Funeral for Roberta Miller, April 2018

Order of Service – Funeral for Roberta R. Miller, April 2018

Prelude: Islands In The Stream

Call to Worship:
Gathered in Christ's name, let us praise God
Who is our certain hope in all life's varied circumstances.
In the face of death believe the good news the scriptures proclaim:
As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.
(Isaiah 66:13)

Greeting:
We have come together within the strengthening fellowship of friends and family:
to praise God for the life of Roberta Rae Miller;
to share our grief with God and with one another;
to reaffirm our faith in God's unfailing goodness;
to hear again God's promise of resurrection;
and to commend Roberta to God's everlasting care.


Opening Prayer:
Let us please pray...
Gracious God, your love endures forever.  Your faithfulness is unfailing and all your promises are true.  The movement of your Spirit is evident even in our darkest moments.  Attend to us now in our grief as we trust you will. Speak words of comfort to our hearts.  Open us up to receive your hope. O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our sister Bobbi. We thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see death as the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth until by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
Music:  The Old Rugged Cross

A reading from the Old Testament:
Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

A reading from the New Testament:
Philippians 4: 4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Message:  Pastor Roy Karlen – Woodlawn Christian Church

Roberta Rae Miller was born on March 12, 1950, in Lake City, Iowa to John & Vava Triplett.  On May 20, 1989, she married Kenneth Miller in Carroll, Iowa. Roberta, more affectionately known as Bobbi, passed from this world and into the next on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at Stewart Memorial Community Hospital here in Lake City.

When I asked the family the other day for words to describe “Bobbi”, they told me that she was a very caring person, that she had a big heart, that she loved everyone... especially her grandchildren, that she was a strong person, and that she was a little bit stubborn... actually, it sounded like she was very stubborn.  I was told how she enjoyed camping and fishing, that she liked to play golf, she liked gardening, that she enjoyed cooking, and more recently that she had become a very avid player of Candy Crush on her computer.

Through the years she worked as a cook, and finally in healthcare facilities, working at Shady Oaks, Opportunity Living, and New Hope.

The family also told me that her parents were Catholic and she was raised and confirmed in the Catholic Church in Rockwell City, but that she hadn't been attending church in recent years.  That she did however firmly believe in God and that she looked forward to being reunited with her loved ones in Heaven.  They mentioned that she always found comfort in the poem “Footprints In The Sand”.  Please allow me to share this poem with you all now.

Footprints In The Sand
One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

No matter where we are in life, no matter how we are dealing with our lives, God is always there.  To fully reveal this to ourselves let us turn to the scriptures and let us hear the words of the Psalmist as found in the 139th Psalm.

Psalm 139 - New King James Version
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

Let's listen to verse eight yet again... If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Even in the depths of hell on earth or beyond... God is there... with us... loving us.  These are truly stunning words that the Psalmist has shared with us.  If we believe that these words are as is traditionally believed penned by King David himself, what do they mean to us?  They mean quite literally that we're never apart from God, that it's never too late for any one of us... they mean that right up to the end of life and beyond, that God wants a relationship with each of us. That He pursues us unrelentingly... there is simply no escaping from God and His love for each of us.

Please allow me to share two parables told by Christ to those following Him during His time on earth.  It is, in fact, my conviction that it is impossible to understand the true nature of our God without an understanding of these two parables.

First, let's hear; 
Matthew 20:1-16 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Laborers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

And now perhaps the greatest of all the parables, let us listen to; 
Luke 15:11-32 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons; 12 and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. 15 So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have fed on[a] the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[b] 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; 23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

God does not care if we wait until the very last moment to come to Him, just as the last workers to arrive in the vineyard are valued equally with the first workers, all are valuable and equal in our Lord's eyes.  And just as the prodigal son insulted and even turned his back on his father, God does not care if we have insulted and turned our backs on Him... He never, never, ever turns His back on us.  Just as in the poem that Bobbi loved so much... our infinitely loving God remains with us all along this earthly journey, carrying us where need be... God remains and when we finally realize that we need to return to Him, He rushes to us, throws His loving and grace-filled arms around us and welcomes us back into the family... just as the father welcomed the lost son back home. The symbolism of the robe, the sandals, and the ring in that parable are significant. Each are symbols of reconciliation and restoration, the son is reestablished as a full and complete member of the family, it is as if he had never left his father's side... and in a very real sense he never did... he never could... no matter what he did or said...that is the way it is with our loving and grace-filled God.  All throughout this journey that we call life, our God walks beside us, through the good times and the bad, through joy and tragedy, God is there.

