Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Preached at the Memorial Service for Steve Zimmerman

At the beginning of “The Wizard of Oz,” there is a scene where Auntie Em tells Dorothy, “You just help us out today and find yourself a place where you won't get into any trouble.”

Dorothy thinks about it for a moment and reflects, “A place where there isn't any trouble—do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train...it's far away, behind the moon, beyond the rain...somewhere over the rainbow...”

According to the song, it's a place where dreams come true, where clouds are far behind, where troubles melt like lemon drops.

We all know the story of what happens next, the tornado comes and Dorothy lands in that place “over the rainbow.” She meets the Munchkins, the scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion, and the wizard.

As observers of this great adventure, we see the humor of this strange land. Even the wicked witch is comedic, in a strange way. The great and terrible Oz tells us to “ignore the man behind the curtain.” And we laugh. No matter how scary the forest, the flying monkeys, or the wizard, we find ourselves laughing and, finally, longing, as Dorothy did, for home.

Friends, I would suggest that Steve loved this movie for many reasons. Perhaps it was the idea of a place where there isn't any trouble, or because of all the humor embedded in this world of fantasy. Or was it because he recognized the world we live in as the land of Oz. And even though dreams don't always come true, clouds sometimes obscure our way, and troubles don't always melt like lemon drops, it remains a place of wonder and excitement, strange and scary, yet filled with people we grow to love and laugh with , to share victories and tears with, and that the land we long for—home—is with God.

The Scriptures tell us of a place of wonder and unspeakable joy—a place where God will dwell with humanity and “death will be no more, mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” We tend to think of this description as heaven, yet it is not—it is and earthly promise—God comes to us in this passage. It is the promise of Christ's return and the Kingdom of God.

Today, let us instead find comfort in the midst of our loss in the words of Christ--”I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.” Jesus tells us of a place prepared for us—our Father's house. This is a promise for those who have placed their trust in Christ. Steve recognized this promise, realizing that while it is hard to say goodbye to those we love, his home—our home—is truly with God.

This world we live in, while it is filled with joy and love and hope and peace, especially at this time of year, we also understand that there is tragedy and pain, fear and sorrow and death. Yet God's Word, Jesus Christ, stands in defiance of these worldly pains, having conquered sin and death through the cross and rising from the dead. God's Word reassures us that even though we struggle through this life, experiencing both joy and sorrow, one thing remains true—God's love remains eternal and calls us to relationship through his Word.

No matter what happens in our lives we have this deep sense that there is something more, that there is somewhere beyond the Emerald City and even the Witch's Castle's of this world. There is a place where we belong, and while we are loved here as we follow the yellow brick road through life, Kansas—Home--Heaven calls to us, reminding us that we are created for relationship with God, that we are simply traveling through this world. God extends to us amazing grace to forgive the sins of our past, to guide us to forgive others and ourselves, and to lead us back to the place where we belong.

And so, let us face this technicolor world with a bit of laughter and with a brain to discover God's Word to us, a heart to sense His presence, and courage to love those around us and to respond to God and God's Grace,knowing full well that there's no place like home.