This blog began as documentation of my journey into formal ministry. Now that I have received a call it will continue to function as a place for me to address concerns, celebrations and anything else that might catch my fancy. Please remember to "Be A Blessing To Someone Today"! God Bless, Roy
This past Sunday (May 22nd) was Trinity Sunday. There was a problem with the video this week and so I've just attached the manuscript from the sermon below. I'm going to just leave this blog post at that for the time being as it's a terribly busy time right now and I need to be getting along to other projects. I hope you enjoy the sermon.
Be a blessing to someone today! In His Care and Grace, Roy
Sermon given by Pastor Roy Karlen on May 22, 2016 Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and we talked about the coming of the Holy Spirit. I referred briefly to the Trinity during that sermon, but today we're going to talk more about the Holy Trinity because today is 'Trinity Sunday'. As I mentioned then there isn't anywhere in the Bible where it directly states that there is a Trinity, rather it is inferred from a number of places in Scripture. One of these is of course the scripture we shared last week in the 14th Chapter of the Gospel of John. Today's scripture verses are found in the 15th & 16th Chapters of the Gospel of John and they go on to discuss the Spirit or Advocate again. We'll look at the 15th & 16th Chapters of John in a moment, but first let's take a look at some of the other verses where we find references to elements that evolved into the understanding of the Trinity. Some of these verses are: Matthew 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Luke 24:49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Romans 8:2-6 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:26-34 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Here in this verse in the Gospel of John, Christ dispenses the Holy Spirit onto his disciples. John 20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. In the First Chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the Holy Spirit is mentioned prior to the birth of Christ. Luke 1:13-15 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:39-42 39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And where is the first place in the Bible where we have mention of 2/3rds of the Trinity, well it's fairly early on: Genesis 1:1-2 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And of course we have the verses that the Lectionary has guided us to for this Trinity Sunday: John chapter 15:26 to chapter 16:15 (NRSV) Page 878 in the Pew Bibles: 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. 16 “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. 3 And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. 4 But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. It's worth noting that in this passage Jesus twice refers to the Holy Spirit coming from the Father. He is sending the Spirit but the Spirit proceeds from the Father and not from Jesus. This is interesting to note because this quality of the Spirit was a part of the Great Schism, which was the division between the Catholic and the Orthodox Church all the way back in 1054 AD. The Western Church or the Catholic Church as we know it today adopted the idea that the Holy Spirit proceeded from both the Father and the Son. The Eastern Church or Orthodox felt that this diminished the role of the Father in the Trinity and again it was a part of the reason the two regions of the Church split apart; it was however not the only point of contention.
It’s also interesting to note that while the characters in the book of the Acts of the Apostles continually attribute their authority and power to Jesus, the author of the book never ceases to remind us that they do what they do in the name of Jesus because they are “filled with the Spirit” the Spirit is their constant guide: In these verses in Acts we read about Peter: Acts 4:8-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. Acts 10:19 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three men are searching for you. There is also this verse concerning Stephen: Acts 7:55 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And then Philip: Acts 8:29 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” And here we have Barnabas: Acts 11:24 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. And finally we have Paul: Acts 13:9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him. So there you go... that's a whole lot of Scripture, but there really probably isn't too much in Christianity that is more difficult to wrap ones brain around than the concept of the Trinity. It's generally explained as that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persona’s — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in persona, and further that : (1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, (2) each is fully God, and (3) there is only one God. One of the problems with the Doctrine of the Trinity is that it is Doctrine. We as Disciples of Christ are weary of getting carried away with Doctrine. Another problem is that it's terribly difficult to wrap our minds around.
We have to remember that the Doctrine of the Trinity was created in a time when there was no understanding at all of Quantum Mechanics, no thinking that there might be additional dimensions to the 3 spatial and 1 temporal dimension that we all experience daily. Today we are struggling to understand the ideas that there well may be anywhere from 11 dimensions to 26 dimensions of space-time. We also tend to think of time as being only one dimension when it's actually the past, the present, and the future. And to top that off not a one of us ever experiences the present. By the time each of our brains processes the stimulus from outside our bodies, it's already the past. We are living in the recent past our whole lives long.
