Luke 21:5-19m The Destruction of the Temple, worrying about End Times

The sermon last Sunday covered Luke's version of the "Little Apocalypse".  One of the major problems we've had in the past was a focus upon when and how Jesus will come into the world again.  It is my contention that trying to decipher or conjure such things from scripture causes us to lose sight of what we are called to do... we are called as Christ-followers to live as though Christ were already here.  And to be frank... He is...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Luke 21:5-19 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Signs and Persecutions
10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17 you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Luke 20:27-38 Who is going to care for us... who is responsible for us? Sermon given November 10, 2019

Photo by Christian Begeman

This sermon looked at the scripture found in Luke's Gospel in Chapter 20, verses 20-38.  Here the issue isn't who gets to enjoy the benefit of being married to the woman nor even who gets the honor of being married to the woman, but rather who is responsible for her... who must take care of and provide for her.  Jesus' point here is that none of these seven brothers need to be concerned about 'having' to be responsible for the woman... God will now be taking care of her and providing for her.  In Heaven... God provides for and takes care of us all... what a wonderful thing to realize.

Praise God...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy 

Luke 20:27-38 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Question about the Resurrection
27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28 and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man[a] shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30 then the second 31 and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.”

34 Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”

Footnotes:
a) Luke 20:28 Gk his brother

Thursday Night Worship - November 7, 2019 - James 1:12-18 "Temptation"

Last Thursday's sermon continued our quick journey through the Letter believed to be written by James the brother of Christ.  I continued to present the wisdom of James the Just, a letter that while short has long been a great inspiration and message to so very many.

This sermon focused upon the ever-present temptations of life and I relayed a story about the boys in my youth group as an illustration.  The point was that far, far, far too often our inability to resist sin drags others into suffering along with us.  Whether these sins be substance abuse, infidelity, or one of the many other temptations that face us daily our failings affect others tremendously.

Please take a listen to the words that James has given us to help us organize our lives... and remember to...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

James 1:12-18 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Trial and Temptation
12 Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord[a] has promised to those who love him. 13 No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14 But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved.[b]

17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[c] 18 In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Footnotes:
a) James 1:12 Gk he; other ancient authorities read God
b) James 1:16 Gk my beloved brothers
c) James 1:17 Other ancient authorities read variation due to a shadow of turning

Photo by Christian Begeman

Sermon November 3, 2019 - Zacchaeus and Jesus

The story of Zacchaeus is a story about a changed heart.  Jesus encounters Zacchaeus and calls him to him, through this interaction Zacchaeus is immediately changed forever.  Encounters with Christ are supposed to be like that... thus, we have to ask ourselves have we been changed?

Are we living differently than we did before we found the love, grace, and glory of Christ?  Does this change go beyond our Sunday appearance or is it just a one day a week change?

Things to ponder...

The children helped me with the sermon, so please take a listen!  And thank you, Scott Crandall, for helping with the sermon as well!  God bless!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Grace,
Roy

Luke 19:1-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

James 1:1-8, Thursday Night Worship, October 31, 2019

Last Thursday we started looking at the epistle that we call "The Book of James" or simply "James".  James has long been one of my favorite books partially due to the fact that I am a fan of "James the Just" the brother of Christ and I am of the mind that James did write this epistle.

Please join us as we take a quick trip through these writings that just might have flowed from the hand of the brother of our Lord.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

James 1:1-8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Salutation
1 James, a servant[a] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.

Faith and Wisdom
2 My brothers and sisters,[b] whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6 But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7, 8 for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Footnotes:
a) James 1:1 Gk slave
b) James 1:2 Gk brothers

Ronald Gregg - Funeral November 6, 2019

Below please find the manuscript from the funeral that we held earlier today for Ronald Gregg.  Ronnie passed away unexpectedly on October 31st, please pray for his family, especially his wife Carol.

