Thursday night worship, Oct 24, 2019 - 2nd Timothy 4:1-5

Last Thursday we looked at 2nd Timothy 4:1-5.  I'm in a terrible rush this morning so I don't have time to comment a great deal.  I will just point out that here Paul (or the one writing in his name) relates his life to having been poured out almost as an act of worship of God.  Here I encouraged all to live a life as an act of worship... like Paul, let our lives be poured out for Christ.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Worship,

Roy

Notice that in 2 Timothy 1:8 the call to share in suffering for the gospel is possible “by the power of God” and in 2 Timothy 2:3 the charge to “share in suffering” is preceded by a prayer for strengthening “by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1) 

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NRSV)
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

November 2019 - Pastor's Newsletter Article

Below please find my article for the November Newsletter; I need to mention a couple of things that slipped my mind when writing the article.  Among the busy schedule of November, we also have our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner on November 24th immediately after worship.  The Church provides the turkey for the meal and we ask everyone to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share.  It's always a great feast and a wonderful time of fellowship.  Immediately after the meal we then do our annual "Hanging of the Greens", where we decorate the Church for the Christmas season.  Advent begins on December 1st this year and this annual decoration celebration always prepares the Sanctuary for the coming of Advent.

Please mark your calendars and try to take part in both of these events on November 24th.  There's nothing better than fellowship and welcoming the Advent/Christmas season into the Lord's house.

Be a blessing to someone today!!
In Christ,
Roy

Pastor's Ponderings – November 2019

Well, we're quickly moving into November and what is one of our busiest months of the year.  November 9th will be the Men's meeting at 7 am, the men will be preparing for their “Baked Potato Bar” on November 10th.  Make sure to plan to stick around after worship on the 10th and enjoy a great lunch and help sponsor the Men's programs here at Woodlawn. Baked Potato Bar serving: Baked Potato w/choice of toppings, Dessert Bar &/or Ice Cream, plus a Beverage Cost just $6.00 per person.

November 9th will also be the day of Bessie Hendricks's 112th Birthday party.  Yes, Bessie will be 112 years old!  The party is here at Woodlawn from 2 to 4 pm, make sure to come up and recognize this amazing event for Bessie, the Hendricks family, Woodlawn, and the State of Iowa.  Bessie is the oldest soul in Iowa and a genuine piece of living history!  God bless her!

November 14th will be the “season opener” for our Annual Soup Suppers.  Watch for more details!  Make sure to thank Donna Westcott for agreeing to chair these Suppers this year.

On November 23rd will be our “Main Event”!  Don't miss our Annual God's Portion Sale!  This is a crucial event for the success of our yearly ministries and operations.  Please donate and attend to help make this event the huge success it has long been!  Thank you all!!

Please note that I will be taking Nov. 25-27th as vacation days.  Gail and I have a large number of her family coming to spend Thanksgiving with us and it will be good to spend some time visiting with them all and preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner.

This last Sunday we talked again about 'prayer', as we grow closer and closer to 'Thanksgiving', let us think more and more about lifting up prayers of thanks to our Creator.  It is so often said that we just can't thank God enough but it is so very, very true.  Each day lift up prayers of thanks and also remember to thank those around you who help you out and make your lives just a little bit better.

I want to thank all of you who have worked so hard here at Woodlawn, there are too many to list but I do want to thank everyone (especially Gloria and Roxy) who work to put together the funeral luncheons.  In October it seemed that we really got socked with funerals and to all of you who help with this ministry of grace to these hurting and mourning families I must say thank you.  

I do want to lift up a specific thank you to Clyde for all he does for Woodlawn and all that he does for Gail and I personally.  You my friend simply make my experience here in Lake City so much easier and enjoyable.  Thank you for all the times you pitch in and all the times you literally bail me out.  God bless you for all of these times and more to come!

As we grow ever closer to Thanksgiving we each know that just around the corner of the Calendar is that wonderful day in December when we celebrate our Lord's birth.  This year let's all make a concerted effort to allow the spirit of giving “Thanks” to properly prepare our hearts for the coming of our Lord... Thanks be to God for His greatest and most timeless gift...

