Homily for Romilly Neill's Memorial Service

1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 35-38, 42-44a, 53-58 The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an event that sets Christianity apart from all other systems of belief. It points us towards God’s power over our greatest enemy, namely death. It tells us that through Jesus, death has been defeated, and even though death is inescapable in this life, those of us who are in Jesus will rise like Jesus to a new life beyond the grave. In this sense the resurrection is God’s Good News to the human race. We know that Jesus was crucified. There is enough evidence in the non-biblical historical record to verify His execution as fact. But it is not the death of Jesus alone that is the Good News to us…it is His resurrection…and it is at this point that the voices of dissension and unbelief make themselves heard. “Did the resurrection really happen?” they ask. Well, I believe it did and there is good reason for my statement of faith. Firstly, anyone writing in the 1st Century AD would never have used a woman as a witness. The 1st Century Jews thought that a woman’s testimony was not to be trusted as we can see by the initial reaction of the male disciples on that first Easter Sunday morning. They thought the women were spinning tales. So, if the authors of the Gospels were making this up, they most certainly would not have Mary Magdalene as the first bearer of the Good News. Secondly, no body was ever found to disprove the disciple’s claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. And there were many folks who had very good reasons for finding the body at that time…but there was nothing to show, so they had to resort to bribes and threats and persecution and murder. And lastly, those who claimed to have seen the risen Christ changed into bold and fearless ambassadors for Him. Remember, other than the Apostle John, the men were hiding behind locked doors. It was the women who were at the cross and at the tomb. It was only after they had seen Jesus with their own eyes and heard Him speak with their own ears and, in Thomas’ case, touched Him with their own hands that the men believed. But then, these same men who had deserted Jesus at His hour of need and who had been hiding in the Upper Room out of fear for the Jews, suddenly confronted the same crowds that a few days earlier had cried out for Jesus to be crucified…and they also courageously refused to cave in to the threats of the same council that sentenced Jesus to death. And remember that this was not only a small group of 12…there were 120 of them! Either there was some form of mass delusion or mass hypnosis or mass deception…or something significant had happened to change them from unbelievers into believers. Now, unfortunately, I never met Romilly…I really wish I had. Not only was she an accomplished artist, a loving wife and mother, but from what I have heard in the community she was also a sunshine person…a person who radiated love and life. In this sense, she was and still is like Mary Magdalene…a bold witness to God’s victory over darkness and death. In many ways, her voice can be heard this morning in what Paul had to say in our Scripture reading. Because of the resurrection, we can know where Romilly is today…absent from the body, but present with her Lord. Because of the resurrection, we can share in the hope that is a present reality for her and all who have died in Jesus. Because of the resurrection, we can know that all who share her faith in Christ will be reunited with her when it is our turn to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Because of the resurrection, we can be comforted with the knowledge that death is merely a door to a new reality. Someone recently described death like airport departure and arrival terminals. On this side of eternity, we shed tears as we say goodbye to our loved ones who are traveling…there is a struggle in our hearts and turmoil in our souls. We hate to see them go. But on the other side of eternity, our loved ones are welcomed with joy and happiness and the angels, archangels, and the whole company of heaven meet them and usher them into the glorious presence of God. It is the resurrection of Jesus that grants us the confidence to claim this image for Romilly this day. Because of her faith in Christ, she is in a place where there are no more tears…where there is no more pain, no more sorrow…only eternal bliss and peace. And so, because of the resurrection, we do not grieve like people who have no hope since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again…and so we know that in Him Romilly died and entered into eternal life with Him. May the God of peace who raised Jesus from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit, grant you comfort and hope with these words. Amen. © Johannes W H van der Bijl 2019-08-23