God exists outside of time and space, quite simply He is everywhere at once and in all time at once. Einstein's theories have shown us that the passage of time is an illusion. Time lines and space time are not at all what we perceive them to be. In order to not derail my own sermon I will simply leave it at this, all time according to the current understanding of the nature of time co-exists. How do we as 3 dimensional beings process and envision a being that exists in every dimension and in all time simultaneously? Well, we can't... How many of you are familiar with a Mobius Strip? A Mobius Strip is a strip of material in this case paper, that I take and I twist like such and then I reattach it. Now my strip that used to have two surfaces actually only has one surface. For if I were to shrink myself down and take a walk along that strip, I'd discover that as I traveled I would walk in an endless loop along only one surface of paper. Now if I take a piece of paper and I make it have three surfaces and I twist it I can create out of these three only one surface. Again if I was shrunken down in size, I could start at any point on this strip and if I walked long enough I would travel along the entirety of what had once been three surfaces and which is now only one. Such is the nature of God, what we have perceived as three is actually only one ... but, this is where my analogy breaks down. For you see my 3 sided Mobius strip really is six sided and has become two sided, for I could also travel along the inside of this strip and walk in an endless loop which again would have me traveling on the entire inside surface of the paper. But here's the kicker... God exists in all dimensions so unlike us where we cannot envision how to further unite the outside and the inside of this modified Mobius Strip... God can and does. He is on the inside and the outside, he is on all of the sides at once and in all time at once as well, He is back when I folded this paper, He is here now, and He is already in the future when I discard my most excellent sermon illustration props into the recycling bin.
In my humble opinion for us to get overly engaged in the details of the Doctrine of the Trinity, and certainly to become such as the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church have done and divided their numbers over a fairly minor difference in the understanding of the Trinity, does not serve our God as He wishes for us to serve him. But for the record, I think what we can infer from scripture gives greater weight to the Orthodox understanding. Is our understanding of the Trinity perfect, certainly not... it's a tool to try and grasp the nature of God. We with our finite minds are simply incapable of understanding God entirely. The understanding of the nature of God has changed throughout the history of the Church. As I've said before, ancient Hebrew Theology evolved greatly with the esteemed Old Testament Scholar Walter Brueggeman's theories that this early culture practiced polytheism and came to believe in one God, it changed further during the Exile where it absorbed and adapted Zoroastrian teachings. Finally, we as Christians have adopted the revelations of God through the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. I personally think our understanding of the concept of the Trinity can be greatly enhanced by considering what has been learned about the very essence of God's creation itself, mainly through the advances in Quantum Physics. Please understand that this change in understanding in no way changes the nature of God Himself. God is God, God has always been God, God does not change, but our understanding and our relationships with Him can and has changed. We as humans all too often don't like change... but God wasn't afraid to change the way He interacted with us by sending Christ to walk among us, or by sending the Holy Spirit to fill the hearts and souls of His followers. There are times when we have to embrace change, we grow old, we have to move to a new home or the nursing home, we as a church need to find new ways of reaching out to our community. We need to look for new projects and new experiences. Just as God reached out to the world in a new way when He sent His Son to walk among us... that was new... but what a wonderful difference it made in this world. Let us strive to be Christ like and make a difference in this world of our Father's, let us be filled with the Spirit and testify to that filling all the days of our lives. Let us Pray!