We may feel that God couldn't possibly love us, we may feel that God could never possibly forgive us... but the fact is that no matter what you've done or where you are at, God does love you and what might really amaze you is that He's already forgiven you... just as the father had already forgiven the prodigal son.  Turn towards home, God is waiting for you...

The word 'gospel' literally means 'good news', these passages are most assuredly 'good news' to us all.  If you'd like to hear more about what Psalm 139 or these two parables means for you and your loved ones, I am more than happy to visit with you about them.  I'll be honest, I could preach for a considerable length of time on just those two parables.  But, all you really need to know is that God loves you, and He wants you to come on home.

Today we grieve the loss of our loved one Bobbi... but let us also rejoice, for Bobbi has gone home, greeted by loved ones... and is now in the eternal embrace of our God who loves her... let us not mourn her passing but celebrate her new life.  Praise be to God.


Eulogies and Reflections:
Friends and Family are encouraged to come forward and share memories with all.

Closing Prayer:
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 Bobbi 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 child, to life fulfilled beyond our imagining.  We give you but your own, enfold her in your everlasting arms, hold her for she is your creation.
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: Forever and Ever, Amen

A Talk Along The Way.... Luke 24:13-49

Last Sunday we canceled services due to the weather, we had a snow, ice, and rain storm and the power was knocked out and was out for much of Saturday evening into Sunday morning.  Thus, I wasn't able to preach over the story of the 'Road to Emmaus' last week. I chose to preach over these verses this week rather than to preach over the verses found in John 10:11-18 concerning the 'good shepherd', the 'hired hands', the 'sheep', and the 'wolf'.  I did preach over the verses in John during the Thursday night evening service but the sermon wasn't recorded.  The entire service was 'live-streamed' on Facebook, however, and can be found on our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/WoodlawnChristianChurch/

This week's sermon was a bit short of 23 minutes long and the hook at the end had to do with 'walking' with others as Christ walked with the two Disciples on the road leading to Emmaus.  It wasn't until the end of the journey that Christ was revealed to them even though he was preaching and witnessing to them along the seven-mile journey.  We too are called to witness to others along the way, and just as the two disciples seemed to have given up hope in verse 21, we often feel like giving up hope that our loved ones will ever come to have a genuine relationship with our God. But, the witness of the story of the 'Walk to Emmaus' should give us hope. It is very often at the very end of the journey that we turn to our Lord and suddenly realize that He's been there with us the entire way.

Walk that road with someone(s) today... but do not be discouraged...

Be a blessing to someone today.

In Christ,
Roy

Luke 24:13-49 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Walk to Emmaus
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.[b] 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth,[c] who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.[d] Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah[e] should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[f] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”[g] 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.[h] 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah[i] is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses[j] of these things. 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.”

Footnotes:
a) Luke 24:13 Gk sixty stadia; other ancient authorities read a hundred sixty stadia
b) Luke 24:17 Other ancient authorities read walk along, looking sad?”
c) Luke 24:19 Other ancient authorities read Jesus the Nazorean
d) Luke 24:21 Or to set Israel free
e) Luke 24:26 Or the Christ
f) Luke 24:32 Other ancient authorities lack within us
g) Luke 24:36 Other ancient authorities lack and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
h) Luke 24:40 Other ancient authorities lack verse 40
i) Luke 24:46 Or the Christ

j) Luke 24:48 Or nations. Beginning from Jerusalem 48 you are witnesses

Luke 24:1-11  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Resurrection of Jesus

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body.[a] 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women[b] were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men[c] said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.[d]6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale(e), and they did not believe them.

Footnotes:
a) Luke 24:3 Other ancient authorities add of the Lord Jesus
b) Luke 24:5 Gk They
c) Luke 24:5 Gk but they
d) Luke 24:5 Other ancient authorities lack He is not here, but has risen
e) The term translated as “idle tale” in the NRSV and as “nonsense” in the NIV is a physician’s term to describe “the delirious babblings of a very sick person.

