Hebrews 7:20-28, Thursday Night Worship 10-25-18

This past week we continued on with the book of Hebrews and the message concerning Jesus as the 'New/Old High Priest'.  Jesus was and is different than the human High Priests in that He was eternal and without sin.  Therefore, He wasn't bound to sacrifice for His sins prior to performing the sacrifice for the people.  He also was, of course, the sacrifice as well as the priest.

I alluded at the end of the sermon as to why a blood sacrifice was required, I do have my own opinions on this and that will be the basis of the next sermon this coming Thursday night... well... that is unless I change my mind on what to preach over before then...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Grace,
Roy

Hebrews 7:20-28 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
20 This was confirmed with an oath; for others who became priests took their office without an oath, 21 but this one became a priest with an oath, because of the one who said to him,

“The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever’”

22 accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.

23 Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently he is able for all time to save[a] those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other[b] high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Footnotes:
a) Hebrews 7:25 Or able to save completely

b) Hebrews 7:27 Gk lacks other

November 2018 - Pastor's Newsletter Article

Pastor's Ponderings – November 2018

Well, once again we're preparing for the Church's Annual “God's Portion Sale”.  This year's sale is on November 17th and will be another fun and festive event.  Please mark your calendars and make plans to come and take part in this fun and important fundraiser for the Church.  The committee is working hard on gathering items for the auction but the success of the auction really stems from the donations of auction items by the congregation and upon the attendance and participation of the church membership.  Please come, have fun, and help this long-running (72 years!) program be successful!  Thank you all!!

November is always a very, very hectic month and please take note of all the things that are coming up and please try to partake in as many as you can.  First off we have the Ministerial Associations Community Thanksgiving Worship Service on November 11th.  This year it will be held at Union Church at 3:30 pm.  Next, we have the God's Portion Sale setup on Friday, November 16th, I don't believe a time has been set yet, so please stay tuned for an announcement on the time for setup.  Then on Saturday, November 17th, we have the God's Portion Sale and the Lunch beforehand.  The lunch starts at 11:30 am and the Sale follows at 12:30.  This year we will have a new auctioneer, Justin Brant will be doing the calling for us, make sure to thank him for helping us out!

On November 18th, we'll have the annual Thanksgiving Dinner right after Worship, and then after we've finished eating we'll go into the Sanctuary and do the 'Hanging of the Greens' and decorate the Church for the Christmas Season.  Thanksgiving Day is on the 22nd this year, the earliest it ever is on the calendar and it's my birthday as well!  On the 27th, the Annual Remembrance Service will be hosted by Lampe's Funeral Home at Saint Mary's Catholic Church at 6:30 pm, I will be performing part of the service along with all the other local ministers.  On November 29th, we will be having our November Soup Supper, serving from 5 to 7.

Please note that we won't have our normal Thursday Night Worship Service on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd.  Which would also be our normal night for the 'Supper Then Service' so we won't have a 'Supper Then Service' in November but we will resume this event on December 27th.

We also have an Elder's Meeting on November 4th, and the Men's Meeting on November 10th, so if you are part of either or both of these groups make sure to plan for those meetings as well.

I'm looking forward to November, it's one of my favorite months of the year, (not the least of all because it's my birthday month!) it's the start of the Thanksgiving to Christmas Season which is just such a great time of year.  People are feeling rushed and stressed, but at the same time we're all thinking about our loved ones... try to remember while you're out shopping for that 'perfect' gift that the important thing isn't the gift but showing your loved one that you do love them.  As I get older the gifts that are more special are the simple things and more importantly spending time with those I love.  Gail and I are very excited that her family is once again coming to spend Thanksgiving with us and our two children will both be here as well.  That's really all I could want or hope for in the end...

In closing, October was a very sad and difficult month for all of us here at Woodlawn.  We laid to rest our dear friend and someone that we all loved so very, very much... Evelyn Johnson.  I confess that it was a very difficult service to write and to perform.  But, it was an honor to preside over the remembrance celebration of such a wonderful, beautiful, and loving woman.  Evelyn is singing and playing music along with the angels now... praise be to God!  All of us will long remember Evelyn and the long and beautiful music ministry that she lived here at Woodlawn and Lake City.  Make sure to extend a hand of comfort and grace to Evelyn's family... God bless them each and every one.  Let me share with you one of Evelyn's favorite verses Psalm 118:24 along with a few of the verses that precede this verse. 