Last Tuesday morning (May 17th) we laid to rest Darryl Johnson. I've attached the entire script for both the Church service as well as the Service at the graveside. Darryl was a great soul and I always enjoyed visiting with him, he will be missed by family and friends. But Darryl is with God now, and what a time I'm sure he's having. God bless his wonderful soul! In God's constant grace, Pastor Roy
Order of Service – Funeral for Darryl Johnson Prelude: Call to Worship: You, O God, have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:1-2) Greeting: We have come together this morning to praise God for the life of Darryl Elwood Johnson; to mourn our loss with one another, to console each other in our moment of grief; to celebrate Darryl's life and all that he meant to all that loved him; to celebrate God's love for Darryl, and His love for each of us; And to commend Darryl to God's everlasting love and care. Music: “Here I Am Lord” Opening Prayer: Let us pray, Eternal Spirit, before whom the generations rise and pass away, even in the presence of death our first words to you are in praise for your unnumbered mercies. For the memory of loved ones now departed, we praise you. For their victories of character over trial, of courage over difficulty, of faith over sorrow, we give thanks, and for all those who have done justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with their God, we sing joyfully to you. Grant us now this same joyful thanksgiving as we remember your child Darryl, and give to us that sure knowledge that you have won the victory over death in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen. First Scripture Reading: Psalm 65 NRSV Thanksgiving for Earth’s Bounty 1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, 2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. 3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. 4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. 6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. 7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. 8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. 9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. 10You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. 11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, 13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. Music: “Does Jesus Care” Second Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 11:13-15 13 If you will only heed his every commandment that I am commanding you today—loving the Lord your God, and serving him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil; 15 and he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you will eat your fill. Message: Pastor Roy Karlen – Woodlawn Christian Church Darryl Elwood Johnson was born on November 7, 1927 at home in Pocahontas County to Olin and Clara Johnson. On April 17, 1949 he married Evelyn Short standing right here before this altar in this sanctuary at Woodlawn Christian Church. Darryl worked as a farmer for 64 years and was a devoted steward of God’s earth with his son, Ron. He was an active member of Woodlawn Christian Church. Darryl and Evelyn enjoyed 43 years of wintering in Florida, Texas, and Arizona. He leaves behind his wife of 67 years, four children and many grand children and great grandchildren. When I came here to pastor a small church in a small town in Iowa, I knew the day would come when I would have to perform a funeral for a farmer. The day when I would have to preside over the celebration of the life of a man of God's earth... and a day when I would have to return to God's earth a man that tilled that soil. Well, today that day has come. We lay to eternal rest today... Darryl Johnson, a farmer... where I grew up, and I know it's the same here as well, that's really all I need to say. Let me share with you these cherished words penned by the one and only Paul Harvey, these words concerning farmers, it's called “So God Made a Farmer”: And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer. God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer. "I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer. God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer. God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer. God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church. "Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer. Darryl Elwood Johnson, was a farmer... and he absolutely loved farming, he loved the land, and he loved his livestock. He particularly liked cattle and horses. I was with him when they admitted him to Shady Oaks for the last time, and he lamented to me that he wished he had a horse to ride around the walking path behind Shady Oaks. Darryl farmed for 64 years before retiring, he'd have liked to have farmed yet another year, but it wasn't to be. Darryl was more than just a farmer though, he was a wonderful husband and a loving father, grandfather and great grandfather. When asked for words to describe their father the family offered up – strong, determined, competitive, that he always found a way. He liked to say “I'll bet you a steak supper”, he liked to be right it was just part of that competitive spirit that he had in him. He loved sports and he was very athletic, the family wondered if he couldn't have done well in baseball if he'd have had the opportunity. He loved to play ball even well into his retirement years. Evelyn and he liked to winter down south and did so for many, many years, while there Darryl played on leagues and he was very proud of his accomplishments. He made sure to show me his trophies when I went over to visit them last fall. He obviously played very well and he enjoyed it immensely. The family has so many wonderful stories that you simply must get them to sit and tell to you, Darryl has left behind not only a loving family, but so many wonderful, wonderful memories. Darryl said that the “BEST DAY” in his life was the Christmas day that his son Ron was born. I suspect another notable day for him was the first time his young son said he wanted to be a farmer like his Dad. Darryl loved to help Valarie with her horses, and you can see her eyes light up when she talks about these experiences, about learning to unload a horse from a trailer of all things. He worked with Sherry on her basketball skills, she relayed a story about Darryl wanting her to be able to jump up and touch the ceiling with her elbow. And he apparently was a partner in 'crime' with Roxie in more than just a few stories, but these are stories best left to Roxie… or the rest of the family to tell. He loved and was proud of all of his children, each of them in their own way, each with their own special relationship to their Dad, or just Darryl as Roxie has called him for so many years. Darryl taught all four of his children to work hard and to never give up, he taught by example for in the lean years he did what he had to do to make ends meet. From taking on jobs hauling corn cobs, to even selling Fuller Brushes one winter, a job Evelyn said he hated but that helped get them through after a hailstorm damaged the crops. Darryl was always very proud of Evelyn, and how well she played the organ. He loved to listen to her play, it always brought a smile to his face and at the end of his life it was calming to him. One of the things Evelyn noticed and knew then that Darryl was nearing the end was when she asked him if he wanted to go listen to her play the organ in the Chapel at