An Outcome Sure and Certain: A Memorial Sermon for Bill Brown. January 6, 2024

I was blessed to preach the sermon at Bill Brown’s memorial service at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, IL, on the Feast of the Epiphany, 2024. You can view both the livestream and the bulletin. Rest eternal grant Bill, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon him.

Bill, Dave, Dale, Lisa; family and friends; sisters, brothers, all friends in Christ, grace be unto you and peace in the name God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. The great comfort of our faith is that we can speak with conviction and hope in in the midst of our grief and sorrow. So it is that I can say exactly where our friend, Bill, will be at 3:25 tomorrow afternoon. After six years of separation, he’ll be with his beloved Marion, watching his Bears take on her Green Bay Packers. And while I don’t know all the details on how heaven will work, this much I believe: They won’t have to watch the game on different televisions in different rooms and – even better – they’ll both be happy after the game, no matter the outcome.
2. We gather this morning in the midst of our grief and sorrow. How could we do otherwise in the absence of Bill, who for 93 years lived a good and faithful life. 93 years. That means that until he heard his Lord’s call last November, none, or at most a few very, of us had lived in a world without Bill Brown. Whether you knew him as father, grandfather, great-grandfather; coworker or colleague; fellow poker player or fellow member of Grace, Bill has been a fixture in our lives for as long as we’ve lived. Of course we gather today with a measure of sorrow, mourning and missing this man of warmth and wit and welcome.
3. But into our grief speaks the Word: Rejoice! St. Paul means it so much he says it twice: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. We gather in this church that was home to Bill and Marion and their family and we give thanks to God. We rejoice for 93 years well lived. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul encourages us to look to those who have gone before us, to learn from them. Is there anything honorable or just, pure or pleasing, commendable or excellent? Keep on doing those things. We rejoice today because Bill led a life worth emulating in so many ways and leaves a legacy of family in which that life continues so well. For one thing, I am pleased to say that the Moon Saloon, of which Bill was founding member and host, lives on; the guys even let me play a few hands from time to time. More than that, of course, is a legacy of faithful discipleship that Bill set as an example for us. Bill devotion to Grace, to church and to school, was of the highest level. Marion’s home church became his home. He served and gave joyfully and faithfully because he loved Grace and its people and, most of all, because he deeply loved – and knew how much he as loved by – his Lord, Jesus Christ.
4. Jesus promises us today, with words of pure grace, that he is our Good Shepherd. We live in a world with many dangers. The sin that lurks within our hearts. The suffering and sickness that seek to harm us. The fear and anxiety that stalk us. The voice of the Shepherd cuts through it all, telling us again and again, “I love you. I lay down my life for you. Eternal life is yours, forever. No one will take you out of my hand. Dear sheep, I love you and you are mine.” Bill knew his Shepherd’s voice and knows it still.
5. After sixty years of marriage, Bill’s love for Marion gave her strength to face her own illness and death, while she in quiet strength and deep faithfulness gave Bill the courage to let her go for a time. The voice of the Shepherd spoke to them then, reminding them both that death is not the end, and its separation is not final. Today, that same voice speaks to us, promising us that even though death has come for Bill, he has not been taken out of our heavenly Father’s hand, and he has not been taken from us forever. For the Shepherd’s voice is the Word incarnate, the child born for us in Bethlehem, the Savior who laid down his life for us upon the cross, the risen Christ who has won the victory over sin and death for Bill, for us, forever. We don’t know the outcome of tomorrow’s football game, but we, with St. Peter, know the outcome of our faith. Salvation in Christ is certain, for it is given as a free gift, and in that gift today – even as we mourn – we can believe and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.
6. Today is Epiphany, the day the Magi reached the child Jesus, and his parents, Mary and Joseph. The followed the light of a new star, brilliantly blazing, showing the way to the new king. They found their way to Jesus and knelt down in worship. By God’s grace, the faithful have been making their way to Jesus ever since, welcomed into his presence to worship the king. The light of the star still shines. The voice of the Shepherd still speaks. The faithful who have died still live. And soon, we will gather around this Word, given for you in bread and wine, the very real presence of the One who laid down his life that we would live. In our grief and in our joy, Jesus speaks. By the power of the Word, Bill lives. For death is not the end. Not for Bill, not for you. May Bill’s witness give you much to remember and emulate. May the light of Christ illuminate your steps as we go forward from this place. May the voice of our Good Shepherd be always in your ear, comforting and calling you, reminding you that you are his. Amen.

And now may that peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, this day and forever. Amen.