Happenings

Sermons by Pastor Walter Snyder plus announcements, articles, videos, and anything else that doesn’t fit Ask the Pastor or the Luther Library.





06 May 2015

Funeral Sermon: Engraved on God’s Palms

Preached on Isaiah 49:13-16
6 May AD 2015
The Funeral of Betty Jane Harms

Title: Engraved on God’s Palms (MP3 Audio)

Isaiah 49:6 Summary: Believers deeply desire and often valiantly struggle to remember the God of their salvation when facing suffering and death. Job wanted his confession “I know that my Redeemer lives” carved in stone, the letters filled with molten lead, so certain was he of his eventual resurrection and everlasting life in the Lord (Job 19:23-27).

In our text, the Lord tells Jerusalem that He also has made a carving of remembrance, this in the palms of His own hands. While He was addressing Israel figuratively, in Christ He later opened His literal flesh-and-blood palms to crucifixion’s engraving.

Even while Golgotha’s nails named Jesus as “sinner,” God also made Christ’s palms a memory book, wherein could be recorded Jesus’ wondrous name of love. By the power of the Holy Spirit, this name becomes ours through Baptism and the Word.

Yes, dear saint, your name is written on the palms of the Lord for Him to see, to remember, and to love you forevermore.

Text: Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:13-16

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Engraved on God’s Palms

NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media Player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 23; Hebrews 13:20-21; John 10:11-18

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