May God comfort and strengthen you all.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Order of Service – Funeral for Ronald Gregg 

Prelude:

Call to Worship:
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. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. 
(2nd Corinthians 1:3-5)

Greeting:
We have come together this morning to praise God for the life of Ronald C. Gregg: to mourn our loss with one another, to console each other in our moment of grief; to celebrate Ronald's life and all that he meant to all that loved him; to celebrate God's love for Ronald, and His love for each of us; And to commend Ronald to God's everlasting love and care.

Opening Prayer:
Let us pray:
Father of all mercies and God of all consolation, You pursue us with untiring love and dispel the shadow of death with the bright dawn of life. Give courage to this family in this their time of loss and sorrow.

Secure in Your refuge and strength, O Lord, reassure them of Your continuing love and lift them from the depths of grief into the peace and light of Your presence.

Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by dying has destroyed our death, and by rising, restored our life. Your Holy Spirit, our comforter, You speak for us in groans too deep for words. Come alongside Your people, remind them of Your eternal presence and give them Your comfort and strength.  Amen.

Music: On Eagles Wings

Reading from the Old Testament:
Let us hear now 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.

Reading from the New Testament:
Let us hear now a reading from the New Testament;
1 Corinthians 15: 35-44
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Music:  How Great Thou Art

Message:  Pastor Roy Karlen – Woodlawn Christian Church
On Thursday, October 31st, of 2019, Ronald “Ronnie” C. Gregg was born into the Kingdom of Heaven.  Ronnie was born into this world in which we all reside on October 5, 1942.  He was born here in Lake City, Iowa to Walter and Berniece  Gregg.  He grew up on the family farm and attended Country School until the 8th grade. Ronnie attended High School in Lake City and graduated from Lake City High School as a member of the class of 1960.  On January 22nd of 1964, Ron married Carol Spencer in Waukon, Iowa at the Presbyterian Church.  Carol remembered that Reverend Tajden presided over their joy-filled union.  The happy couple later were blessed with welcoming into this world two sons, Todd and James.

When I asked Carol and her sister Kay for words to describe Ronnie, they said that he was fun-loving, that he loved to laugh, that he was always happy, that he loved to tease... and that's something that was confirmed to me by several others that visited with me about Ronnie.  They said that he loved to play golf, that he loved to hunt deer and he went every year to Nebraska to deer-hunt... because you see... you can use a rifle there, and he liked to hunt pheasants as well and did so when he was younger.  They also mentioned that he loved to play cards.  In fact, his card buddies are here today as his honorary pall-bearers in honor of their many hours of playing together.

Carol told me that when they lived in Eldora, IA that Ronnie had served on the Fire Department, and he very much enjoyed it.  Their grocery store was right beside the Fire Department and Ronnie could hustle over there and drive the fire-truck.  The fellows on the Department nick-named him “Little Bit” and even had that emblazoned on his uniform.  They liked to put two pillows on the front seat of the fire-truck to tease Ronnie about his small stature.  In spite of or perhaps because of all the good nature ribbing, Ronnie loved his time serving on the department.

One of the last things that Carol and Kay mentioned was how much Ronnie enjoyed working on the farm as a youngster and finally at the end for Dave Iler.  We'll talk more about that in a few minutes...

Carol also did tell a story about how when she and Ronnie were living here in Lake City the first time and their home was on Woodlawn, about Todd and James directing traffic out on Main Street.  Actually, it sounded like they had blocked off traffic on Main and then were letting a few cars go through at a time.  There was also a story about climbing on top of a stop sign... I was informed that apparently, the two were a bit rambunctious and a wee bit ornery.  I had assumed from the stories that I've heard since coming to Lake City that Todd and James uncle Kim was the ornery one in the Gregg family, now I'm told that it's a family trait and that Ronnie passed it on to his boys as well.  I think these stories... and it sounded like there are plenty of them... are best left to the family to relay after the service and while we're all gathered in Fellowship Hall enjoying a meal and reminiscing. 

When Carol and Ronnie were first married, Ronnie was working in Waukon at the Super Value as their Produce Manager.  Ronnie had gotten his start in the grocery business here in Lake City at the Super Value working for Pat Ryan.  Ronnie started at the Super Value as a bag boy and worked his way up the ladder.  When Pat Ryan purchased the Super Value in Waukon he sent Ronnie there as part of his management team.

