Pastor Scott's Message
Eunice Zimmermann died last week and the funeral is tomorrow, Good Friday, 9:30am at Glendale. I’ve been ministering Eunice’s daughter Joan and son Rocky. Sometimes the family who is preparing for a funeral apologizes to me because of the extra work. I’m always taken aback by that comment. I never look at a funeral as extra work. It is not an addition to my primary job; it is essential to my calling. God has called me to bless God’s people at this place and this time. Who needs blessing more than a family who just lost a loved one? It is an honor and a sacred privilege to be with the grieving. I get to remind them of Jesus’ promises and give them a hug on Jesus’ behalf.
It’s not bad timing that Eunice died. It is God’s timing. He called her home, knowing that the funeral would fall on Good Friday. What better time to put death into perspective than Good Friday. We come together to mourn but not as the world mourns. We recognize the gruesome reality of death but anticipate the resurrection. The first resurrection has already happened which is why we can trust the future resurrection of the dead for Eunice and for us.
It is good to come together on Holy week. Tonight we remember the pass over, the last supper, the institution of the sacrament, and the garden of Gethsemane. Tomorrow we remember Eunice Zimmermann on Good Friday and worship that evening. We dwell on Christ’s crucifixion as a sacrifice for us. On Sunday we celebrate Easter. We finally get to yell again, “He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
