Wisdom 3:1-5,9,  Psalm 139:1-11, Revelation 21:2-7, John 14:1-6

Grace is truly amazing.  We are here because of the amazing grace – the source of our salvation – the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace speaks of all those blessings we receive – the peace and love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, our salvation in the promise of everlasting life – Grace speaks of all those things that we cannot earn and of which we are not worthy, yet we receive these blessings as children of God by the pure virtue of amazing grace through our faith in Jesus Christ.  We cannot earn grace; it is a gift freely given in love by our Creator. We are here to celebrate grace – the source of our salvation.

And, we are here because of the gift of God’s grace in the human person of our ​amazing Grace – Grace May VanDerveer.  Grace helped us understand the free gift of God’s grace; Grace modeled the free gift of grace; Grace accepted God’s free gift of grace as she shared that gift with us, remaining faithful despite the ups and downs of health and adversity, returning again and again to her ministry, rising above the pitfalls with amazing resilience – all the while giving the full glory to God.  

I met Grace first when she had been hospitalized on my very first Sunday at Advent, September 1, 2013.  As we got to know each other and she shared a bit of her life’s burdens – particularly her daughter Ruth’s terminal illness – I remember being taken aback a bit by the weight of her concerns. Could this white-haired matriarch really shoulder so many burdens so gracefully?  And yet, even there in her hospital bed recovering from a suspected minor stroke, it was clear that she lived by this Gospel message that she selected for her burial, Jesus’ words from the Gospel of John, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God, believe also in me.” 

Grace loved God and knew that she was loved by God.  Grace understood our loving God who wants to please us – his children.  Similarly, Grace understood that when we love someone we are drawn to please them – whether our closest family member or most distant foreigner.  Grace understood that we can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving.  As a manifestation of that love, Grace sought to bring God’s free gift of grace to others, spreading the Gospel message in years of service as military wife and mother and through the ministry of this parish – the choir, the food pantry, the altar guild, the Marthas, the vestry – and ministry beyond the parish through Cursillo, the Girl Scouts, the Red Cross, ForKids, and limitless other missions in numerous worldly locations.

She welcomed the choir, the Girl Scouts, and a steady stream of friends and family into her home for shared meals and hospitality.  Many of you here present have experienced the gracious hospitality of her home and her glorious flower garden.  Grace now is welcomed into the hospitality and beauty of the place prepared for her – her heavenly home as promised by the Lord she loves, more amazing than we can begin to imagine.

Grace understood God’s desire to please us through the free gift of grace.  We receive this gift graciously as Grace has now graciously accepted and received in full the gift of everlasting life.  When someone offers us a gift whether a traditional gift, wrapped in pretty paper and ribbons, or a gift in the form of time and talent, it is hurtful to push it away.  It is hurtful to our Lord when we push away his gift of grace.

Our Grace speaks from her heavenly home to encourage us to receive that gift, to share that gift, to give God the glory for that gift of Amazing Grace.

One of the greatest gifts of life in Christ is to be at peace at the time of our earthly death.  What a great joy it was to visit with Grace in the last days of her life and to experience that great sense of peace as earthly life was transitioning to life everlasting; the source of that peace is God’s free gift of grace.

Grace rests in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.  This is the gift of grace freely given to God’s children – the gift that only God can give.  

Gather that gift; live into that gift; experience the Amazing Grace of our salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Burial of Grace VanDerveer