After their wedding, Carol and Ronnie honeymooned in Minneapolis and unbeknownst to them, Pat Ryan had made arrangements to pay for their stay and expenses at the Hotel.  Obviously, Pat thought the world of Ronnie and must have very much appreciated him as an employee and as a friend.

It wasn't long after the couple was married that Pat purchased another Super Value, this time in Caledonia, MN, and he asked Ronnie to go there and to be the Store Manager.  While Ronnie was managing the store in Caledonia he was still involved in management in Waukon and he traveled between both stores off and on.

Ronnie then had a chance to work for his uncle in Esterville, IA at the Red Owl that his uncle owned there.  He managed the Produce Department in Esterville for about a year before he and Carol moved back to Lake City to work for Jim Schleisman at the Super Value in Lake City where Ronnie had started out so many years before as a bag-boy.  That was in 1967 and he remained there until 1971.  In 1971 Jim purchased a Super Value in Jefferson and Ronnie went there to manage that store.

In 1979 Carol and Ronnie purchased their own Super Value in Eldora, IA and aptly named it Gregg's Super Value.  They owned the store there until 1982 when they closed the store and Ronnie was approached by the corporate office of HyVee to come and work for HyVee.  He first worked for HyVee in Eldora and then he was transferred to work in their new store in Lincoln, NE, where they moved in September of 1982.  Ronnie worked in Lincoln until 1996 when he asked to be moved to the HyVee in Carroll in order to be closer to his mother who was in ill-health.  For a while, Carol remained behind in Lincoln trying to sell their home but she finally joined Ronnie and she then went to work at the hospital here in the admissions department.

After Ronnie's mother passed the family sold the farmstead and Carol and Ronnie moved into Lake City to their home on Lincoln Street.  They remained in that home up until this day.

Ronnie worked in the meat department at the HyVee in Carroll until October of 2007 when he retired and started working with his brother Gary detailing cars in the big garage that they have behind the house on Lincoln Street.  When they weren't detailing automobiles it sounded like they were busy playing card games and it sounded like euchre was the game of choice for Ronnie, Gary, and all of their gang.

It wasn't too long after Ronnie retired that Carol retired herself as she thought it wasn't right that Ronnie got to have all the fun.  It sounded like there were many great times visiting and playing cards enjoyed in that big garage.  Ronnie and Gary kept detailing cars as a side-line for many years, and it was just in the last couple of years that they decided to curtail their enterprise.  But, I understand that just left more time for card playing.

Ronnie also liked to cut his own firewood and he did so for many years.  It was also just in the last couple of years that he stopped this exercise as well.

He did keep working part-time though for David Iler working out on the farm for David.  In fact, some of the land that he was working on was the old Gregg family farmland.  Working the same ground that he grew up on and had worked upon as a child.  Ronnie loved to be out in the fields working and that is where he was when he passed... out in the middle of an Iowa field working to help bring in the fall harvest.  He had just been to see the doctor that morning and told them that he had to get going to get back to work, we all know all too well that when the harvest is in full swing there is always work to be done... and Ronnie didn't want to miss out on any of it.

Ronnie had worked for the Ilers for eight years and even though he'd had a bout with esophageal cancer this spring he was cleared to go back to work on the farm this fall.  David and Ronnie worked to determine what he would still be able to do and Ronnie went right back to work.  Ronnie had bounced back amazingly fast from the surgery for his cancer and it seemed his determination wasn't going to stop there, he wanted to help with the harvest.  After the surgery, he'd made it his goal to be ready for the fall work and he was there reporting for duty on the first day in the field.

Even though Ronnie had lived much of his life away from and working in the grocery industry, he never lost his love for the farm.  You can take the Iowa Farm-boy off of the farm but you can't take the farm out of the Iowa Farm-boy.  In the end, Ronnie died right where he probably was the most happy to be, out in the middle of a field helping to bring in the fall harvest... there's not much more a farm-kid could ask for.

