Jesus has prepared a place for you - A funeral sermon for Jim Hermann

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Did you catch the difference between what I read just now and what I read in the Gospel lesson? The Gospel lesson was from the NIV. The second verse I read was from the King James Version. If you’re older than 50, that’s the version of the Bible that you heard in church and learned in catechism class. But, even if you’re older younger than 50, you know about the mansions. “The mansions of heaven” is a term Christians use pretty often. Preachers say it, poets write it, people sing it.

I understand their thinking. Having a mansion all to yourself is a wonderful thought. It seems a lot better to have a mansion than a room!

Jim and Jamie specifically picked out these verses for today’s sermon text. And, if you know anything about Jim, he was kind of a particular guy. I ministered to Jim’s mom before she was called home to heaven. Jim just might have taken after his mom a little bit. He would want to know the answer to this – especially because it’s where he spends eternity.

So, what is Jesus promising: a room or a mansion?

The words that Jesus spoke in John chapter 14 are wonderful for a funeral sermon. A funeral sermon is for those who are left behind. What Jesus says in John 14 is His funeral sermon. He is speaking to His disciples who will be left behind. Within a few hours of this conversation on Thursday night of Holy Week, Jesus would be arrested, tried, crucified, killed, and buried.

That’s when Jesus spoke these words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

So, is it a room or a mansion? It’s more than a room, but a mansion isn’t right, either. What Jesus promises here is a dwelling place that lasts, a home that’s always secure. No renovation; no relocation. When you think of Jesus’ words here, think of the house where your grandparents lived when you were little and still live today. It was always exactly the same.

You had your place to sleep in Grandpa and Grandma’s home. The bed was made. The room was tidy. There was always food on the table at dinner time. Everything was relaxing; at peace; no worries. You were safe. You were secure. You were home where you belonged.

That’s where Jim is now. Not in his grandparents’ home, but in his heavenly Father’s home. It is a home that Jim is living in because of His Savior and heavenly Brother, Jesus Christ. Jim didn’t earn a place in this home because he was a good son or a great dad or a faithful husband. He didn’t get to live in this place because he was such a great Christian or faithful church worker.

If Jim had to pay for this heavenly home in any way, then he wouldn’t have been able to afford a mansion, or a condo, or a starter home, or a room, or even a closet space. You cannot buy a home in heaven. You cannot even get close enough to peer over the pearly gates.

But thanks be to God, Jim knew that he could leave his nice home in Mt. Pleasant to go to his heavenly home. Although, it didn’t seem like he wanted to leave. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t have the room ready for Jim. Jesus prepared the room with His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Jim had the confidence of knowing this home was his, not because of who he was, but who Jesus made him to be. This home was his, not because of what he had done, but because of what Jesus had done for him on the cross and out of the grave. This home was his, not because he had paid for it, but because Jesus had paid for it with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.

Jesus made the down payment on this heaven home with His Bethlehem birth; the monthly charges were picked up as He lived His life, and the last disbursement was made when Jesus laid down His life on the cross. His third-day resurrection from the dead says that all who believe on Jesus Christ as their Redeemer from sin have been given a heavenly home.

Jesus reserved a place for Jim when the Holy Spirit made Jim God’s child in his baptism. This happened at the baptismal font at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sheboygan. At his confirmation before the Lord’s altar at Epiphany on April 10, 1960, Jim was preparing for the feast in heaven by feasting on the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus uses the marriage of Jim and Jamie as an illustration of the marriage that exists between Jesus Christ as the Bridegroom and Jim and Jamie and all of us as Christians, as Christ’s Bride.

Once upon a time, all of the people on earth had a perfect home. But, Adam and Eve wanted something better, so they went their own way. You know how they ended up: homeless and on the street. No one since, and certainly none of here today, has ever been able to buy that home back.

So, where do you think Jesus was going when He told His disciples, “I go and prepare a place for you”? He was going to the cross. In fact, He was going to the cross the very next morning. You might say He was going to the cross to pay off the mortgage. He was going to assume the debt that Jim and you and I and all people owed because of what we do wrong and what we fail to do right.

Jesus died. The deed was done. But He didn’t stay dead. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. He heavenly Father had accepted His Son’s payment for His heavenly home. It could now become ours! He bought and paid for it for us! Now the deed has been handed over to us.

A room. A mansion. You can call it what you want. What Jesus promises us is a place that will never need repairs, never be sold, never be sad. A place that will always be secure, always be safe, and always be home, sweet home.

This is why today is not a sad day. This is a day to thank God that Jim has finally entered his home in heaven. You don’t need to let your hearts be troubled. Jesus has prepared a place for His white-robed saints where there are no more tumors; no more difficulty speaking; no more trouble getting in and out of bed; no more watching reruns of westerns.

By the grace of God shown through Jesus Christ, Jim has been given a resurrection body. His old body was perishable, it is raised imperishable; it was weak; it is now glorious; it was natural; it is now spiritual and glorious (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

Christian funerals are designed for those who are still living. It is a time to grieve, but not to grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We grieve with a resurrection faith. Because Jesus lives, Jim lives, too. He is no longer in his sins. Jesus took all Jim’s sins to the cross and buried them in His grave.

Jim and Jamie want you to have the same kind of resurrection faith that they both have. A faith like the psalmist of Psalm 47. A faith that trusts that God is going to get you through, even when you see your spouse getting weaker. A faith that trusts that God is holding you by your right hand, so that you don’t complain that you can’t do the things you once did. A faith that trusts that God is the strength of your heart and your portion forever. A faith that knows that God is near you here on earth and that He takes you to be near Him in heaven.

We read in our Epistle lesson that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead changes everything. It changes the way we think about Jesus: Only a living Savior can be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It changes the way we think about life: Only a living Savior can provide us with confidence when we face cancer and death head-on. It changes the way we think about death: Only a living Savior can promise and eternal, unchanging home in heaven and actually make it come true. Only a living Savior can give us comfort in our grief; joy amidst our sadness; and hope for our future.

Jesus has prepared a place for Jim. Whether it is room or it is a mansion, it’s Jim’s new home. Through Jesus. Free and clear. Lock, stock and deed. For eternity. Thanks be to God. Amen.