John 10:11-18 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes[a] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

Footnotes:

a) John 10:18 Other ancient authorities read has taken

More about Thomas

Photo by Christian Begeman

This past weekend the Lectionary (as it does each year) led us to the story of the "Doubting Thomas" in the Gospel selection.  Since I tend to preach the most from the Gospel offering, that led me to the story of Thomas. Was there any new insight... and new message to be gleaned from these verses?  Well, I think there is and I hope you'll listen to the sermon and see what you might take away from the message.

One of the points that I struck up harder in my message on Monday to the folks at Shady Oaks was about the Disciples possibly being afraid of confronting Jesus due to their deserting Him in the garden.  The message here was that we all (if we're honest about it) a little bit apprehensive about coming face to face with Christ one day... we all have sin and we all have turned our backs in some fashion to God.  But, the stunning thing is that when Jesus suddenly appears among the Disciples in the locked room, that he doesn't start scolding, nor correcting, nor tormenting as commonly depicted in renderings of Hell and damnation... rather He says "Peace be with you".  That little snippet tells us a great deal about God and how He wishes to interact with us...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

John 20:19-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah,[c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Footnotes:
a) John 20:24 Gk Didymus
b) John 20:31 Other ancient authorities read may continue to believe
c) John 20:31 Or the Christ

Memorial Service - Barbara & John Snyder - April 7, 2018

Memorial Service – Barbara Luella Spafford Snyder & John Darrell Snyder

Opening Music:
Amazing Grace - CD

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 lives of John & Barbara Snyder;  to mourn our losses with one another, to console each other in our times of grief; to celebrate their lives and all that they meant to all that loved them; to celebrate God's love for John & Barbara, and His love for each of us; And to commend their souls to God's everlasting love and care.

Prayer:
Dear God, You are the Creator.  You are the author of life. You are the Father of all mercies and God of all consolation, you pursue us with untiring love
and dispel the shadow of death with the bright dawn of life. Give courage to this family in their loss and sorrow. Be their refuge and strength, O Lord, reassure them of your continuing love and lift them from the depths of grief into the peace and light of your presence. Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by dying has destroyed our death, and by rising, restored our life. Your Holy Spirit, our comforter, speaks for us in groans too deep for words. Come alongside your people, remind them of your eternal presence and give them your comfort and strength. Amen

Poem:
“Life is But a Stopping Place – Maridee Snyder

Life is but a stopping place,
A pause in what's to be,
A resting place along the road,
To sweet eternity.
We all have different journeys.
Different paths along the way,
We all were meant to learn some things,
But never meant to stay...
Our destination is a place,
Far greater than we know.
For some, the journey's quicker,
For some the journey's slow.
And when the journey finally ends,
We'll claim a great reward,
And find an everlasting peace,
Together with the Lord.

Message: Pastor Roy Karlen, Woodlawn Christian Church (DOC & ABC)

Today we gather to remember a loving couple that shared 48 years together in this world.  We pause this day to remember and mourn the passing of John Darrell Snyder and his loving wife Barbara Luella Spafford Snyder.

John was born in Sac City, Iowa.  He was as he relayed... born at “high noon” on March 31st, 1929 in the backroom of the Hamburger Shop that his parents operated there in Sac City.  Most of his upbringing occurred in the Sac City area.  He attended Washington Township County School and graduated in 1946 from High School in Storm Lake, Iowa.  John enlisted in the US Navy in 1946 and served aboard the USS Hawkins, a destroyer based out of San Diego, California.  John was discharged from the Navy in 1948 and came back to Iowa to attend Buena Vista College in Storm Lake.  He graduated from Buena Vista in June of 1951 with a Bachelors degree in Physics and minors in Chemistry, Mathematics, and Education. From 1952 to 1960 he taught High School mathematics and science in various locations. In 1959 he earned his Masters degree in Physics and in 1962 he completed a Masters degree in  Mathematics.

John was employed at various times at Martin Aerospace, Pillsbury Corporation, Biomedical Computer Services Inc., and beginning in 1975 he worked as a private computer contractor.