Ronald loved to help on the farm, he loved the land, and he loved his Lord.  The Lord blessed him for his devotion and hear now these words found in the book of Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 11:13-15
13 If you will only heed his every commandment that I am commanding you today—loving the Lord your God, and serving him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil; 15 and he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you will eat your fill. 

The family asked that I share this poem with you all today;

Come With Me – Author unknown
When the days are sad and lonely,
and everything goes wrong
I seem to hear you whisper, "Cheer
up and carry on."
Every time I see your picture, you
smile and seem to say,
"Don't cry, I'm only sleeping,
we'll meet again someday."
God saw you were getting weary, so he
did what He though best,
He came and stood beside you, and
whispered, "Come and rest."
You bade no one a last farewell,
nor even said, "Good-bye."
You were gone before we knew it,
and only God knows why.
A million times I've needed you, a
million times I cried.
If love alone could save you, you
never would have died.
In life we loved you dearly, in death
we love you still
In our hearts you hold a place no
one can ever fill.
It broke my heart to lose you, but
you didn't go alone.
For a part of me went with you the
day God took you home.

Today we gather to celebrate the life of and mourn the passing of Ronald Gregg.  Though each of you... family, friends and loved ones gathered here today feel the heavyweight of sorrow in your hearts... each of us should at the same time... be filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and celebration for Ronald's entry into Heaven.  On October 31st, Ronald passed from this world and was born anew in the Kingdom of the Lord... there his eyes looked for the first time upon the incredible and unimaginable splendor of God Himself...  Praise be to God!

Music: Lord's Prayer

Closing Prayer:
Following the interment at Lake City Cemetery, the family invites you all to join them in further celebration of Ronnie'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 at the Church.  The family has asked that you please wait for the family to return before you start the luncheon.  Once we have all returned, then I will say a blessing over the meal and those who have prepared it for us today.

Let us pray:
O God, our Strength, and our Redeemer, Giver of life, and Conqueror of death, we open our hearts to you just as we are.  We celebrate your gift of life freely given but are grieved by a sense of loss in the face of death.  The love which binds us to one another leaves us aching as ties are broken.  Accept our tears as emblems of devotion, and transform them into the waters of life with which 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 Ronald to your unfailing love and overflowing goodness.  Through the power that raised Christ from the dead to live eternally with you, lift up this, your servant, to a life fulfilled beyond our imagining.  We give you but your own, enfold him in your everlasting arms, hold him for he is your child.

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

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

Benediction:
Postlude:  


Committal Service – Ronald Gregg

Selfishly, we as mortals wish to hold on to Ronald. It brings great pain to let him go. Living in the resurrection and 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 Ronald, but now his smile will warm the kingdom of God. We will continue to love Ronald, but God will now take care of him. We will continue to carry Ronald in our thoughts, but he will forevermore be kept safe in God's hands. Receive him in the arms of your mercy, O God, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of all your saints.

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.

Though we are now parted for a little while from Ronald, he has not left us entirely... for as long as his memory affects our lives, our interactions, our relationships, our decisions here in this world... a little bit of Ronald yet remains... cherished and hidden away in our hearts.

We Remember Him – Author Unknown
When we are weary and in need of strength,
When we are lost and sick at heart,
We remember him.

When we have a joy we crave to share
When we have decisions that are difficult to make
When we have achievements that are based on his
We remember him.

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring,
We remember him.

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
We remember him.

At the rising of the sun and at its setting,
We remember him.

As long as we live, he too will live
For he is now a part of us,
As we remember him.

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

God has blessed and enriched our lives in giving us Ronald to know and love here on this earth. Though our time together was not nearly enough, in committing his body to the earth, we give over to God the care of his spirit, and we acknowledge that we will one day reunite with him in God's Kingdom. 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 peace.

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

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

This concludes our graveside service.  Thank you all for coming.

Funeral for Gene Wirt - November 1, 2019

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Below please find the manuscript for the funeral of Eugene Wirt that I performed last Friday afternoon at the Community Center in Lohrville, IA.