Psalm 118:14-24
14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
15 Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me sorely, but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank thee that thou hast answered me and hast become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.
23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Be a blessing to someone today!!!  Pastor Roy 

Mark 10:32-45 "Slave of All", sermon given on Sunday, October 21, 2018

Jesus and His Disciples are growing ever nearer to Jerusalem and Jesus' appointment with His ultimate fate with the cross.  He now tells the Disciples for the third time of His upcoming death and resurrection.  Again, the Disciples do not understand and again they argue over who should be ranked above the others in the coming Kingdom.  Again, Jesus talks of the role reversals expected from those who are His true followers... those who would serve Him must serve others.

Christ has called all those that would seek to serve Him to humble themselves and become the least of all... there is a story of a missionary who visited the slums where Mother Teresa and her Nuns were caring for the sick.  One Nun was washing the putrid sores of a gravely infected man and the missionary stated "I wouldn't do that for any amount of money", to which the Nun replied, "neither would I".  We are not called to care for one another because of any earthly gain nor for any earthly recognition... we are called to do so because that is what Christ followers are to do...

Be a blessing to someone today...

In Christ,
Roy

Mark 10:32-45 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Hebrews 5:1-10 Thursday Night Worship, October 18, 2018

Photo taken by WmRoy Karlen

Last Thursday night I preached over the verses found in the book of Hebrews 5:1-10.  These verses are in my opinion aimed at the reason as to why the book of Hebrews was written.  That is to establish Jesus as the true 'High Priest', the Priest that existed prior to any of the earthly Priests and one that goes all the way back to that semi-mysterious figure 'Melchizedek' that shows up twice in the Old Testament.

I believe this book (Hebrews) was written shortly after the final destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.  These Christians that the Author is writing to are of Jewish descent and are shocked, confused, perhaps even panicked as what to do... the Temple is gone, the Priests can no longer sacrifice... what can we do...

Of course, this absence of a Temple had happened before and the Temple was rebuilt, but this time, the Author of Hebrews is, in no shortage of eloquence, telling us that there is no need for this Temple of Stone, nor is there a need for any Earthly High Priest.  We have the 'True Temple' and the 'True Priest', Jesus who is the Christ.

Praise be to God.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Glory,
Roy

Hebrews 5:1-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
5 Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; 3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

“You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you”;

6 as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
    according to the order of Melchizedek.”

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus[a] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Footnotes:

a) Hebrews 5:7 Gk he

Funeral for Evelyn Johnson - October 18, 2018

Today we laid to rest a sweet, sweet, and so very talented soul... Evelyn Johnson.  It was a difficult service to perform but I am so honored to have been able to give to Evelyn just a fraction of the recognition that she so aptly deserved for all her years of service and all the blessings she's provided.

May the Lord strengthen and comfort her family as they continue to mourn her passing...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Order of Service – Evelyn Johnson – October 18, 2018

Prelude: 

Entrance: 
All Please Rise!

Call to Worship:
Psalm 95:1-7  New International Version (NIV)
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
    and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
    the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care.

Please be seated.

Greeting:
We are gathered together today on this solemn, sacred, and yet joyful day.
Gathered together to strengthen, to comfort, to reminisce, 
and above all else to lift our praise and thanks to God...
praise for the life and legacy of Evelyn Ruth Johnson;
to share our grief with God and with one another;
to reaffirm our faith in God's unending and unlimited love and grace;
to hear again God's promise of resurrection and the life to come;
and to commend Evelyn to God's everlasting care.

Music:  Here I Am Lord

Opening Prayer:
Gracious and loving God, you are the giver of life. We come from you, and in death, we return to you. Be with us now. We bring to you our grief and loss... our sister Evelyn was part of our lives, and we each loved her so, and thus each of our hearts is broken in this sad time of parting. We bring to you our thanks for all that Evelyn meant to us, all that she shared with us and all that she gave us of herself.