Todd and Maridee told me about John's great sense of humor and how quirky he enjoyed being. They told me that when John was younger how he enjoyed fishing but that later in life his major 'hobby' was singing Barbershop Quartet. He was at one time a member of the quartet 'Easy Listenin', and was also a member of the Minneapolis Commodores.  He was very active in the Minneapolis Chapter of Barbershop Quartets and held various offices, Program Vice President, Secretary, President, Editor, Show Chairman, and shortly before his stroke at the age of 65 he emceed one  of their events and both Maridee and Todd remarked how great a role he performed with his wonderful quirky sense of humor.

John was disabled from his stoke for the remaining seven years of his life and Barbara cared for him devotedly, John passed from this world on July 27th, 2000.  John is survived by his sister Bonnie who lives in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Barbara was born on June 1st, 1930 just down the road from here in Auburn, IA, where she grew up on her family's farm.  She attended country school and then High School in Auburn where she graduated in 1949. After High School, she too attended Buena Vista College where she graduated in 1951 with a Teaching Certificate.  After graduation, she taught 2nd grade for one year in Cleghorn, Iowa.

Throughout the years, Barbara enjoyed teaching Sunday School, attending Bible Studies, working in the Church Library at Ridgewood Church, and volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center.

While Barbara was attending college at Buena Vista she met her future husband John.  They were married on June 8th, 1952 and enjoyed 48 years of marriage before John's passing in 2000.  As I mentioned before Barbara took care of John for seven years after his stroke.  The family wondered how she managed to do so due to her small stature but she seemed to have an inner strength that carried her through.  During the time that she was caring for John, she was diagnosed with lymphoma and underwent treatments all the while never ceasing to care for John.

After their marriage, John and Barbara lived in Iowa, Colorado, and South Dakota, before ending up in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Where she lived for most of the remainder of her life only moving back to Auburn twice for short duration's.  She lived in Auburn for two years caring for her mother Zillah Spafford.

I asked Todd and Maridee for words to describe Barbara to me and they told me she was a quiet person, that even though she barely weighed 90 or 95 lbs that she loved sweets, that she loved spring and flowers, that she was always active and involved in her Church.  That she was the one that mainly cared for and raised the children and was the disciplinarian in the family.  She was a devoted housewife. That she was proud of her grandson Joseph and was glad to have been able to watch him grow up to be a fine young man.

They told me how that early in John and Barbara's marriage that they liked to travel and that they honeymooned in Niagara Falls.  Most of their traveling was done prior to the birth of their five children.  They had five boys, Blaine who tragically died while a teen, David who passed away as an infant, Paul who is still living, Jeffrey who died as a newborn, and Todd who is alive and well and with us today.  Barbara and John suffered the loss of three of their children and Todd and Maidee told me that the only song Barbara insisted be used at her funeral was “It is Well With My Soul” by Horatio Spafford.  The family speculates that there may be common ancestry to Barbara's Great Grandfather Spafford who came to settle here in Iowa after being a wagon-master for settlers moving further west.  If you have ever heard the story about the writing of the wonderfully reassuring hymn “It is Well With My Soul”, I encourage you to look it up, it is a wonderful story and one that I based a sermon upon back in November of 2017.

I will just briefly outline the story for you, Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna were well to do and lived in Chicago, but when the Chicago fire broke out Horatio lost nearly all of his Real-Estate holdings.  He sent his wife Anna along with their four daughters in 1873 to Europe to accompany a group from their Church on a Revival / Missionary Trip.  The ship sank while en-route and all four daughters were lost, Horatio penned the words to the hymn while traveling to retrieve Anna in England.  Horatio and Anna had previously lost a son, and would then lose another son born after the tragic accident.  Ultimately, they had another daughter who they aptly named Grace.  Grace would be the only Spafford child to live to adulthood.  Perhaps Barbara held some connection to this wonderful old hymn, due to a common last name, and a shared tragedy with the loss of children.  At any rate, it is a hymn that has blessed and upheld countless Christians and as we listen to it played here at the conclusion of this message, please take to heart the message that Horatio penned so long ago in the face of the loss of his four young daughters.