Be a blessing to someone today!
Pastor Roy

Luke 18:1-8 "The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge" - October 20, 2019

The sermon for this past Sunday covered the parable of "The Widow & the Unjust Judge".  Often this scripture is used to preach for 'social justice', and there certainly is that component here... but, the words translated as "grant me justice" can also be translated as "grant me righteousness" and the word translated as "opponent" can mean one you steals or removes your righteousness.  Given that this parable follows Luke's version of the 'Little Apocalypse' and that in verse 8 we see "when the Son of Man comes", I think we're dealing with something deeper here than just if someone has wronged you in some earthly fashion.

Please take a listen, it's actually a very brief sermon and this point alone is (in my humble opinion) worth the listen and some consideration.

Thank you for dropping by this tiny corner of the web.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Luke 18:1-8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge
18 Then Jesus[a] told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’”[b] 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Footnotes:
a) Luke 18:1 Gk he

b) Luke 18:5 Or so that she may not finally come and slap me in the face

Luke 17:20-37 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Coming of the Kingdom
20 Once Jesus[a] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among[b] you.”

22 Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.[c] 25 But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them 30 —it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise, anyone in the field must not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.”[d] 37 Then they asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Footnotes:
a) Luke 17:20 Gk he
b) Luke 17:21 Or within
c) Luke 17:24 Other ancient authorities lack in his day

d) Luke 17:35 Other ancient authorities add verse 36, “Two will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.”

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, sermon from Thursday Night Worship on October 17, 2019

Photo by Christian Begeman, Praire Sanctuaries

Last Thursday night the Lectionary had us once again in 2nd Timothy.  This time, we found ourselves covering the verses that bear that often quoted verse of "16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness".

Often this verse is used like a club to confront anyone we disagree with.  There are a couple issues here though in that much of scripture can be interpreted in more than one direction and then there is the real issue of just what was scripture in the understanding of the Author of 2nd Timothy.  There certainly wasn't the understanding we carry today as these verses (no matter who wrote them) predate any concept of a canon for either the Old or the New Testament.  But, this issue aside we should not let it prevent us from finding the untold value of these verses.

There are at the beginning of Chapter 3, verses warning us about the state of the world and cautioning us about becoming entangled with these things.  The larger point though of these verses are to continue to teach people in the tradition of Christ using Paul as an example of how we as disciples are to carry forward the message of Christ.

Paul was not perfect and we ourselves will never be perfect, but we are called to teach the perfect love, the perfect grace, the perfect forgiveness, and the desire for absolute reconciliation that is the unique message of Christ.  Let us work together, as imperfect and flawed as we may be, to let all know that in spite of the trials and travails of life... there is a God who loves them and desires a relationship with them... and with you... and with me.  Praise God!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

32 Timothy 3:14-4:5 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is[a] useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

Footnotes:
a) 2 Timothy 3:16 Or Every scripture inspired by God is also


2 Timothy 3:1-13 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Godlessness in the Last Days
3 You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! 6 For among them are those who make their way into households and captivate silly women, overwhelmed by their sins and swayed by all kinds of desires, 7 who are always being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people, of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith, also oppose the truth. 9 But they will not make much progress, because, as in the case of those two men,[a] their folly will become plain to everyone.

Paul’s Charge to Timothy
10 Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions, and my suffering the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived.

Footnotes:
a) 2 Timothy 3:9 Gk lacks two men

Luke 17:11-19, Sunday Worship - October 13, 2019 - The Ten Lepers

These verses in Luke's Gospel are often used to illustrate the all too common issue of the majority of those confirmed or baptized into our denominations leaving and never returning.  I don't think this is about that issue at all (though it is a very real and concerning issue!).  Rather here I see a story about the ultimate outsider... the leper who is also a Samaritan.  While he was afflicted just like his companions, who we are led to believe are Hebrews, he seems to have been included at least to the extent of their mutual affliction... now that he and the rest have been healed that old division has resurfaced.

The Samaritan returns to Jesus because he knows he is not welcome to accompany the Jews any longer... he will be much, much less welcomed at the Temple.  For him to enter the Temple would probably mean death... so, he returns to the Temple that does welcome him.  He returns to the one who healed him and he prostrates himself before his Savior.  The real message that I see here is that Jesus is the new Temple... the true Temple... the Temple where all are welcome no matter who or what they (we) are.

Praise be to God!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Luke 17:11-19 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus[a] was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers[b] approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’[c] feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Footnotes:
a) Luke 17:11 Gk he
b) Luke 17:12 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several diseases
c) Luke 17:16 Gk his

2 Timothy 2:3-15, October 10, 2019, Thursday Night Worship

And here we have last Thursday night's (Oct 10th) sermon video.  I'm going to get caught up with posting the sermons and will have this past Sunday's sermon up in the morning.