We bring to you our relief, that for Evelyn there is nothing left to fear, no more suffering, no more frailty, no more confusion, and that she is with you and at peace. Come into the turmoil of our emotions, renew our faith and grant us the peace that only you can give. This we pray in the name of our Lord & Savior... Jesus who is the Christ.
Amen.

Music: The Wind Beneath My Wings

Let us hear now a reading from the Old Testament:
Psalm 118:14-24
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
    he has become my salvation.
15 Hark, glad songs of victory
    in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16     the right hand of the Lord is exalted,
    the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
    and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me sorely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank thee that thou hast answered me
    and hast become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
    has become the head of the corner.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Let us hear now a reading from the New Testament:
Colossians 3:12-17
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do,whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Music: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Message:  Pastor Roy Karlen – Woodlawn Christian Church 

Since I have come here to Lake City, I have performed far, far too many funerals. Though all funerals are difficult to preside over, there are some that frankly... are more difficult than others... this funeral today... is without a doubt... one of those extremely difficult affairs.  But, yet... it is an honor to be able to officiate over the celebration of life for Evelyn... a soul that was so faithful to God, and to her family.  I am keenly aware that this service, no matter how hard we try to make it so... is incapable of encapsulating and eulogizing a life so well lived.

Evelyn Ruth Johnson, age 89, passed from this broken and fallen world and into the blessed and glory-filled Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, morning October 14, 2018.  Evelyn Ruth Short was born February 28, 1929, here in Lake City, Iowa, to her loving parents Alva Mason (A.M.) and Helen (Hungerford) Short.  She was baptized in the baptistery behind me on March 14, 1940, by Reverend Roy Weaklend.

Evelyn's father AM Short was a farmer when she was born.  They lived approximately eight miles from Lake City, and when her mother went into labor they had to travel the eight miles to the Hospital in a horse-drawn sleigh.  It was February after-all, but they were made of sterner stuff in those not so long begotten days... Evelyn and those in her generation are a link to those days of difficulty and hard endeavors.  During the depression, Evelyn's family lost their farm, unable to make the final payment on their land contract.  The family moved in with Evelyn's mother's father, Grandfather Hungerford, who was the first Depot Agent for the Railroad here in Lake City.  The family lived with Grandfather Hungerford until his death in his home which still stands on Main Street here in Lake City.  Jim Bruce still remembers going along with Reverend Votruba to the home after Grandfather Hungerford passed and remembers Evelyn answering the door.  

Evelyn graduated from Lake City High School in 1947 and then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois for just one year.  Standing here in this very Sanctuary, on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1949, she married Darryl E. Johnson and together they embarked on the journey of the rest of their lives. Together Darryl and Evelyn farmed for 64 years and for 43 years they enjoyed wintering in Florida, Texas, and finally Arizona.  They enjoyed 67 years of marriage, raised four children, and were blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  

In getting to know both Darryl and Evelyn, it seemed to me that Darryl always regarded Evelyn or EvE as he called her as his most precious gem... and this gem had three main facets in her life... her faith, her family, and her music.  Darryl was so very proud of her and so very proud of her music.  He loved to listen to her play and Evelyn told me that she knew Darryl was near to the end of his life when she went to him and asked if he wanted to come out to hear her play the organ in the Chapel at Shady Oaks... and he declined... 

Music was always very, very important to Evelyn and along with her mother Helen, always referred to affectionately as either Mrs. Short or Grandma Short... they truly left a legacy of music behind in Lake City, and especially here at Woodlawn.  Evelyn and Evelyn's children grew up surrounded constantly by music lessons and recitals.  Jim Bruce shared with me stories of going to Mrs. Short's home for lessons and memories of Evelyn's father and grandfather.  For a while Evelyn would give music lessons here in the Church library because her mother was giving lessons at the same time at their home, the Church library had a gas-log at that time so it could be heated while the rest of the Church was not.  

