurrection from the dead establishing the new covenant, the covenant of the gospel; the promise of eternal life for all who believe both gentile and Jew.
Julius Diers was a man of His word! When he gave his word he meant it and he did whatever it took to keep it! Julius understood the integrity of keeping one’s word, of keeping a promise. For goodness sake he promised to love Margret until the day he died! A littler thing like her death did get in the way this man of his word from keeping his promise. He was love sick for his bride 13 years after her death. He was love sick for his bride whom he toady has been reunited with for eternity.
Julius also knew how to keep the golden rule. Do on to others as you would have done to you! He taught his children that if you just follow God’s Word, you will never go wrong. He embodied scripture in his love and service to his neighbors.
Jesus made Julius a promise and he knew that if he, being a fallen rebellious human knew how to keep his word, how much more would the creator of the universe keep His. He was not scared to die; he was not scared because he knew whom he was going to meet face to face; his beloved Savior Jesus Christ and his bride who went before him.
In ancient Israel outside the city walls were rocks raised up on end. Each time God did something miraculous for His people they would set a stone on end to reminded them of the event. Jacob did it with a stone when he had the vision of the ladder to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. Today’s reading form Joshua is no different. You see this was an oral culture they didn’t write things down as very few people we literate. It wasn’t until the Babylonian exile that things were written down; when the fear of losing their oral stories their traditions hung in the balance. Before that time they raised up stones. When strangers to the cities came by they would ask what is with the stone, the people would then remember and tell the story of what God had done for them.
In a little while we are going to the cemetery where there is already a stone raised in memory of Julius. This stone means something. It isn’t there to remind us where he is buried; rather it stands to remind us of his life. Each time from now until the end of your days when you pass that cemetery, even if you cannot see the stone from the road, know that it is there and remember what God did for you, what God taught you, through his humble and beloved servant Julius Diers. Amen