During this sermon, I mention all the hardships that have fallen upon so very, very, very many midwestern farmers this crop year.  They have suffered blow after blow from the weather.  Too much rainfall and now for so many in the Dakotas an early snowfall which may mean some crops will have to be harvested (if there's anything left to harvest) in the spring, which will delay next year's planting as well.  Please do pray for these affected souls, their livelihoods are literally on the line.

I mentioned the plight of the Dakota farmers to illustrate the setbacks that we have in life.  Often we feel that we are hit with one thing after another.  Illness, deaths, financial problems, the list goes on and on... of the things we confront in this lifetime.  But the beauty is that God remains there with us and if we lean on Him, we can soldier on through it all... praising God all the way.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Grace,
Roy

2 Timothy 2:3-15 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
3 Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer. 5 And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. 6 It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things.

8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 The saying is sure:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.

A Worker Approved by God
14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God[a] that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

Footnotes:
a) 2 Timothy 2:14 Other ancient authorities read the Lord

photo by Christian Begeman

2 Timothy 1:1-14, Thursday Night Worship - October 3, 2019

With having been gone to the "Craft of Preaching" conference for three days last week, I am woefully behind on the blog.  Here is the sermon from WAY.... back on October 3rd during the Thursday night service.

I'm just going to drop this and move to the next blog post.  Please take a few minutes and listen to the sermon as we begin a brief trip through the letter known as "2nd Timothy".

Be a blessing to someone today!!

In Christ,
Roy

2 Timothy 1:1-14 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Salutation
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus,

2 To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanksgiving and Encouragement
3 I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers. 4 As I remember your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lo′is and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you. 6 Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

8 Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, 10 and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.[a] 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; 14 guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

Footnotes:
a) 2 Timothy 1:12 Or what I have entrusted to him

Philip Jenkins funeral - October 12, 2019

On Saturday morning, we had the funeral for Phil Jenkins. The funeral was held at Lampe's Funeral Home and the luncheon was held here at Woodlawn.  Please pray for Phil's family, they have had far, far, far too many passings since I have arrived here in Lake City.  It's tragic that one family has lost so many loved ones in the last four and one-half years.

I have posted the funeral manuscript below.

God bless and comfort them all...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Order of Service – Funeral for Phil Jenkins – Oct 12, 2019

Call to Worship:
O God, who brought us to birth,
and in whose arms we die
in our grief and shock
contain and comfort us;
embrace us with your love,
give us hope in our confusion
and the grace to let go into new life;
through Jesus Christ.  Amen 

Greeting:
We have come together within the strengthening fellowship of friends and family:
to praise God for the life of Philip James Jenkins;
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 Phil to God's everlasting care.

Music: God Only Knows – For King & Country w/Dolly Parton 

Opening Prayer:
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 brother Phil.
We thank you for giving him to us, his 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.


Let us hear now 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.

Let us hear now a reading from the New Testament:
Matthew 20:1-16New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.  10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.  11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 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 the usual daily wage?  14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’  16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Music:  I Can Only Imagine – Mercy Me    

Message:  Pastor Roy Karlen – Woodlawn Christian Church
Philip James Jenkins was born on February 4, 1953, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Robert and Donna Jenkins. He graduated from Lake City High School in 1973.  After graduating from High School, Phil went to work for Nobles and worked there until their closing in 1982.  Later, Phil went to work for Bowie Manufacturing in Lake City, where he worked for 25 years until his retirement in 2018.

On July 2, 1997, Phil married Linda Maitland in Lohrville, with Reverend Hill officiating at that celebration. 

When I asked the family for some words to describe Phil, they said:
He would give you the shirt off his back, that he liked to joke, that he loved to cook and he did most of the cooking for the family, he especially loved to grill.  He enjoyed fishing when he was younger and he enjoyed hunting for mushrooms with his family.  Phil enjoyed watching cooking shows on television, they mentioned “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”.  He also enjoyed watching American Pickers, Deadliest Catch, the History Channel, especially Ancient Aliens, a show that he got Robert hooked on as well, and River Monsters, among others.  The family told me about Phil making his own lead sinkers for fishing, and his attempt at slaughtering his own hogs... which turned out to be a bigger undertaking than he had suspected.  They talked about how he liked to put ketchup on everything. And how that he as the oldest always got what he wanted... at least I'm sure that's how it seemed to his younger siblings.  They told me how he liked apple pie and that Donna, his mother made it for the family often.  Penny, June, and Larry told me he wasn't a particularly fussy eater and that he would finish off whatever was left on his younger sibling's plates.  And the family told me how much Phil loved his grandchildren... they were the light of his life and at the end, he especially responded to his grandson Tristan.