Evelyn's mother gave music lessons for money, and for barter.  She was compensated for lessons with eggs, other foodstuffs, and for hair styling.  The lessons always came first and when Evelyn needed to go shopping for her wedding dress... Darryl's mother went with Evelyn because Evelyn's mom had lessons to teach that day.  Together Evelyn and her mother taught countless people here in Lake City to appreciate and enjoy music.  This love for music was originally inherited from Evelyn's grandfather, Grandfather Hungerford, who led and sang in the choir at the Presbyterian Church.

Woodlawn recruited Mrs. Short from the Presbyterian Church when they became in need of an organist, and it was due to this fate-filled recruitment, that she meet Evelyn's father.  Mr. Short was the one in charge of pumping the pipe organ on Sunday mornings and he and Evelyn's mother met and developed a relationship as a result.  This happened in the 'Old White' Church and when that Church burned and this current building was constructed in 1927.  Evelyn's mother played that very organ at the dedication service on November 6, 1927.  Since that time the greater part of the music that has been played on that keyboard stemmed from the fingers of either Evelyn's mother Mrs. Short or Evelyn herself.  In all the lion's share of the existence of Woodlawn has featured either Evelyn or her mother performing on Sunday mornings. For many years Evelyn and her mother would over-lap in playing the organ, I was told at one time that Evelyn was 16 when she first played for a Sunday service.  From the age of 16 until just about a year and a half ago... Evelyn was never long away from that keyboard.  As Jim Bruce said to me this past Sunday morning... it is truly the end of an era for Woodlawn.

Jim also shared with me memories of Evelyn not only playing the organ but her singing solos here at Church while a young girl, a teenager, and a young woman.  Evelyn will long be remembered for performing at an unknown number of weddings and funerals with her friends Muriel Pierce, Margaret Lois Clark, and Vera Mae Doty.  When Vera Mae passed away the family asked me to go to Evelyn and have her select the music for the funeral, and she did so, though unfortunately, Evelyn was no longer up to playing for that somber event.  Keith Lampe shared with me the other day that to the best of his ability to estimate, Evelyn had performed at over 350 funerals with him here in Lake City.  And there were, of course, other funerals with other funeral homes through the many years of Evelyn's music ministry.

Besides being able to play the organ, the piano, and having a beautiful singing voice, Evelyn also played the violin.  During my installation ceremony here at Woodlawn, my son Creath came and played his violin for the congregation, Evelyn was so very excited about his playing.  She so badly... wanted him to come back someday and play a duet with her... I shall always regret that Creath and Evelyn never got a chance to play together.  She was so genuinely excited about the idea of playing a duet with him... she just loved music, and she appreciated music in others as well as in herself.

While Evelyn and Darryl were away in the winters, she still kept busy with music.  She played for many Sunday services down south and sang with the group “The Songbirds” while in Mesa.  Evelyn kept playing right up to the end of her life, playing for worship services out at Shady Oaks.  Just a couple of weeks ago we visited about the number of times she was set to play that week and she though tired was pleased to be able to continue to bless others with her music. On the Monday prior to her passing, she over-slept for Woodlawn's Monday service at Shady Oaks, she was so very apologetic and embarrassed.  I told her it was not a problem, she assured me she'd be ready next time...  Since coming to Woodlawn I have so very much enjoyed working with Evelyn, it was always a joy to have her play and she was always up to play any hymn that I asked for or that was requested out at Shady Oaks... she could and had played them all!

In the little booklet produced by the Church for the Church's 125th Anniversary, Evelyn shared the following under the title: “Precious Memories, How They Linger, How They Ever Fill My Soul”.
My “Precious Memories” are “Music Memories”, memories that span more than half a century!
The church music was always important in our home.  Grandfather Hungerford led and sang in the Presbyterian choir.  Mother played the organ for the Christian Church.  The weekly church music schedule included: Sunday morning services, Sunday evening services, and Thursday night services! Soloists, trios, and quartets sang weekly, and the praises sent up to God through these faithful members were many.
For years, Dewey Howe, Charles W. Watters, Jean Blair, and Hazel Bauman gave comfort to many bereaved families through their inspiring music.  Many Tuesday evenings they spent in our living room, practicing for a funeral or a church service.
Precious memories of mine include the choir.  Margaret Lois Clark was a patient leader, and we had many enjoyable years under her faithful “waving hand”.  I remember the “Sound of Music” concert and the Easter cantatas we presented – with hard work – but fun!
Precious memories are felt by me, through organ music.  The organ can express many emotions: adoration, awe of His greatness and majesty – wonder, because we find Him all powerful – gratitude, for His love that surrounds us.  I feel this deeply, but it is my privilege, and duty, to make others feel these emotions, too.
It is my fervent prayer that some joy or comfort can be felt through the voice of the organ.
In Psalm 150: the Bible says -
“Through music, praise the Lord.  Praise Him in His temple, praise Him with the trumpet and with the harp.  Praise Him with the harp.  Praise Him with the drums.  Praise Him with stringed instruments and horns. Praise Him with cymbals, yes, loud clanging cymbals.”
Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! You praise Him – praise Him in song and music – Yes!  Hallelujah for Music.  Yes!  Hallelujah for Precious Memories!!
Evelyn Johnson