Todd and Maridee also told me how John once purchased a yellow Cadillac for Barbara and how he then purchased a big brown Cadillac for himself, a car that he christened the “big brown barge”.  Todd said he was very proud of that car, and that he'd always wanted to have a Cadillac.

Maridee told me that it took Barbara a while to warm up to her, what with Maridee being Catholic and all... but that ultimately they had a wonderful relationship and Maridee will talk to us all in just a few moments.  Barbara is also survived by one of her sisters, Janice who lives not too far away in Rippey, IA.

Barbara left only one scripture verse that she wished referenced and that was Isaiah 61:1, which she had written down with the words “Like Jesus, we are called to bring the Good News to a hurting world.”  Obviously, that isn't the words of the scripture found in Isaiah, as the name Jesus wouldn't be found verbatim.  But let me now share with you the verses found in;
Isaiah 61:1-4 & 10-11  Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Good News of Deliverance
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good tidings to the afflicted;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins,
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
    my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to spring forth before all the nations.

You know, in reading all of that, Barbara's synopsis isn't bad at all... “Like Jesus, we are called to bring the Good News to a hurting world.”  Barbara was devoted to her Church and especially through her efforts in Christian Education, she clearly lived out her interpretation of Isaiah 61:1.  Praise God for the lives of both Barbara and John.

Though our world is poorer for their passing, Heaven is so much the richer, and we all can take console... and in fact, rejoice that these two wonderful souls who loved each other so much... are now reunited and joined eternally in our Lord's Kingdom.  Praise God indeed.

Music:
It is Well With My Soul – CD

Eulogy/Memories:
Maridee Snyder

Music:
How Great Thou Art – CD

Closing Prayer:

Following the interment at Oaklawn Cemetery in Auburn, the family wishes for you all to join them in further celebration of John and Barbara's lives and a time of shared remembrances and closure, by gathering with them for a reception at Santa Maria's Winery in Carroll. 

Let us please 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 John & Barbara to your unfailing love and overflowing goodness.  Through the power that raised Christ from the dead to live eternally with you, lift up these, your servants, to life fulfilled beyond our imagining.  We give you but your own, enfold them in your everlasting arms, hold them for they are your children.

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:

Committal Service:
Selfishly, we as mortals wished to hold on to both John and Barbara. It brings great pain to let them go. Living in the resurrection hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the trust of a loving God and in the promise of eternal life, we now commit their ashes to their final place of rest. We will continue to mourn them, but today and forever more, their smiles and laughter will warm the kingdom of God. We will continue to love them both, but God now takes care of them. We will continue to carry John & Barbara in our thoughts, but they are today safe in their beloved God's hands. Lord, hold them in your arms mercy, O God, in the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and in the glorious company of all your saints.

Let us now hear a reading from the 3rd Chapter of Ecclesiastes:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

And let us also hear the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus, who is the Christ...
as found in the Gospel of John 14:1-3  (RSV).
14 “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Believing in the Resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we now entrust John & Barbara to the care of Almighty God and we ask Our Father to open the doors to his mansion and lead them to the room made ready just for them. As we now commit their ashes to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we commend their spirits to their new home. Rest eternal grant them; and let light perpetual shine upon them.

God has blessed and enriched so many lives in giving both John & Barbara to their family and friends to know and to love here on this earth. Though their time together was not nearly enough, today, we give over to God the care of their spirits, and we acknowledge that we will one day reunite with them in God's Kingdom. The Lord bless them and keep them; the Lord make His face shine upon them and be gracious onto them; the Lord look upon them with favor and give them His peace.

Let us now pray together the prayer that our Lord and Savior taught us to pray... Our Father...

This concludes our graveside service.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may His strong arms encircle you and uphold you in your hour of grief.  God's peace and strength to you all.
Amen

Easter Sunday, April 1st, 2018

Below please find both the sermon transcript and the video of the sermon.  We had a wonderful day of worship at Woodlawn and I do want to once again thank all of our talented performers.  Nathan & Katie Burley played the piano for us and Eric Holm blessed us with a solo during the service.  Eric and his mother Kathy also sang a duet as part of the sermon and you'll hear them singing in the video below.