Phil's brother Larry has wonderful memories of playing with his older brother out at their mother Donna's parent's farm.  Phil and Larry would go and visit their Grandmother and Grandfather Visner often.  Sometimes it sounded like they went to visit because Donna had had enough of the two of them.  Larry discussed memories of running out in the field, playing in the barn, helping with the milking, As I mentioned, Phil was the oldest and he always got his way... and as such his siblings pointed out that he got to have a pony... no mention was made of them also having ponies.  The pony lived out at his Grandparent Visner's farm where he was able to ride it during his and Larry's many visits.  June mentioned that Phil also had a pet pigeon which he would take out to the farm and let go, it would then fly back to its roost in Lake City.  The pigeon ended up passing away at the paws of some feral cats and for many years Phil bore a grudge against all cats.  Phil loved all animals and did eventually come to love cats once again.  Larry mentioned he and Phil helping his grandparents care for the cows, chickens, and hogs.  They were so blessed as children to be able to experience farm life with their grandparents.

Penny told stories of Phil lifting her up and putting her on top of the refrigerator, which it didn't sound like she particularly cared for... but, her displeasure... likely simply made an older brother more inclined to continue to park her up there.  She also talked about getting to visit Phil after he'd moved from home and about him taking her 'clamming', looking for clams down on the Raccoon River.  It sounded like she wasn't overly excited about that outing either... 

Phil, Penny, and their Uncle Merle had birthdays very near together and for many years the family celebrated their birthdays as one, having a single party for all three.  I'm sure that those family memories will stay with Phil's siblings for the rest of their lives.  June told me about Phil going mushroom hunting, and fishing with his Uncle Vernard, Uncle Merle, and Grandfather Visner.  They would go hunting for mushrooms every Mother's Day and all three remembered the farm table being covered in mushrooms.

At the end of Phil's life, Linda and Stephanie spent many hours caring for him and they worked very hard to make his passing as peaceful and as comfortable as possible.  Stephanie and Linda were a great blessing to Phil and they should rest assured that he appreciated their every effort on his behalf.

Phil did not live the easiest of lives... the most tragic event of his life was the death of his son Shane who died at the all too young age of 32.  Shane was born when Phil himself was very young, born on January 18, 1975.  All of you here, are... I am certain well aware of the circumstances around Shane's accident and death.  Shane's death was extremely traumatic for Phil and for the rest of his life Phil held a misguided grudge against God.  I do believe though that at the end of Phil's life he reconciled with God in his own way.

I went to visit Phil a number of times in the hospital in Des Moines and then several times again once he'd come home to Lake City.  It was obvious from very near the beginning of Phil's hospitalization that his condition was terminal.  I was able to say several prayers with Phil and once while visiting with him in Des Moines when none of the family were in the room I was able to share with him that God loved him and I could see in his eyes... and in the grip he had on my hand that he understood... and that he too loved God and desired reconciliation.

Luke 15:11-24 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.

Stephanie shared with me that as he neared the end of his life... that Phil talked to her and Linda about seeing his mother Donna there in the house.  I do believe that as we near our own deaths... that the veil between this world and the next... becomes thinner and thinner.  Nearing our own crossing it is not uncommon to begin to see loved ones who have passed there with us.  I believe that God sends these spirits to soothe our anxiety and to help prepare us for our final journey.  It is in my humble opinion... a great reassurance and a tremendous blessing... that God saw fit to send Phil's mother Donna to fetch him home again.  Donna was without a doubt one of the finest and most lovely souls I've ever encountered.  If any single one of us has a hope of living eternally with the Almighty... certainly Donna is that one.

God sent Donna to comfort her little boy and to escort him into the Kingdom of God.  What an amazing... amazing... thing that was and is.  And given what Penny, June, and Larry told me... I'm sure Donna was there to take his hand in her's... and in her other hand... she likely had the most amazing apple pie one could ever hope to consume... just for her little boy.