Music was very, very important to Evelyn... it was her ministry and her passion... as I mentioned Evelyn attended one year of classes at Northwestern University where she studied music; in visiting with friends of Evelyn it seems that she would have very much liked to have continued her music education... she had a true gift, but her love and devotion to her family brought her back to Lake City.

Evelyn was devoted to her Grandfather, her father, and her mother.  She lost a little brother who died after only a few days of life, William Austin Short.  I don't remember her ever mentioning her little brother, though she mentioned often how she missed out on some things by being basically an only child with her half-siblings from her father's first wife being so much older than she was.  One can only imagine Evelyn's joy in getting to see her little brother once again...

When I asked Evelyn's family for words to describe her, the first word spoken was 'loving', that she loved her family and that she never wanted to say or do anything to hurt anyone.  She was the softhearted and compassionate parent, it was always up to Darryl to be the one that disciplined.  Evelyn almost never raised her voice, one of the few times would have been the great ketchup escapade... but you'll have to talk to the family to hear the rest of that story... along with the story of how they learned that one should not dispose of molten wax down the kitchen sink.  Evelyn never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings and likewise, the family never wanted to hurt Evelyn's feelings.

The family commented how Evelyn always looked her very best, she loved bright colors and always had her hair styled.  She always had a smile on her face and never complained to me about anything or anyone.  We often talked about her children, she was always worried about Roxy even though she and Roxy visited on the phone every day.  More than once when I was there visiting her Valerie, or Ron would drop in, or she'd get a phone call from Sherry.

Evelyn remained very close to her High School friends for much of her life, getting together to play cards and such with the girls from her Senior Class, that went by the moniker of the “Dewy Ducks”.  During High School, they had sleepovers and gatherings, and they just had a lot of fun together. Clarice O'Tool told me at least one story that I can't share from the pulpit... so please corral her during the luncheon to hear the stories about this group of friends. A few years ago Valerie hosted a party for her mother and the rest of the “Dewy Ducks” and it sounded like they all had a wonderful time talking or 'quacking' or whatever together.

Evelyn loved to play cards and the family shared memories of Evelyn putting pillows in the middle of the table to help the grandchildren hold up their cards and to keep the others from seeing their cards.  She kept playing cards while out at Shady Oaks and I knew she was failing when she stopped coming out to play with her fellow card-players.  Although she was out to play Bingo the Monday before she passed, she did enjoy Bingo as well.

Evelyn was a social butterfly while out at Shady Oaks, enjoying the many events they provide for the residents, and she was fond of many of the staff... as they were also fond of her.  She was such a gentle and kind soul and became an endearment to many in her time living at Shady Oaks.

The family lamented that none of them, especially Roxy... was ever able to duplicate Evelyn's deviled eggs or her oatmeal cookies.  Sherry remembers when the kids were little how Evelyn convinced Darryl to do square dancing and her mom in her square dancing dress along with her father in a coordinating outfit.  Shelly also remembered them playing boccie-ball during the winters down South.  I've left most of the wonderful family stories to be told to you all during the luncheon and reception time after the interment, so please make sure and visit with Ron, Sherry, Roxy, and Valerie later to hear more of these great stories by those that lived through them and who can tell them the best of all.