We also had the great, great blessing of baptizing three members of the Kuhlers family on Sunday morning.  Jared, Stephanie, and William all took the plunge and died to sin to be reborn in Christ.  Praise God!  It was a great witness to the rest of us especially seeing Jared getting baptized as an adult.  I've included at the very end of this blog post the transcript from their Baptism Ceremony.  Congratulations to you all Jared, Stephanie, and William!  God bless you all!

I posted the transcript to the 'Sunrise Service' yesterday, there was no video taken during the service.  Thank you to all who helped so very much during all the 'going ons' during 'Holy Week'.  A special thank you to Kim Anderson our Worship Chair, Kim does so much for the Church and we all appreciate it greatly!  Thank you, Kim!

I hope that all that wander through this little corner of the internet had a blessed Easter Sunday yesterday, and I hope you all realize just how much your God loves you... God bless you all.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Grace,
Roy

Easter Sunday Sermon, April 1, 2018
"The Tomb of Remembrance"

Mark 16:1-8  (NRSV)
1 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Just as we did a year ago, this year as part of our Easter celebration, we have performed several baptisms.  We just baptized Jared, Stephanie, and William and we are all very excited to count them now among our numbers.  Each of them has symbolically 'died to sin', entered the tomb, and risen again, resurrected just as our Savior was resurrected on that Easter morning so very long ago.

Last year I preached about how baptism is not a finish line, but a starting line. It isn't the point where you conclude your Christian education, your Christian participation, or your relationship with Christ. It's the beginning of something new, a deeper, a more involved relationship.  And just like last year, I want to again compare baptism to marriage. Marriage isn't the end of a relationship... well, at least hopefully not... NO, it's the beginning of a new depth to the relationship between a man and a woman, it is the same thing with baptism, you are committing to a new deeper relationship... between you and Christ.  Sad to say, however, far too often... baptism has become nothing more than a 'rite of passage', something we're expected to do around a certain age and so our parents or grandparents pressure us into going through with the ceremony. But truly, truly, truly... baptism is a NEW beginning, just as the open tomb was a new beginning, a new deeper relationship between God and His creation.

Let's stop for a moment and go back for just a bit, I mentioned the tomb, let's talk a little more about the tomb; the word for tomb in Greek is Mnémeion, it is derived from the Greek word Mousikós which means to remember, or to keep in memory, a tomb is basically a reservoir of memories. Which to be honest, is a very apt description of a tomb or grave; when we go to visit the final resting place of a friend or loved one, we can't help but stand there and reminisce about that person and our lost relationship with them. All of those memories, all those experiences, that entire relationship is in the past... the tomb at least as a metaphor... is a reservoir for those memories. There are no new experiences and thus no new memories, it is all in the past... all those memories though not forgotten are entombed in the past.

Let's also talk a little bit about what the women found when they showed up at the tomb, the tomb was of course already opened, but there was also someone sitting inside... this mysterious 'young man'. He is sitting there alone in the tomb, now you may not realize... or perhaps you may have forgotten... but this young man has shown up before in Mark's Gospel, in the 14th Chapter of Mark, verses 50-52 we read concerning the story of the arrest of Jesus in the garden:

Mark 14:50-52
50 All of them deserted him and fled. 51 A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.

We could be a bit put off by this imagery of nakedness, we could be I suppose... a bit prudish and thus we would miss the message hidden in the metaphor, or we can consider what Mark is trying to convey to us... through this mysterious young man and his nakedness.

This 'young man' just like all of those following Christ has run away when Jesus is arrested, just as foretold in the 13th Chapter of Zechariah, the Shepherd has been struck and the sheep have scattered.  This young man just like all the rest, just like all of us, has run away from Christ. He has fled, naked... and exposed... all of his sin, all of his human failings, all of his human frailties, all of his shortcomings... exposed for all the world to see. His relationship to Christ has been severed, his relationship is now one of betrayal. But here, on this first Easter morning, we find the young man, alone in the tomb, waiting for the women. He is now clothed in finer garments than he had been in the garden, he has returned to Christ and been reconciled even before any of the others. Just as all of the disciples will eventually return to Christ and be reconciled unto Christ... and just like the 'mysterious young man', we too can return and be welcomed home in the fashion of the Prodigal Son.

