Dorothy Alvina Manz Funeral Sermon – Luke 12:22–31 April 26th 2024 / The Key to Contentment

Dorothy Alvina Manz Graveside Funeral Sermon / Pr. Ted A. Giese / Friday April 26th 2024: Season of Easter / Luke 12:22–31 “The Key to Contentment”

And [Jesus] said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight O Lord. Amen.

Grace peace and mercy to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Good Christian Friends and family of Dorothy Manz. Each generation is a little different from each other, yet at the same time people are people, so while we each need the same things in this life like house and home and food and drink and clothing from generation to generation we go about sorting this all out in a variety of ways: In our Gospel reading for today Jesus says “your Father knows that you need [these things]” but Jesus doesn’t leave it at that He says “Instead [of being anxious about it all], seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”

Dear ones, this is the key to contentment. Anxiousness is discontentment, and contentment is having the perspective necessary to appreciate and be thankful for what you have as opposed to a vain striving for what you don’t have. Perhaps you heard the phrase, “comparison is the thief of joy,” this is not without truth. If you’re so busy striving after what you don’t have when it comes to house and home and food and drink and clothing ect ect then you’re in danger of looking at what you do have with disdain. Jesus is telling you how you can head scorn off at the pass, how you can side step derision and disparagement in your life, ‘seek first the kingdom of God,’ Jesus says ‘and all these things, that your Lord knows you need, will be added to you.’ Place your trust in the Lord first above all things and you will gain the kind of perspective and peace that the World does not offer.[1] This is the path to a life of contentment. Dorothy and her late husband Norman knew this, and more than that they experienced this and had it as part of their life together.

Now their generation was one that taught by their actions more than by their words, so they may not have sat you down and connected the dots on this, they may not have spelled it out for you. But as you reflect on Dorothy’s life and her life together with Norman perhaps this all becomes more clear to you. In the book of Hebrews you have this advice regarding people like Dorothy and Norman in your life, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”[2] Imitating their faith means making the sacrifices necessary to do what they did, for instance make involvement in your church a priority. If you don’t have a church find one, have one. What does Dorothy’s obit say? “Dorothy and her husband were custodians at Redeemer Lutheran Church for many years and she used to say it was “our second home”. Dorothy took great joy in being involved in the church and was very spiritual; she served the Lord in many ways and by volunteering her time to many things.” Then it goes on to talk about her sewing “many quilts for Canadian Lutheran World Relief, and knitting countless touques and slippers for needy families in Saskatchewan through Angels for Warmth. Dorothy volunteered at the food bank canning overripe fruit into jams and preserves, sometimes those days in the kitchen would be 15-16 hour days just to save the fruit from spoiling.” These volunteer activities came out of the abundance of her contentment, she didn’t do them to gain her salvation or to impress the Lord but rather because people needed the help and she was able to help them out of what she had.

Many people have the capacity for generosity but if someone has no contentment they will more than likely hoard their time, talents and treasures for themselves; trusting in the Lord, to the best of our human abilities, opens the way for charity and charity is evidence of a content heart resting in the Lord. “A Christian lives not in [them self], but in Christ and in [their] neighbour. Otherwise [they are] not a Christian. [They] live in Christ through faith, [and in their] neighbour through love.”[3] Dorothy sought after this, knew it and lived it and as a result she was grateful for all she received in her daily bread from the Lord regardless of what the World might think of it and as such she could regularly see ways to help even when times were challenging. Now you can imitate her charitable works, and that is good, but don’t discount her life lived in the congregations that she attended over the years. It was there that she listened to Jesus from God’s Word and received the gracious good gifts that He provides in the absolution of sins and in the Sacraments. This is also the place where she was able to participate in what we Lutheran’s like to call “the mutual consolation of the brethren,”[4] which is close Christian friendships with her brothers and sisters in Christ.       

In Isaiah, form the Old Testament we likewise have this advice:

        “Seek the LORD while He may be found;

               call upon Him while He is near;

        let the wicked forsake [their] way,

               and the unrighteous [their own] thoughts;

        let [them] return to the LORD,

that He may have compassion on [them],

               ... for He will abundantly pardon.”[5]

This is the steadfast love of the LORD that extends to the heavens, His faithfulness to the clouds;[6] the same love that Jesus teaches in our reading from the Gospel of Saint Luke.

Now I’d said there was truth in that phrase “comparison is the thief of joy,” this really depends on what standard you’re applying to this idea: “comparison is the thief of joy,” when you are comparing yourself to others using the standards of the World, but in the Gospel of Saint Luke Jesus is teaching you to compare yourself based on the standards of the LORD. The World doesn’t teach those standards to you, you will only learn them where the LORD teaches them, in His Word in His House and amongst His people, Dorothy knew this. She knew where to learn these things and by the grace of God she made being close to the Teacher, Jesus, and His teaching a priority in life and from there the rest naturally spilled over onto you and even on to people she had never met. And in this way the LORD was clothing, and feeding and caring for people in their need. The LORD used Dorothy, while she was able, to provide a portion of the daily bread those folks needed. You are a recipient of this too. And along with all your other memories of Dorothy remember these things, and take to heart what Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”... “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Lastly Scripture teaches “We love because [God] first loved us.”[7] When you think of Dorothy’s love for you remember her love for you stemmed from her knowing, trusting and experiencing God’s love for her. The LORD loves you as much as He loves Dorothy, go therefore and love in return.

“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God!

               The children of mankind take refuge

in the shadow of Your wings.

        They feast on the abundance of Your house,

               and You give them

drink from the river of Your delights.”[8] Amen.    

Let us pray: Lord have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us, “take our minds and think through them, take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire; for the sake of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

[1] John 14:27
[2] Hebrews 13:7
[3] Career of the Reformer I, Luther’s Works, American Edition Volume 31, Concordia Publishing House 1957, Page 371.
[4] Article IV The Gospel, Smalcald Articles, Reader’s Pocket Edition of the Book of Concord: Concordia the Lutheran Confessions, Concordia Publishing House 2006, Page 406.
[5] Isaiah 55:6–7
[6] Psalm 36:5
[7] 1 John 4:19
[8] Psalm 36:7-8