"Now Psalm 23 is fulfilled for Ralph" - Funeral for Ralph Becker

15. March 2025

Funeral for Ralph Charles Becker

Psalm 23:1

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever” (Ps 23:1, 6).

This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.

Deborah, Steven and Morgan, Kimberly and Andrew, Brandon and Ashley, Tina, Carol, children, grandchildren, family, and friends: grace, mercy, and peace are yours in Jesus Christ your Lord. Amen.

The LORD is my Shepherd. Jesus reveals Himself to you today as the Good Shepherd for your comfort. We love Psalm 23, a favorite for funerals and Ralph’s confirmation verse. There may be a painting hanging in your home of Christ with a sheep on His shoulders. I grew up in a church with this portrayal of Christ prominent in its floor-to-ceiling stained glass window at the back of the nave. And we see the same here at St. John, immediately next to the altar.

The shepherd picture is an old one. Many of our fathers of faith were shepherds, including Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob’s sons, and Moses. We recall the anointing of the youngest son and shepherd to be king of Israel, David. And we can’t forget that it was the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night to whom the angels first announced the birth of Christ. All of these shepherds teach us of the Good Shepherd Jesus.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Because the Lord is your shepherd, that makes you His sheep. We are given to see our Lord the Shepherd to know Him as kind, tender, and loving. Jesus cares for you as He always cared for Ralph.

If you want to live, you need a shepherd. You are prone to wander away from Jesus. When scattered by your own weakness, the devil’s temptation, or the world’s charms, you need to be gathered to Jesus and His church. And your shepherd, Jesus, is persistent. He never stops seeking, finding, and returning you to the fold. You are guided to green pastures to be fed by Jesus and springs of living water flowing from Jesus. Refreshed and renewed.

But there’s more. There are many dangers along the path of our life. Jesus gave Ralph watch over, protect, and care for all of you: wife, children, spouses, grandchildren, extending that gift to anyone in need. He knew something of real earthly danger. And there’s spiritual dangers, too. Ralph knew this as he guided his family and  served as a mentor for his children’s friends and youth at church.

You need protection from wolves who seek to devour your trust in Jesus. You need protection from thieves who seek to steal away your faith in Jesus.  And many would lead you away from your Shepherd. They do not enter by the gate but by deceit and lies. They speak falsely to steal, kill, and destroy.

But they are easily unmasked. They do not speak with Christ. The voice of Jesus exposes their lies. They deny you the forgiveness of sin, preach nothing of the resurrection of the body, and certainly do not ground you in the hope of eternal life. Thus, both hirelings and false shepherds are known by their actions and words.

Ralph trusted in Jesus and has thus died in Jesus. Ralph confessed Jesus as his Shepherd. He confessed that he completely depended on Jesus for everything needed for faith and life. How else could he persist in the faith through years of cancer? Only in Jesus was and is Ralph kept safe.

And you, too! You also need Him to feed you with the bread from heaven and to drink from springs of life-giving water. You need His discernment to unmask the wolves in sheep’s clothing and false shepherds who come to destroy and steal. You need to be called back from your wandering and gathered into His sheepfold. You need to be brought safe and secure in His flock. You need His outstretched arm to protect you.

Thus, Jesus speaks to you today by His Gospel to comfort you in His promises. The good Shepherd is known by His voice and His deeds. He calls Ralph and you by name in Baptism, and He lays down His life for Ralph, for you, and everyone. And He’s better than every fallible shepherd before Him. He loves His sheep more than He loves even His own life. He steps willingly into the wolf's trap, allowing the snare of death to take hold of Him for you. He gives His life that you would have His life. Your Shepherd makes Himself nothing that you would have everything.

Ralph’s life was a testament to the love of Jesus that He received, that complete self-giving kind of love. Not only was he willing to give to anyone in need, but he vowed himself to his wife of 43 years, Deb. While I’m sure he wasn’t perfect in His love, his commitment was true and reflected the love of Jesus for His bride the church. This love extended out to his dear children Steven, Kimberly, and Brandon, as well as his spouses, children, grandchildren, and friends. He loved you as a faithful father and as a dear brother. This is the kind of love your Shepherd Jesus has for you: committed, steadfast, and serving. It is the kind of love that Jesus gave Ralph to give to you.

But most especially today is to hear what Jesus promises Ralph. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (Jn 11:25–26). By His resurrection, He broke death’s hold, burst apart the bars of hell, and opened the kingdom of heaven to His sheep. Everything in all of history is about this moment. He has been working from the beginning of Creation to His crucifixion and resurrection to bring Ralph’s and your salvation and gather His sheep into the God’s flock.

Jesus bends all creation today that you would hear and receive the comfort of His Good-Friday-death-and-resurrection-good-news! When you wander, the Good Shepherd’s voice calls you back. When you fall into the pit, the Shepherd lifts you up by His grace. When you are caught in your sin, your Shepherd frees you by forgiving you. Because you are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, your Shepherd leads you to the waters of your Baptism that give you new life. He guides you into pastures of His flesh and blood to keep and preserve you in His flock forever.

By being shepherded you have learned what it means to be a sheep. Apart from the Shepherd, you only know despair, shame, guilt, hopelessness, and death. But today you are given the Shepherd’s tender mercy and lovingkindness, you learn what it means to be cared for, loved, guided, fed, nourished, protected, and ultimately, forgiven. His shepherding never ceases because your need for a Shepherd never ends. He never stops calling you by name so that you never wander from His care. He speaks and speaks and speaks His tender Word of grace and compassion so that we receive, love, and follow His voice.

And now, the promise of Psalm 23 is fulfilled for Ralph as he rests in the peace of Jesus. Ralph followed the voice of His shepherd and rests with all the faithful until the day of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.

This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School - Sherman Center
Random Lake, Wisconsin