We all whether we want to admit it or not, have an internal and eternal, longing to be reconciled with our Creator.  I have preached before about the importance of finding and staying in relationship with a congregation of believers. Quite simply, none of us is meant to be an island... we accept an obligation to not only our own relationship with God but to that of our fellow believers. That prayer we all stated in unison after the baptism today... was our commitment to these newly baptized Christians among us. We have an obligation to not only keep the spark and fire of Christ alive within ourselves but also to keep that fire alive within others. Recently, I saw a great short story on Facebook, I believe it was posted by Leon.  Now it's not a new story, in fact, it's one that I first saw many years ago.  But, it is a modern parable if you will, and please allow me to share it with you now;

The Lonely Ember
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.
After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination.
As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail."
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.
Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

Quite frankly, we need each other, we have an obligation to each other... to love, to support, to even push at times... it was an obligation that we accepted when we professed our faith and took that plunge under those waters of baptism.  That baptistery which we associate with the tomb and the rising out of the water, Christ's escape from the tomb.

So we're back to the tomb...

The thing about the tomb is that it's not only empty... it's OPEN.  Remember that a tomb is a reservoir of memories... well, a closed tomb signifies the end of the making of memories... it's all about the past.  This tomb, this tomb is open... He LIVES, new memories are being formed each and every day.

We've been blessed this morning with some truly beautiful special music, and right now we're about to be blessed a little bit more by the sound of Kathy and Eric's voices.  And they both have such wonderful voices, but please listen to the words as they sing them... pay close attention to the message of this magnificent Hymn.

(Duet of "He Lives")

He lives!  Now certainly, we through the teachings of the Holy Scripture have 'memories' of Christ, but each of us also has memories of Christ through our own encounters with Him, and each of us shall forge many more memories of Christ.  For the tomb is open... and remember the words of the 'mysterious young man' 
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.

Our Lord lies not in a cold grave... but is alive... and well... and at work in this world.  He lives... he lives... you ask me how I know he lives... he lives within my heart.  He lives within my heart, he lives within your heart, he lives within the heart of every Christian, every man, woman, and child that has professed faith in Him and who has taken up the cross to do His bidding in this world.

You and I build new memories, and have new encounters with Christ through our interactions and cooperation with one another... as I look across this sanctuary today I see the face of Christ looking back at me and I can't help but have a smile deep within my soul... for HE LIVES!

And all His people cried out... AMEN!

Photo by Christian Begeman

Service of Holy Baptism:

Matthew 3:13-17  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Baptism is one of the two sacraments given by Christ to his followers.  In baptism, through faith, we are made one with Christ.   We are buried with Christ and with him raised from the dead to walk in new life.  The washing of our bodies with water is the outward and visible sign of the cleansing of our inner being through the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We are baptized not only with water but also with the Holy Spirit, and by this same Spirit we are baptized into Christ's body, the church, and made members of the whole people of God.

In obedience to Christ's command let us baptize these who have professed their faith in Him.

William, do you before God and this congregation affirm through this act of baptism your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior, and do you promise to follow Christ in word and deed throughout your Life?

(William – I do)

Upon the declaration of your faith and in obedience to Christ's command, on behalf of this congregation I baptize you, William Thomas Schmit, in the name of God; Father, Son & Holy Spirit. (dunk)

Loving God, may your Spirit fall upon William and remain with him all the days of his life.  And may the joy of this moment be his forever.  Amen.

Stephanie, do you before God and this congregation affirm through this act of baptism your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior, and do you promise to follow Christ in word and deed throughout your Life?

(Stephanie – I do)

Upon the declaration of your faith and in obedience to Christ's command, on behalf of this congregation I baptize you, Stephanie Nichole Kuhlers, in the name of God; Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  (dunk)

Loving God, may your Spirit fall upon Stephanie and remain with her all the days of her life.  And may the joy of this moment be hers forever.  Amen.

Jared, do you before God and this congregation affirm through this act of baptism your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior, and do you promise to follow Christ in word and deed throughout your Life?

