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The Funeral of Sharon Herried

The Funeral of Sharon Herried January 15, 2026 Psalm 23   Dear Don, family, friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ Jesus, grace, mercy, and peace be unto you this day.   Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known of all the Psalms. Since many children learn the Psalm early in life, many people can recite and pray it from memory throughout their entire lives.    This highlights a frequently overlooked aspect of the Psalm: it’s meant to be prayed as one journeys toward the grave. It’s a Psalm for the sojourner as they walk each day.    Just reflect on verse 2 as we prayed, He makes me lie down in green pastures,             He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.   Who is taking the lead here?   Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is leading His flock to where the good pasture resides.   But a challenging part of this journey is highlighted in verse 4, where the Psalmist prayed, a verse that has become one of the most well-known in Scripture.             Even though I walk through the valley  of the shadow death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.   In reality, most of our lives unfold in the shadow of death.   This was true of our sister Sharon, whose illnesses caused her to be in and out of the hospital over the past years, going from one doctor’s appointment to another, as she wrestled with the growing shadows of death that drew near.    But the valleys and shadows of death aren’t purely physical; they’re also mental, emotional, and spiritual.   And for this reason, Sharon was not alone on this journey to the grave; everyone who cared for her was affected by the shadows of the mental, emotional, and spiritual valleys she experienced.   Or, to put it another way, everyone who made this journey with Sharon supported her in carrying the crosses of her life.    In light of this, the passage that comes to mind here is when St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)   This is what you did, Don, as you cared for Sharon. You bore the shadows, valleys, burdens, and crosses of Sharon’s life with her, just as you both committed to do when you married on January 22, 1966; the two of you became one flesh.    And from that day forward you learned together to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)   In other words, the law of Christ can be most simply summarized as love for one another.    And the most vivid image of this love is seen in the sacrificial death of Jesus, the bridegroom, for His bride, the Church, upon the cross.   Honestly, to understand the valley and the shadow of death, one must view it through the lens of the cross and the Passion of our Lord.   It’s truly remarkable. After Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was led through the valley of the shadow of death for your sake. You see, the Kidron Valley, where Jesus was led on His way to trial, is the place where the blood of sacrificed lambs from Passover flowed. So, as Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley, He not only walked in the shadows of death but also foreshadowed how He would pass over and conquer death for you by journeying to the cross as the great Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.    Throughout these days entrusted to you in this life, you are called to follow Jesus even now to His cross.   This journey begins at the font of Holy Baptism, a journey that Sharon began in May of 1946 when she was baptized and united in the death and resurrection of her Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, she still had to journey from the font to the day her Savior called her into His eternal presence.    But every time she confessed her sins in order to receive God’s forgiveness, she was led back to green pastures and still waters; she was guided like all lambs to where God is present for them in His Word and in the flesh and blood of Jesus, a foretaste of that great meal prepared in the presence of her enemies.   And who or what were those enemies?   Cancer, chronic illness, broken relationships, and the burdens of mental, emotional, and spiritual crosses.   These aren’t just facets of a broken world and lives, but the ongoing consequence of the broken relationship between our first parents, Adam and Eve, and their God and our God.    For Sharon, these struggles stem not only from our first parents’ sin but also from the sin that resided within her.   Yet, because she returned to the font and confessed her sin, she heard the voice of the Good Shepherd; she had confidence in knowing He was with her, even while she was homebound. You see, Jesus came to her in His Word as it was read at her bedside and in the Lord’s Supper as it was placed upon her lips and gave her His forgiveness.   ...