Praise be to God for the love of a mother.... and most of all for the love of our Heavenly Father who understands our hardships, our hardheartedness, our anger and frustration, and who wishes nothing more than to love us and hold us in His embrace... Praise be to God indeed.

The family would like for me to share this little poem with you all:

Getting Tired
God saw you getting tired,
and a cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around you
and whispered, "Come with Me."
With tearful eyes, we
watched you slowly fade away.
Although we loved you dearly,
we would not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
your hard-working hands put to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.

Though we each grieve the loss of Phil, we should all rest assured that this is only a temporary parting and that we'll each get to see Phil's smile once again when we are all reunited in Heaven.  Praise be to God.  Today Phil is reunited with all of his friends and family that have gone on before him, today he is reunited with his mother Donna, and his son Shane... and today he is in the very presence of our almighty and all-loving God... Praise be to God...

Eulogies: 
The family would like at this time to allow anyone who might wish to share some memories of Phil to please do so now.  If you'd like you may come forward to speak, or if you'd rather please stand and speak from where you are.  Please do speak loudly in order to allow everyone to hear you.

Thank you all.

Before we close in prayer, I think it would be appropriate to hear one of Phil's mother's favorite songs.  This song always brought a tremendous smile to Donna's face, and I can only imagine today that Donna has a truly enormous and joy-filled smile upon her face as she holds her boy once more and as they are both held securely within one pair of hands...

Music:    One Pair of Hands

Closing Prayer:
The family invites you all to join them in further celebration of  Phil's life and a time of shared remembrances and closure, by joining with them for a luncheon at Woodlawn Christian Church, please join them at Woodlawn in the Church's fellowship hall immediately following this service.  Phil's ashes will be interred at a later date.

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 Phil to your unfailing love and overflowing goodness.  Through the power that raised Christ from the dead to live eternally with you, lift up this man, to life fulfilled beyond our imagining.  We give you but your own, enfold him in your everlasting arms, hold him for he is your child.

Now strengthen us, through the gift of your Spirit, to face into the future with confidence that you stand with us.  Grant that the changes of life may leave us stronger as we journey through life.

Reassured of your abiding presence, help us to knit more firmly the ties that bind us one to another.  Renewed by your love, help us to love in ever-larger circles so as to embrace your people everywhere till at last we are all united eternally through Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Benediction:

Music:     "I Could Not Ask for More"  Sara Evans 

Luke 17:1-10, Sermon Sunday October 6, 2019

Yesterday, there was a problem with the video of the sermon, so I went to the Facebook Livestream and captured the audio of the sermon and created a video with that.  So today you won't see my smiling face and I'm certain that is a vast improvement.

Today, I am in Saint Paul, MN through Wednesday for a seminar on preaching.  So this will be a short post as I need to head to the seminar.

Please take a listen and please as always...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Luke 17:1-10 NRSV
Some Sayings of Jesus
17 Jesus[a] said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! 2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Be on your guard! If another disciple[b] sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a[c] mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

7 “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8 Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

Footnotes:
a) Luke 17:1 Gk He
b) Luke 17:3 Gk your brother
c) Luke 17:6 Gk faith as a grain of

Funeral for James Lee Sorenson - October 2, 2019

Order of Service – Funeral for James Lee Sorenson 

Prelude: Organ Music

Procession: All please rise.

Call to Worship:
Heavenly Father, You have assured us that through Your Son all shall have eternal life. Trusting in Your faithfulness and mercy, we await that glory filled day when You raise us all to life in triumph and we shall stand before Your throne. Standing there with all Your creation made new in Christ Jesus, basking in the glory of Your eternal Heavenly Kingdom. 

Greeting:
We have come together within the strengthening fellowship of friends and family:
to remember the life of James Lee Sorenson;
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 Jim to God's everlasting care.