This was a very large funeral for a fellow that was larger than life and who was a fixture of the Lohrville Community.  God comfort and bless his family and friends.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Order of Service – Funeral for Eugene “Julio” Wirt

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

Greeting:
We have come together within the strengthening fellowship of friends and family:
to praise God for the life of; Eugene Webb Wirt;
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 Gene to God's everlasting care.

Opening Prayer:
O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our brother Gene.

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: George Strait- You’ll Be There 

Reading from the Old Testament:
Psalm 139: 1-18
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light around me become night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15     My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end—I am still with you.

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 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.”

Message:  Pastor Roy Karlen
Woodlawn Christian Church, Lake City, IA
Eugene Webb Wirt was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa on May 27, 1953, to Curt and Lillian Wirt. He graduated from Lohrville High School in 1972. Throughout the years Gene worked for the State of Iowa, the City of Lohrville, for IBP, Gemberling Excavating, Arcadia and Lohrville Lockers, and the New Coop where he was working when his health caused him to retire in 2016

Eugene passed from this world and into the next on Sunday, October 27, 2019, at the all too young age of 66 years.  The family noted that shortly after Gene's passing that the electricity went out in Lohrville, Lanesboro, and Lake City... the outage was blamed on an errant squirrel... but the family believed that their father was the real culprit.  Either that or he put the poor squirrel up to causing the mischief.  He was after all always feeding the squirrels... and who knows... who really knows...

Today we are gathered to give thanksgiving for Gene's life and to give thanks for the love and the unending grace that our Father in Heaven holds for each of us, and for Gene.

I remember a few months ago reading an article that talked about how none of us truly has just one identity; each of us is viewed through the eyes of so very many, many, different people and each of these people constructs a slightly different, or even vastly different identity of our being... it seems nobody, not even we ourselves really knows the 'real' us... for there really is no single us... we each play different roles and have many identities in the lives and eyes of those around us.  Such was the case with  Gene, each of you gathered here today knew a different Eugene Webb Wirt.  Each knew Gene in a slightly different context, for many of you he was a friend, for Lillian a son, for Cody and Heather he was their father, for Laurie he was a loving boyfriend, and for his grandchildren he was their grandpa.  Just as Gene had so very, very many different nick-names... Julio, Hoot, and many... that we probably can't mention in polite company... he like all of us, played many different roles in the lives of those around him.

When I asked Cody, Heather, and Amanda for words to describe their father and father-in-law... Heather spoke first with a word that we really can't once again use in polite company... when I pointed out that I really couldn't say that she rephrased it with another word that I assured her once again that I couldn't use in polite company... however all three reassured me that both words were true... I will leave it to you all to ask them for the phrases used...

Suffice to say everyone that I asked about Gene told me that he was a character.  The family told me that he was strong, very stubborn, that he liked to have fun, and he enjoyed his beer, that he loved to hunt deer and pheasants too... and that he was hoping to hunt deer even this year, he was a gun enthusiast... okay, they used the word freak... he was a gun freak.  If you wanted to know about guns or talk about guns, Gene was your man... he loved his lever actions and shotguns... and pretty much all guns.  They told me that he had bought rifles for both of his granddaughters.  He was a member of the NRA and an active member of Pheasants Forever. Gene enjoyed hunting and shooting a great deal and I'm certain that his hunting and shooting friends will miss him a great deal. I myself, enjoy firearms and listening to the family talk about Gene and his love for collecting them left me with regret that I never had the opportunity to pick his brain and visit with him about our mutual passion.

Gene loved his job and it broke his heart when he had to retire after his accident in 2016.  He loved being on the Lohrville Fire Department and his involvement on the Fire Department meant so much to him that he wished for his brothers on the Department to escort his remains to their final resting place and for the Firemen to serve as his pall-bearers.  However, I should note... that given what I have been told about Gene... that he would most likely point out to his friends transporting his remains today that it isn't like they're going to have to strain or get any kind of a work out... because he's been cremated after all.  He loved his friends and they were like family to him but that didn't mean he didn't like... actually love... to bust their chops and give them a hard time... I'm assured that he did.  His friends were like family, a dysfunctional... disoriented perhaps even... but family... and he loved you all.