(Jared – I do)

Upon the declaration of your faith and in obedience to Christ's command, on behalf of this congregation I baptize you, Jared Benjamin Kuhlers, in the name of God; Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  (dunk)

Loving God, may your Spirit fall upon Jared and remain with him all the days of his life.  And may the joy of this moment be his forever.  Amen.

We have done as Christ has commanded.  As those who have been baptized have confessed their faith and committed themselves to discipleship, let us all renew our baptismal vows as we pray together:

Gracious God, baptize us afresh with your Spirit.  May we know once again the newness of life so abundantly shown to these who have been baptized.  Open our hearts to receive them into our midst, that they may know among us the same spirit of love that was in Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us.  Amen.

Easter Sunrise Service - 2018

Due to the cold weather today, we moved the "Sunrise Service" into the Chapel. Though it is always more moving to be literally at 'The Foot of the Cross' for this service on Easter morning, it certainly was much more comfortable.  We had a good turnout and afterward we all went down and had breakfast and then the "Easter Egg Hunt"

Thank you to Clyde Westcott and Bill Hungate for getting up early and draping the cross in white and taking down the placard and crown of thorns.

Be a blessing to someone today!

Christ is Risen!

Roy

Sunrise Service Easter 2018

Prelude: "Blessed Assurance"

Call To Worship:

Leader:  Alleluia.  Christ is risen!

People: The Lord has risen indeed!  Alleluia!

Leader: May His grace and peace be with you all.

People: May He fill our hearts with joy!

Leader: The tomb is empty.

People: Praise be to God!

Leader: Our Lord has risen!

People: Praise be to God!

Leader: Christ leads us on the road to life.

People: Praise be to God!

Leader: Alleluia! Christ is risen!

People: Christ is here!  Alleluia!

Opening Prayer:

Almighty and ever-loving God,

we gather to marvel at the mystery of Christ's resurrection.

In boldness you exalted the humble, empowering the weak.

In strength, you snatched victory from the jaws of death.

In love, you declared your crucified Son the savior of this world.

We celebrate this good news in an Easter festival of life.

With you, we join in this joy-filled day.

Make your presence known to us through this service of worship.

In your grace-filled and Holy name, we pray.

Amen.

Hymn:  "Rock of Ages"

First Reading:

Isaiah 53:1-6 (NIV)

53 Who has believed our message

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

    and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,

    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

    each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

Second Reading:  

Luke 24:1-12  (NIV)

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Message: 

This morning is so full of images - the empty tomb - the voice of angels - Mary's encounter with Jesus - the promises made through the prophets coming true it is so rich - so full - so basic to who we are as an Easter People.  

Friday - sad Friday - the day we call Good Friday - is brushed aside in one glorious moment of realization one moment of startling fear and overwhelming joy - a moment of holy awe - as the significance of what is seen - and what is unseen comes crashing in.

Jesus has Risen.  Death could not hold him. And if it cannot hold him, it cannot hold us.

All that Jesus said about life and death all that was understood only as idea - as a concept - as a vision is made real in that empty tomb

and in that encounter in the garden.

And we today - we standing here - before this rough and rude cross - we standing here before this emblem of suffering and shame

We share in it.

We share in the promises made to Children of Israel and to the entire world through the Prophets. We share in the promises made to the disciples and to all who listened to Jesus as he walked towards his death upon a slab of wood like these.

We share in it - for the word that he spoke to them - and to us 

- is made true and real by what we testify to this morn,

it is made true by the resurrection.

And more yet - it is made true by the testimony of our hearts

hearts here among us - this very day - who have been touched by the spirit of the living Lord, hearts here which have heard Jesus knocking upon the door and have opened that door and had him come in and dine with them.  Hearts that encountered the risen Christ after what is now almost thousands of years after the stone was first rolled back and the tomb shown to be empty and our Lord risen. 

                      

What is this Easter morn?

It is God's promise of a new day, It is God's promise of a new life

It is God's promise of a new world coming to pass in our midst.

Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again.

Praise be to God for his great love, and to Jesus his only Son, and to the Spirit all three in one. Amen.

Hymn:  "Jesus Paid It All" 

Closing Prayer: (In Unison)

Almighty God, who through your only‑begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life‑giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

Amen.

Benediction:

Hymn: "Victory In Jesus"