Music:     Go Rest High On That Mountain - Vince Gill

Opening Prayer:
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 brother Jim.
We thank you for giving him to us, his 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: When I Get Where I'm Going - Brad Paisley

A reading from the Old Testament:

Psalm 65 NRSV
Thanksgiving for Earth’s Bounty
1  Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
2  O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains;
 you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

A reading from the New Testament:
Matthew 20:1-16 New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Music: Dancing in the Sky – Dani & Lizzy

Message:  Pastor Roy Karlen – Woodlawn Christian Church
James Lee Sorenson was born in Lake City, Iowa, on July 11, 1948, to Fred and Dora  Sorenson.  Jim was baptized here at Woodlawn Christian Church on November 5th, 1956 by Reverend Prather.  He was a 1966 graduate of Lake City High School and continued his education at Iowa State University graduating in 1970 with a degree in Forestry.  On June 13, 1999, Jim married Lana Caswell right here at Woodlawn Christian Church. He was a member of Calhoun County Pheasants Forever and ISU Alumni Association.  Jim's life's work was primarily that of a farmer, he loved the land and he loved life.

When I asked his family to give me some words that described Jim they said the following: 
Gentle, friendly, family-oriented, relationships were very important to him, he was competitive, he loved games and he wanted to win, he was a kid at heart and never grew up. He loved Iowa State and was a fan of all their sports, especially football and he had season tickets to their football games for 40 years.  They told me that Jim was a friend to nearly everyone, that he was a great listener, and he was always smiling.  He loved to garden and always had a large garden. I was told that he was rarely ever stressed and was always easy-going, even-tempered, and laid back. He always believed that God would provide.  They said that he was a Jack-of-all-trades. Jim enjoyed antiques and going picking with Lana. He enjoyed playing cards, especially euchre. The family said Jim was a survivor, that he loved animals, he liked to hunt, to fish, and to just be outdoors.  That he was a farmer, and he loved his farm. I was told about his great love for the 4th of July and fireworks. And finally, it was shared that he would truly be missed by so very, very, very many people.

As I said earlier, Jim was born here in Lake City, he was the youngest of three boys and grew up on the farm that he and Lana have lived on for so many years. He attended 'country school' during the 1st and 2nd grades before coming to school in Lake City.  After graduating from college, Jim lived and worked for a time in Boone, IA, working for 3M.  Later Jim worked construction and a few other odd jobs before returning home to farm in the early '70s. Jim raised sheep for many years and for the last 18 years he and Lana were very well known for their sweetcorn, “Sorenson's Sweetcorn”.  They raised 18 acres of sweetcorn and worked hard together to build the business.

Jim loved his children and grandchildren, the family has endless memories of playing sports, board games,snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, and trapping with their father and grandfather.  He was especially devoted to attending the grandchildren's sporting events and in fact Lana and Jim didn't renew their Iowa State tickets this year just so they'd be able to attend more of their grandchildren's competitions.  I mentioned that Jim loved the 4th of July and it was the love of putting on the firework displays for the grandchildren that really motivated him.  Lana and Jim would make a trip each year to Missouri to purchase fireworks.

The family told me how Jim only knew how to make one dish... and that was peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.  It was something he was known for, though he did also help Lana make salsa each year from the bounty from their garden.  This past year was the first time that Jim and Lana didn't have an enormous garden, they took the year off due to Jim's health but were already making plans for next year.

Lana and Jim had a mutual love for antiques and spent a great deal of time searching for unique and unusual items to sell in their booth located in 'Antique Iowa' in Story City. They would stop and shop at flea markets and shops as they traveled to their winter haunts in Texas.  They spent the last five winters in Texas and shopped all over and even down into Mexico for antiques and collectibles.  For a time Jim and Lana had the Raccoon River Gallery here in Lake City.

I mentioned that Jim enjoyed playing cards and especially euchre.  He played euchre every day with his card group in Lanesboro.  The games first started at Ester's gas-station and then moved to Daisy's Cafe when the gas-station closed down.

Jim was always an outdoors-man, loving to fish, to hunt, and to trap.  He trapped mink for many years and enjoyed hunting deer every year.  He was given the 'Tail Feather' award for his activity and involvement in Pheasants Forever and he always considered himself a conservationist.  Jim planted many windbreaks for wildlife habitat and to fight wind erosion.

The family will always hold precious memories of picking raspberries with Jim and of consuming these berries along with homemade ice-cream.  The raspberries and ice-cream were a family tradition for Jim.

There simply is no end to the memories that Jim has left behind with his family and loved ones, please share these memories with each other after the service during our luncheon here in Fellowship Hall.  The last thing that the family told me about Jim was that he will be missed... indeed he will be missed.

God does not cause tragedy to happen... but what He can do and what He will do if we are attentive is to show to us in these times of darkness and dis-pare His love for us.  Good can come out of tragedy and loss if we are determined to do good in the name of God.