The other attribute that came up again and again with Evelyn was her strong, strong faith... how she was the foundation of the children's faith-walk.  Evelyn not only played the organ and sang as demonstrations of her faith, she also was active in the Women's group at Woodlawn, she coordinated the local Meals on Wheels, and she volunteered for the Hospital Auxiliary working in the Hospital Gift Shop. Evelyn lived her faith each and every day and left a legacy for her family and each of us... to try and live up too.

Evelyn loved to read the Bible and did so every day.  At one point she asked me if I could find her a large print Bible and I loaned this Bible to her.  She kept it beside her chair for a very long time until finally she told me she had located a large print Bible of her own and she wanted to give this one back to me... as long as I have this Bible I will always think of Evelyn when I pick it up to read God's word.

Evelyn left behind for us a list of some of her favorite Bible passages and please allow me to share them with you at this time.  Please consider that each spoke to her to her in reassurance and instruction... please let them do so to you as well:

Psalm 105:4 New Century Version (NCV)
4 Depend on the Lord and his strength;
    always go to him for help.

Galatians 5:22-23a New Century Version (NCV)
22 But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. 

1 Peter 5:6-7 New Century Version (NCV)
6 Be humble under God’s powerful hand so he will lift you up when the right time comes. 7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you.

Deuteronomy 6:5 New Century Version (NCV)
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

Psalm 46:1-3  New Century Version (NCV)
1 God is our protection and our strength.
    He always helps in times of trouble.
2 So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes,
    or the mountains fall into the sea,
3 even if the oceans roar and foam,
    or the mountains shake at the raging sea.

Romans 12:12 New Century Version (NCV)
12 Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times.

Psalm 56:3-4a (NCV)
3 When I am afraid,
    I will trust you.
4 I praise God for his word.
    I trust God, so I am not afraid. 

And Evelyn's all so favorite verse... and one that was included in the Old Testament Reading that I recited earlier:

Psalm 118:24 
24 This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 was it seems her life-verse, the verse that she shared over and over and over again to her family.  This was the verse that she tried to live her life by and the verse she so wanted her family to live by as well.  May the Lord guide them in their journey to do so...

As a Minister, one of the difficult things about leading a funeral service is that for many of the souls gathered and mourning... you as the Minister represent the power and grace of God Almighty... you must model the strength and glory of the Father.  Often, this means people feel you as God's Minister... should be stoic and resolute... moving but unmoved...

But, let us remember the shortest verse in the Bible... John 11:35 “Jesus wept”.  Jesus' friend, whom he loved... Lazarus had died and Jesus had just spoken to Martha and then Mary who were weeping.  And Jesus too weeps... as we weep today for our loved one... Evelyn. I have no doubt in my mind... that this past Sunday morning... that God Himself wept... over the passing of Evelyn Ruth Johnson.  He wept knowing how much it will and does pain Evelyn's loved ones to be parted from her... no matter how brief.  But, God also cried tears of joy... as He greeted His beautiful child home...

On Sunday morning Evelyn was reunited with her forever loving husband Darryl, with her little brother, her mother, father, grandparents, and so, so many friends and relatives that have gone on before.  And I know as well that her Savior said to her... “Well done my good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of the Lord”.

Praise be to God!!

Closing Prayer:
Following the interment at Lake City Cemetery, the family wishes for you all to join them in further celebration of Evelyn's life and a time of shared remembrances and closure, by gathering with them for lunch in the Church's fellowship hall. For those who do not wish to attend the graveside service, please feel free to remain behind and wait here in our Fellowship Hall.

Let us please pray:
God of life, and light, and hope... with Your whole Church in heaven... and on earth... we bring to You our thanks, we offer to You our praise... for all that You have done for humankind through Jesus who is the Christ. You sent Him, your Son... to live and die for us. You showed Your plan for the world and proved that Your love has no limit, and on that first Easter when You raised Jesus from the dead You promised that all humankind might share His resurrection life. For the hope of our faith, for the good news of Your Kingdom, and for all those whom You have welcomed into Your loving presence, we thank You, gracious God... But especially now, we thank You for the life of Evelyn whom we loved. 

