A Sermon for the Funeral for Barbara J. Kaster

As many of you know, today would have been Barbara’s 86th birthday. But instead of throwing her a birthday party like we would love to be doing, we are engaging in a much more solemn affair. But the solemnity of this occasion is grounded in profound joy. Solemnity is characterized by deep sincerity and dignity. And as such, I believe that the solemnity of this occasion is rooted in an abiding joy. And our joy is at least twofold. 

First and foremost, as Christians, our joy is grounded in our belief that in Christ, death hath no more dominion over us. As we will hear in a few moments during the Proper Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, our joy is “through Jesus Christ our Lord; who rose victorious from the dead, and comforts us with the blessed hope of everlasting life. For to [God’s] faithful people, life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens.”[1]

And Barbara Kaster embodied that joy as well as anybody I know. Barbara knew who she was and she knew whose she was. And I think that this confidence was what drew so many people to Barbara. Her confidence wasn’t boastful, puffed up, or proud. Instead, it was, as we will say a little bit later the “sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ.”[2]

And besides the fact that our solemn joy is grounded in the Good News of the resurrection, our joy is also grounded in our wonderful memories of Barbara. As with her life and even now in her death, Barbara, on her birthday, continues to shower us with gifts. Coming together during this terribly isolating, difficult time to remember Barbara is truly a gift for us as a parish family. We have the opportunity to reflect and remember who and what we love most about Christ the King. We have the opportunity to celebrate a person in whom the Body of Christ was deeply embodied. During this God-awful pandemic, we get to remember this God-filled woman. 

Now there are two things that Barbara would have wanted to happen at this funeral. The first is that the sermon would be short, and the second was that there would be no long-winded extemporaneous prayers. But that’s just not fair. Think about it – Barbara’s life was far from short – it was almost 86 years long! Her career as an educator and mentor to students was long and decorated. Her relationship with her beloved Carole was long (and colorful). Her list of friends is long. The list of people who she impacted through her faithful outreach and pastoral care was long. The list of things she did with and for us here at Christ the King is long. The only thing short about Barbara Jeanne Kaster was Barbara herself. But she was never short on love.  

And the God who created, redeemed, and sustained her is never short on love either. We even go as far as to say, “God is love.” And it is in Jesus Christ where we are best able to witness and experience God’s love embodied for us. To be baptized into Jesus is to die to our old selves and rise again as a new creation in Christ. And Barbara Kaster lived into her baptismal covenant as well as anybody I’ve known. She lived what we call a sacramental life. She lived her life in Christ and for Christ, and she died in Christ and with Christ. But just like nobody else ever did with Barbara, death did not have the last word with her. She will rise with Christ. As the opening anthem of our service today says, “For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord, and if we die, we die in the Lord. So then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s possession. Happy from now on are those who die in the Lord! So it is, says the Spirit, for they rest from their labors.” 

Happy Birthday, Barbara…and thanks be to God for blessing us and so many others with your faithful life well-lived. 

[1] Book of Common Prayer, p. 382

[2] Book of Common Prayer, p. 501