What God has done here today is to demonstrate to each of you His love for you all... He has reached out to you and brought you here to His house, where if you allow Him he will put His arm of comfort around you and bear you up in your time of grief. God has brought each of you here to be His agent of comfort to His children as they ache with broken hearts.  He has chosen you to comfort them and He has chosen them to comfort you. Just as Christ grieved over the death of Lazarus, God grieves over the death of Jim.

As one called to be God's advocate and at times like these God's voice I declare to you all... unequivocally... God LOVES you... He calls to you to come to Him, place your weary and worried head upon His shoulder... pray to Him of your sorrows and He will grant you His peace.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

As the words of the Apostle Paul spoke to all of us: 
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Finally, let us find comfort in these wonderful and well known words in the 23rd Psalm, these words that remind us that no matter where we go... our Lord is with us, and that no matter how rough the seas of life may be, that if we come to Him and cling to Him... those turbulent seas will become still waters.

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.

The family has requested that we all sing together the very well known hymn by Horatio Spafford, “It Is Well with My Soul.  Considering the incredible tragedy and loss that Horatio had just suffered and which led to his writing of this hymn, it is especially appropriate that we sing it here today.  No matter how much loss Horatio suffered, no matter how much loss we suffer... as long as we hold firm to our faith in our loving Lord... it is indeed well with our souls.  Praise be to God.

Please turn in the hymnal in front of you to Hymn #561 “It Is Well with My Soul”.

Music: It Is Well with My Soul – Hymn #561

Closing Prayer:
Immediately following this service we will proceed to the Lanesboro Cemetery for the committal service.  The family has asked that only the immediate family attend the graveside service due to the rain and the condition of the cemetery as a result of all the rain.  Please wait here for us in Fellowship Hall and continue in further celebration of  Jim's life and a time of shared remembrances and closure.  Please allow this closing prayer to serve as grace for that meal.

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 Jim 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 him in your everlasting arms, hold him for he is yours.
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:

Exit Music: Hunting, Fishing, Lovin Everyday – Luke Bryan

Committal Service:
We selfishly want to hold on to Jim. It brings great pain to let 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 his body to its place of rest. We will continue to mourn our loss, but his laughter will warm the kingdom of God. We will continue to love Jim, but God will now take care of him. We will continue to carry Jim in our thoughts, but he will be kept safe in God's hands. Receive him in the arms of your mercy, O God, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace.

Let me share with you all at this time... these cherished words penned by the one and only Paul Harvey, these words concerning farmers, it's called “So God Made a Farmer”:

So God Made a Farmer - Paul Harvey
And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.
"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer.
God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadowlark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church.
"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.

Today, we bury a farmer... and we give back to the Earth one of its very own.

Let us hear now these words of reassurance from our God:
PSALM 121
We lift our eyes up to the hills.
From where does our help come?
Our help comes from the Unseen One,
The Maker of the heavens and the earth,
Who will not cause our feet to stumble,
Our protector who never sleeps.
The Abundant One preserves us,
The Watchful One is our shelter and support.
The Vigilant One guards us from evil,
And keeps our Life-breath safe.
The Shepherd guards our going out
and our coming in from now unto eternity.

Hear now a reading from the 1st Chapter of 2nd Corinthians:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.

God has called you each to console the other, please accept this calling in the days, weeks, and years to come and be His comfort one to another.  Through your love for one another, He has shown His love for all of you, and for Jim.  Praise be to God.

Let us pray:
In sure and certain hope that, as Christ lived and was the first to rise from the dead, we too shall have new life and will join our heavenly Father along with all the saints in a new and better place. We, therefore, commit our brother Jim to the earth from which he was made, and lay to rest this mortal body that it might put on immortality. The Lord bless him and keep him; the Lord make his face shine upon him and be gracious to him; the Lord look upon him with favor and give him eternal peace.  Amen

Believing in the Resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we now entrust Jim to the care of Almighty God and we ask Our Father to lead Jim to the room made ready just for him. As we now commit his body to its final resting place; we commend his spirit to its new home. Rest eternal grant him, and let God's light perpetual shine upon him. Almighty God, as you once called our brother Jim into this life, so now you have called him into life everlasting. 

Let us pray together the prayer that our Lord taught to us............

This concludes the graveside services.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His strong arms uphold you and comfort you in the days, weeks and years ahead.  Go in His peace.