Shady Oaks, and he said no... she knew he was near the end then. Darryl and Evelyn had a long marriage and they loved each other to the very end. I could see that love when Evelyn straightened Darryl's hair and caressed his shoulders as he sit in his wheel-chair and I could see and hear that love as Darryl in the last hours of his life asked the girls to see 'Mom'. He wanted to know that his Evelyn or EvE as he liked to call her was there with him. When I went to see Darryl as he neared the end I discovered that if I went about 11 o'clock that I had a better chance of catching him awake. We'd sit and visit for a while and then he'd ask about Evelyn and I'd ask him if he wanted me to go and look for her to see if she was coming to get him for lunch. I would ask him “Do you want me to go and find your bride”, Darryl liked that, it brought a smile to his face, a gleam to his eye and a little chuckle. Darryl had a magnificent smile. It was a genuine smile that not only showed on his lips but in his eyes and his demeanor. About a week before he passed I went to see him and he told me “you might not want to visit today, I'm kind of cranky”. I told him that I could handle cranky and that I'd come to visit and so we were going to visit. His face lit up and he smiled and laughed and just said “alright then”... we went on to have a very good visit together. He truly had an honest and beautiful smile... Evelyn told me that one of the things she loved about Darryl was that she never had to try and convince him to go to church. As long as he was physically able to, he wanted to go to church with her on Sunday. To the end Darryl was assured of his relationship with our Lord and Savior. Praise God! Darryl Elwood Johnson passed from this world into the world promised to us all on Friday May 13th, 2016. He is reunited with his Father, his Mother, his sister LaDonna, and his brother Duane. His brother Duane passed away at the all too young age of 19, his plane shot down over the skies of Europe during World War II on his very first mission. Duane was listed as missing in action for three years and I am told that Darryl's mother Clara never truly recovered from the loss of her oldest son. Today the two brothers are together again in our Lord's Kingdom. Praise be to God! The family would like for me to share with you all this poem: The Broken Chain – by author unknown We little knew that morning, that God was going to call your name. In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same. It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone; for part of us went with you, the day God called you home. You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide; and though we cannot see you, you are always at our side. Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same; but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again. Quite honestly, that link is never really severed... as long as we have memories and as long as our loved one still influences our lives and our decisions... we are never truly parted. Evelyn, as you said Darryl so loved to hear you play the organ... I'm sure that somehow, someway he can still hear you play... and he's still so very proud of his lovely wife who is so very talented. If you close your eyes right now, I'm sure you can see him with a twinkle in his eye and that smile on his lips. 13 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. (1st Corinthians, Chapter 13:1-8) Closing Prayer: Immediately following the service there will be a brief committal service at the Lake City Cemetery, after which, the family invites you all to join them in further celebration of Darryl's life and a time of shared remembrances and closure, by gathering with them for a luncheon in the Church's fellowship hall. For those that do not wish to go to the service at the cemetery, please feel free to go down the hallway to our fellowship hall and wait for the rest of us to return. Let us pray: O God, our Strength and our Redeemer, Giver of life, and Conqueror of death, we open our hearts to you just as we are. We celebrate your gift of life freely given, but are grieved by a sense of loss in the face of death. The love which binds us to one another leaves us aching as ties are broken. Accept our tears as emblems of devotion, and transform them into waters of life to nourish us in the days ahead. We trust you. We love you. We know in Christ that your love is everlasting. Nothing can separate any of us from your abiding care. With you is eternal life. With confidence we now entrust Darryl to your unfailing love and overflowing goodness. Through the power that raised Christ from the dead to live eternally with you, lift up this, your servant, to life fulfilled beyond our imagining. We give you but your own, enfold him in your everlasting arms, hold him for he is your child. Now strengthen us, through the gift of your Spirit, to face into the future with confidence that you stand with us. Grant that the changes of life may leave us stronger as we journey through life. Reassured of your abiding presence, help us to knit more firmly the ties that bind us one to another. Renewed by your love, help us to love in ever larger circles so as to embrace your people everywhere till at last we are all united eternally through Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Benediction:
Postlude: Committal Service: Gathering We have gathered here to praise God and to witness to our faith as we celebrate the life of Darryl Johnson. We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss. May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort, in sorrow hope, in death resurrection. O God, who gave us birth, you are ever more ready to hear than we are to pray. You know our needs before we ask, and our ignorance in asking. Give to us now your grace, that as we shrink before the mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity. Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that living or dying, our life may be in you. AMEN PSALM 121 We lift our eyes up to the hills. From where does our help come? Our help comes from the Unseen One, The Maker of the heavens and the earth, Who will not cause our feet to stumble, Our protector who never sleeps. The Abundant One preserves us, The Watchful One is our shelter and support. The Vigilant One guards us from evil, And keeps our Life-breath safe. The Shepherd guards our going out and our coming in from now unto eternity. The family has requested that we share this poem again at the graveside: The Broken Chain – author unknown We little knew that morning, that God was going to call your name. In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same. It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone; for part of us went with you, the day God called you home. You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide; and though we cannot see you, you are always at our side. Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same; but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again. Into your hands, O merciful God, we commend your servant Darryl.Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive Darryl into the arms of your love and mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of those that have gone before. Amen Benediction: May the all-abiding love of our all-gracious God... support you, guide you and uphold you in the days, and weeks and years ahead. His peace be upon you all. Amen.
