A Funeral Sermon for Rosie Parker. August 29, 2026

On Saturday, August 29, I was blessed to preach at the funeral service for Rosie Parker. You can watch the livestream recording and follow along in the bulletin. Rest eternal grant Rosie, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon her.

Cameron and Christopher; Vivian, Christian, and Benjamin; family and friends in Christ; grace be unto you and peace in the name God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Do not let your hearts be troubled, Jesus tells us. Today, this seems like a tough ask. We are here this morning because death has stolen in. After a sudden and surprising illness, our Rosie has been taken from our presence. She leaves a large gap in our lives, and we could spend a long time speaking of how she impacted each of us. Thank you, Leroy, for giving voice to what she meant to you, for sharing that gift with us today. Jesus tells us that we need not be troubled because in his Father’s house there are many dwelling places, mansions of glory. We cling to that promise but with hearts that break. For so many of us, we learn so much about what it means to be with our heavenly Father through the loving presence of our mothers. There is no doubt that Rosie showed us so much of the Father’s love, especially to you, Cameron, blessed to be her son, and to her beloved grandchildren. Today, we give thanks that Rosie is alive in the glory of God. But how do we continue to make a home in this world without her?
2. To be sure, things will be different for us now. Rosie’s life is more than a trajectory from Mississippi to Chicago. It is more than educational and professional accomplishments. It’s even more than a keen eye for fashion and her presence in a room. Oh, her life is all those things, but it is so much more. Her faith led her to a life of service, ministry, and care. She made time for others, because people matter, and because it is what Christians are called to do. And she was always present for her family. Caring for her siblings and enjoying her time with them. Showing forth again and again the gift of warmth and hospitality. Welcoming a son-in-law when her son fell in love. And then becoming a grandmother for the ages, a daily presence in your lives. When she found out Cameron and Chris were going to be parents, she told them that they’d better not expect her to be a babysitter whenever they wanted one. In part, of course, she meant that she didn’t want them to just assume she was available. But more than that, I think, is a simple truth. She didn’t want to babysit her grandchildren; she wanted to grandmother them. To feed them and fill them with her love and wit and wisdom. Rosie was blessed with the daily presence of her grandchildren, and they were blessed with her. How, then, do we move forward from this moment without her? Seventy-six years are not enough.
3. Do not let your hearts be troubled, Jesus tells us. And then he tells us why. It is not because our grief and loss in this world are not real. No, it’s because of what Jesus is about to do. He speaks these words to his disciples in that upper room on the night before his own death. Jesus knows what is about to happen, the suffering, sorrow, and death that he is about to endure. But he also knows that it is exactly for this that he has come into the world. Yes, he goes into death, but he does so to prepare a way home for us. Thomas, who is always brave enough to give voice to the doubts we all have, wonders where Jesus is going and how we can follow. Where, now, is the way? Jesus points not to a roadmap but to the cross. The cross, on which he has now become the way, and the truth, and the life for all people. And with Jesus as our way, nothing – not heaven or earth, powers or princes, not sickness or death itself – can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rosie’s absence feels so strong, and our lives will be different in many ways. But death is not the end, and we are not so far from her, after all. In just a bit, we will gather around the Lord’s table for a meal that seems so simple yet opens us up to the great feast of heaven. In this Lord’s Supper, we join Rosie and the whole host of heaven in their song of unending praise. In this meal and song, we find our faith and hope restored.
4. Cameron and Chris, your families have suffered such grief this summer. Just a few weeks ago, we gathered here to give thanks for your father, Dean. And now, so soon, we are here again. I quipped a few weeks ago about how I’d somehow never heard of Pastor Lueking but quickly learned he was a big deal. You know what? There was a time I’d never heard of Rosie Parker, but she was a big deal, too. The loss we feel is large, but it is less than the blessing we’ve received. Death is not the end. It has been vanquished by Jesus Christ forever. This is not the end of Rosie’s story. I’m grateful for the moments I was blessed by her warmth and grace, from the first time I met her on Good Times to the moments of laughter, tears, and prayer we shared in her hospital room during our last few visits. I am thankful for a life of faith lived for others. For a life of hope lived in Christ. And I’m thankful that, in the great resurrection from the dead, we will see her again. Her baptismal pilgrimage has reached its destination. She rests now in the grace of God that is always more than enough. Today, we cry and we mourn. How could we not? But we need not let our hearts be troubled. Christ is alive and death is defeated. Christ is alive, and in him Rosie lives. Christ is alive, alleluia! Amen.

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