The Funeral of Easton Ryan Sonntag - February 17, 2012

 Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (February 17, 2012)

The Funeral of Easton Ryan Sonntag

Readings:
    Psalm 8
    Romans 8:18-30
    Mark 10:13-16

+INI+

Friends and family of Easton, especially Bridgett and Ryan, David and Trudy, Dale and Diana, aunts, uncles, cousins, great-grandparents, great-great grandparents, family, and friends.  Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Easton Ryan Sonntag was born to loving parents and a loving family on August 31, 2011, and he was baptized into the body of Christ on December 11, 2011.  Easton was a beautiful child of God and with his smile and charm, he touched the heart of everyone who met him.  Easton was carried into loving arms of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on February 13, 2012.  Blessed are they who die in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

The text for today is from the Gospel lesson of St. Mark,

13 And the disciples were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And [Jesus] took [the children] in His arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

    In the life of a Christian there are many special times.  One of the most important is the day of their baptism, because Jesus Christ Himself told us that we are to go and baptize, and we are reminded that baptism works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declares.  Easton was a baptized child of God, conceived in love, born and nurtured into a family of loving caring parents, Bridgett and Ryan, and he will always be surrounded by loving family members, and many, many others.  Just look around this  church and see how much the love of this one child, Easton Sonntag has touched so many lives.

    On this day as we gather in remembrance of Easton and in His Savior Jesus Christ, we struggle through tear filled eyes to find any joy in this unforeseen and unexpected day.  Today, to say the least, is troublesome.  We are torn by grief, for a time, from any joyful remembrance of days past.  We are torn in conflict with the knowledge of a joyful reunion in God's heavenly Kingdom. It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, where our faith is placed firmly between “Why God?” and “Thank God!”  And the news that I have for you today, is that neither I, nor you, can by our own efforts pull ourselves from that place.  But the immeasurable love of Jesus Christ will pull us through this struggle.  We struggle now with sorrow set against our hope and joy as God's children. Here in this time our faith is challenged to the very edge by this nightmare of reality.  Yet we acknowledge in faith that Easton no longer has struggles or battles ahead of him.  We know in faith that Easton is the held close to the bosom of His Lord, smiling in the joy of God's love for Him and with hope and now confirmed in eternal reality.

    But how could Easton possibly be more happy wrapped in the Love of Jesus Christ, than he was when he was surrounded by each and everyone one of you in this room? How could he be more joyful than when you held him and he laughed and smiled?  How could that precious child, be given more joy than in his parent’s arms, as the three of them said to each other, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”? 

    How can we not feel offended? How can we not have feelings of being irate, incensed, vexed, beyond annoyed, that such a child could be gone from our midst.  How can we not feel angry?  We are indignant.


    Jesus has compassion for you.  Jesus knows the feeling of anger, being incensed, vexed, annoyed, and irate.  Those feelings of Jesus are only recorded once in the scriptures, when Jesus was indignant with His disciples for hindering the little children to come to Him.  "Jesus loves the little children."

    And in response to Christ's love, we say back to Him what is most true and sure.  In our daily prayers when we eat we say, "Come Lord Jesus be our Guest, and let thy gifts to us be blest."  In our evening prayers with our children we say, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep." As we gather as the body of Christ in Worship, Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  It has been said that when we sing we pray twice what we believe, "We are weak, but He is strong, Yes, Jesus loves me."  We pray in love and trust that Jesus Christ according to His will and His promise will care for us as His will, will be done.

    But in fact, that perfect world of God does not seem so perfect today.  How is it that "in the beginning" the perfect world created by God's handiwork where man and woman were created in God's image, could today appear so bleak? How is it that we have come from, "God saw everything He had made, and behold, it was very good." (Gen 1:31) to a world challenged by weakness, disappointment, and death?  It would seem that the good old days of this world did not last so long, for those days ended as Adam and Eve sinned and were sent out of that bliss to live and die in a fallen world.  It is in that world in which we live and die by the sin of Adam and by the sin which we commit.

    It is into that world of sin that you, and I, and Easton were born.  We all have hopes and dreams, mixed with challenges and circumstances beyond our control.  Yet, God is still love, and He "restoreth our souls."  For into to this fallen world a child is born, and that child is the new Adam, Jesus Christ who conquers sin, death, the devil, and all his evil ways.  It is in Jesus Christ in whom we place our fears, our despair, and our sin.  And it is Jesus Christ who forgives our sins and in whom we place our trust, and our hope of a certain future with Him. 

    It is the pure love of God who sent His firstborn, His only begotten Son into this world for you, for me, and for Easton.  It is Jesus Christ who was born into this world and who was held helpless in His mother's arms.  It is Jesus Christ who grew in wisdom and stature and who in love turned His face toward Jerusalem.  It is Jesus Christ who gave His body and blood, shed upon the cross in immeasurable anguish, pain, and suffering.  It Jesus Christ who stated, "forgive them Lord for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Actions do indeed speak louder than words.  Though these word were never spoken from the cross, by the action of placing Himself on the cross, with the love of His father, seeing love of His mother, and knowing He would make right all that was wrong in this world, in the company of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the three of them say to you, "I love you, I love you, I love you."

    On this day do not look for answers to the why's, what ifs, or how could this happen?  Rather hear of the immense love of God for Easton and for you.  A love so immense that God would send His Son Jesus Christ to give Easton the promise of eternal life.  Hear of the immense love of Jesus Christ that He would bear His arms on the cross for us and now those same arms bear Easton for eternity.  Hear of the Holy Spirit who "Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."(Rom. 8:26) 

    The love of God in Christ Jesus gives you, Bridgett and Ryan, the promise of a joyful reunion with your beloved son Easton. And that promise is for all who would believe in Jesus Christ.  Jesus loves His child, Easton, Jesus loves His little children, and He takes them all in His arms and he blesses them with eternal life.  Blessed are they who die in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.  Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

+SDG+