We thank You for all the ways in which Evelyn became special and precious to each of us who knew her; for the values and standards she set by her example and her life; for her sense of what was good and right and decent; for her warmth and humor and sense of family; for every life that she enriched and all that she invested of herself in our lives; for the faith by which she lived and in which she died. 

We thank you for the glorious treasury of memories that are ours to keep, to hold on to and to enjoy – the moments that were deep, special and personal, the times that rang with laughter and fun, and for the ordinary days of discovering each other a little more, when affection and love, trust and respect, grew and were deepened. We thank you for the courage shown, and for a life fulfilled, and for all that Evelyn reflected of Your goodness and love. And now though we mourn... we also are glad... for we celebrate today that Evelyn has found peace and will neither suffer nor mourn again. she has laid her burden down before you and is with you, safe, happy, whole, and welcomed by those for whom she once mourned. Help us to hold on to what we should... and to let go of what we must. Help us not to cling to the past constantly brooding for what might have been, but rather to take forward what she gave us for the rest of our lives’ journey. Help us to trust and to know that Evelyn will never be far from us until that day when we all stand together in Your presence. All this we pray to You today... through Jesus who is the Christ.
Amen 

Benediction:
As you go on your way, May God go with you.
May He go before you to show you the way;
May He go behind you to encourage you;
Beside you to befriend you;
Above you to watch over you;
And within you to give you peace.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Postlude:  

Committal Service:
Selfishly, we as mortals wish to hold on to Evelyn. It brings great pain to let her 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 her body to its place of rest. We will continue to mourn Evelyn, but now her smile and laughter will warm the kingdom of God. We will continue to love Evelyn, but God will now take care of her. We will continue to carry Evelyn in our thoughts, but she will now be kept safe in God's hands. Receive her in the arms of your mercy, O God, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of all your saints.

Let us hear now these words taken from the 14th Chapter of the Gospel of John
Hear these words from Jesus:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places.
If it were not so,
Would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself,
So that where I am, there you may be also.
And you know the way to the place where I am going.
I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
In a little while, the world will no longer see me,
But you will see me;
Because I live, you also will live.
I have said these things to you while I am still with you.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
Whom the Father will send in my name,
Will teach you everything,
And remind you of all that I have said to you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  
(John 14:1–4, 18–19, 25–27)

The family would like for me to share with you the following poem:
Don't hold me in your sorrow,
Don't shed those tears for me,
I've found my heavenly tomorrow,
God has set me free.
I'm in a better place,
I walk the streets of gold.
I'm sheltered by God's grace.
I have His hand to hold.
You never have to worry,
I have everything I need.
God made me happy,
When my soul was freed.
And when your days are over,
We'll surely meet again,
We'll share our love and laughter,
When you get to heaven.

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

God has blessed and enriched our lives in giving us Evelyn to know and love here on this earth. Though our time together was not nearly enough, in committing her body to the earth, we give over to God the care of her spirit, and we acknowledge that we will one day reunite with her in God's Kingdom. The Lord bless her and keep her; the Lord make his face shine upon her and be gracious to her; the Lord look upon her with favor and give her peace.

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

October 14, 2018 - Mark 10:17-31 "The Rich Man"

As I type this up this Wednesday evening, sad to say I'm in a terrible rush as I am preparing for yet another funeral in the morning, along with preparing for the Thursday night worship service.  This past Sunday I preached over the verses found in Mark 10:17-31 better known as 'The Rich Man'.

The point that I brought out in the close of the sermon was that in the verses concerning the Rich man who came to Jesus, and was confronted with his attachment to his monetary wealth, we are always lead to believe that he walked away and never came back.  Frankly, the verses don't support that... we honestly don't know what he determined to do.  This is reminiscent of the close of Mark's Gospel 16:1-8, where we are left with the women leaving the tomb without telling anyone.  The question here is will you be like the women and keep the message of Christ to yourself, or will you do as commanded and 'go tell'.  The rich man leaves and we're left to consider what will he do... what will we do... Will, we rid our lives of that which separates us from God or will we cling greedily to things of this world that impede our relationship with the Almighty...