I am sorry for being so late with getting the video of the sermon up from last weekend. Of course, it was Mother's Day and what a wonderful day it was. Mothers, of course, are one of God's greatest gifts and one of life's greatest joys. I hope those that take the time to listen to the sermon enjoy it, I don't have time to type much else tonight as I need to get on to other projects. Remember "To be a blessing to someone today"! In His Grace, Love and Joy, Roy
Here is the Scripture used in the sermon: Proverbs 31:10-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 10 A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14 She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away. 15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her servant-girls. 16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 20 She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household are clothed in crimson. 22 She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchant with sashes. 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates. Deuteronomy 5:16 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Ephesians 6:1-3 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,[a] for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise:3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Proverbs 1:8-9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 8 Hear, my child, your father’s instruction, and do not reject your mother’s teaching; 9 for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck. FIRST COMMANDMENT: Exodus 20:12 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
In the Scripture verses that we looked at this last Sunday (Acts 16:16-34), we find Paul & Silas going through a whip-sawing of emotions and situations. They've just come off of recruiting Lydia into the new 'Jesus Sect' and they're riding high so to speak. For crying out loud they have their own private 'cryer' or 'herald' following them around (the slave girl with the spirit of divination within her) and announcing their mission to all to hear. But, this practice gets old and Paul sends the spirit packing, which unbeknownst to him will cause the cascade of events that are to follow. Paul and Silas are falsely accused by the girls owners and subsequently arrested, beaten and imprisoned . Here shackled in chains they are praying, worshiping and SINGING! Many commentators infer that they are singing hymns of celebration or adoration, but the scripture doesn't give us this guidance, it's also possible that they were singing some of the Psalms of lament. Certainly they aren't in a very celebratory situation, but even here, chained, accused and locked away Paul is ever watchful for the chance to further God's Kingdom. Certainly, he didn't know that an earthquake of deliverance was coming, but what he did know (and what each of us should know as well) was that somehow, someway this was not to be his final destination. God would deliver him one way or another.
Once the earthquake had occurred, Paul was able to recognize the opportunity God had given to him and he was able to preach the love, the joy and the grace of God to first the jailer and then the jailer's entire family. Extending a hand of deliverance and grace to the very man who not more than a few hours past had chained him to a wall and locked him into a cell. This man was more Paul's enemy than a brother in faith... but Paul did not care... for God did not care. God called Paul and placed him there to be this man's deliverer, his chance to learn the love and joy found in the life of Jesus who is the Christ. Paul knew this and responded faithfully to God's provision. Let us not only be always on the watch for when and where God wishes to use us to extend his love to the unexpected but let us remember that at times God calls us to extend His grace to those who have harmed us and whom we have come to see as enemies or adversaries. Remember that Jonah was called to save the Ninevites from their sinful ways, God can (and he will) call on each of us to minister or even evangelize to those who have wronged us, insulted us, or even physically injured us. We can learn from Jonah's initial refusal to submit and more-so from Paul's unquestioning obedience. God is a God of grace and he calls us to be His people... a people of grace and love. Be a blessing to someone today! In His Grace always, Roy
Acts 16:16-34 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Paul and Silas in Prison 16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