Only we can answer these questions, but they are questions we are called to address...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Love & Grace,

Roy

Mark 10:17-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Rich Man
17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money[a] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is[b] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another,[c] “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

28 Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,[d] 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Footnotes:
a) Mark 10:21 Gk lacks the money
b) Mark 10:24 Other ancient authorities add for those who trust in riches
c) Mark 10:26 Other ancient authorities read to him
d) Mark 10:29 Or gospel


Mark 16:1-8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Resurrection of Jesus

16 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.

Thursday Night Service, October 11, 2018 - Hebrews 4:12-16

This past Thursday found us once again in the book of Hebrews, and in the verses that we read Jesus has been identified for the second time as the "Great High Priest", thus completing the setting of the stage for this upcoming Thursday's sermon.

In the first two verses this week we see the 'Word of God' as piercing (as a sword), exposing our true nature, and judging us.  All of us sin, and for all of us there will be a reckoning for that sin... some of us (sad to say) have a whole lot of reckoning coming... BUT, all without exception have fallen short, and all will be judged on that fate-filled day when we stand before the throne of God.  These first two verses are fright-filled... and we are left at this juncture with a sense of impending dread.

But, the verses from 14-16 turn the mood of these verses upon its head.  Here we learn of Christ's sympathy for us, His intercession for us in our confession to the Almighty.  Through Christ, we are assured of grace, mercy, and reconciliation with God.  We are told that we can approach the Judgement Seat not filled with dread, but that we may approach filled with confidence that our sins have been washed away entirely... Praise be to God!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ's Grace & Glory,
Roy

Hebrews 4:12-16 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested[a] as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Footnotes:

a) Hebrews 4:15 Or tempted

Sermon on Divorce - Mark 10:2-16, given on October 7, 2018

Last Sunday's sermon covered that always difficult topic of the sin of divorce.  There can be little doubt when one reads the scriptures for today's sermon that divorce is indeed a sin... a big one to be honest.

I've included a link to a previous article that I wrote on divorce and marriage so I'll try to avoid replicating too much of that post.  One of the major problems we have today is that people want to deny or rationalize away their sin (pretty much all sin), it's something that is done constantly with the sin of divorce.

The argument often focuses on the angle that in Jesus' time a divorced woman was left with little hope and would often have to resort to prostitution in order to survive.  That sounds like a very valid argument and it is almost always accepted and heads nod and the hurt feelings of having sinned are assuaged... there's just one problem... CLEARLY, Jesus isn't worried primarily about the welfare of the woman.  If he was then there wouldn't be a prohibition upon her divorcing her husband and remarrying, and there wouldn't be sin involved in another man marrying a divorced woman.

Luke 16:18 New International Version (NIV)

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Obviously, there's more at stake here than just concern for the woman's welfare.  The problem is the breaking of a covenant and the breaking of the relationship between the husband and the wife, and the two parties with God.  Marriage in a Church is, in fact, a sworn covenant with the Almighty and isn't something that can just casually toss aside... no matter how much we might wish to do so.

In the sermon, I mentioned the Prodigal Son and his father's relationship and then I didn't get around to fully connecting that to the prohibition on divorce (one of the problems with my stream of consciousness style of preaching).  The issue in the story of the Prodigal Son is, of course, one of reconciliation, the beauty of the story is the full reconciliation of the father/son relationship with the father rushing to the son, the giving of the ring, robe, and shoes, and the celebration thrown in honor of this restored relationship.  The sin in divorce is the breaking of the covenant and the broken relationship that divorce entails... the sin in the remarriage is the inability to restore or reconcile that which is broken.

The problem of divorce in our lives merely mirrors an even greater problem and that is the problem of minimizing, rationalizing, or even completely disregarding our sins.  Until we acknowledge our sins and confess them to our Creator... we'll just keep on sinning... and sin is of course, what divides us from our Lord.  Our Lord who so desperately wants only reconciliation with His children and His creation.

Be a blessing to someone today (reconcile with them!).

In His Grace & Love,
Roy 

Mark 10:2-16 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,[a] 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Footnotes:

a) Mark 10:7 Other ancient authorities lack and be joined to his wife

Photo by Christian Begeman

past blog post covering these same verses on marriage and divorce