Gene's friend Pug called Gene 'The Legend of Lohrville' because he was well known for four Counties in all directions. I was told that he'd never met a stranger... and that everyone knew him... but, most didn't know his real name. It seems that nick-names was something the Gene/Julio/Hoot, and his friends reveled in, Heather said that she was an adult before she realized that the names that many of her father's friends went by were not, in fact, their real names.

Gene was a rebel and if there were rules he probably would break them... some way or another.  He was care-free and did what he wanted to do.  He liked to party and as I mentioned before he liked to drink. More than one person confided in me that Gene could out-drink anyone. Though Gene always enjoyed himself, his children told me he'd calmed down a bit and cleaned up a bit in the last few years... he even got himself a girlfriend...  Laurie, who had been a long-time friend and who became more than that as their relationship blossomed.  The family told me that even though Gene had enjoyed partying for so many years that he took pride in never having missed a single day of work.

Gene loved his family and was proud of his children and grandchildren.  Cody told me that though he'd long known that his father had attended every one of his wrestling matches, that he'd recently discovered that his father had kept track of all of those matches and had logged every one and it's result.  Gene enjoyed buying dolls for Heather, and he loved to buy collectibles for his mother Lil... though they also mentioned that Gene thought pretty much everything was collectible.  He loved spending time with his grandchildren even though they frequently drove him crazy.  

Gene liked NASCAR and collected NASCAR memorabilia.  He was a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, and of Iowa State Football.  He had played football while in High School here in Lohrville and even though he only weighed 150 lbs., he was the center for the offense.  Gene lived his whole life in Lohrville and loved his community dearly.

As I mentioned earlier, Gene retired in 2016 after suffering a head injury when falling from his truck.  The injury affected his cognitive abilities and his motor skills.  He was very frustrated about the limitations that he was left with and as a result, he had to give up pheasant hunting as he just wasn't able to walk through the brush like he needed to.  Apparently, though he was still able to hunt deer and did so even last fall and as I also mentioned, he had hoped to again this fall.

In a few moments, we will allow time for those that wish to share some memories about Gene with each of you.  But before we do, let me share with you one of the greatest... if not the greatest parable that Jesus left for us all.

It has long been my personal contention that it is impossible to grasp the love and grace of God without considering the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  The metaphor of a loving father is perhaps the easiest and maybe the only way for us to try and understand our Lord.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son - Luke 15: 11-24
11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up 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 like one of your hired hands.”’ 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

The parable tells us of a father that loves us so very much that he is always watching, waiting, and ready to greet us home.  It tells us of a father who's only desire is to be reunited with us... to throw his arms around the child that has rejected him and his love.  This parable, taken along with the parable of the workers in the vineyard, and the reading from the Book of Psalm that you heard earlier, paint a picture of a loving father, a father that is with us no matter what and no matter where... and that our Father in Heaven waits patiently for us to decide to return home... to His love, grace, and forgiveness.

A father's love is like that, it never dies... Cody and Heather, you can be reassured that your father's love for you will never die... it remains with you and your children. Though being separated from your father is difficult and will always be difficult, you can always rest assured that just as God will always love us, Gene will always love all of you so very, very much.  
Though we are parted but for a time, we can take solace in the words of the Apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 13:1-8
1 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.

Music: George Strait- Troubadour 

Eulogies and Reflections:
The family would like to allow those gathered here today to share some memories about Gene with each other.  Perhaps some stories that might tell his children and grandchildren a bit more about their father and grandfather.  If you like you may come forward to speak or if you are more comfortable please stand and speak from where you are. 

Closing Prayer:
The family invites you all to a continued time of reflection and celebration of Gene's life by joining them for a meal here at the community center. Immediately after this service, we will travel to the cemetery for the interment, those that do not wish to travel to the cemetery may remain here and wait for the family to return.  I will ask you to please wait for the family to return before partaking of the meal that has been so lovingly prepared by so very many.  Once we return I will bless the meal and then we will continue our remembrance service.

Let us please close with a prayer...

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 Gene to your unfailing love and overflowing goodness.  Through the power that raised Christ from the dead to live eternally with you, lift up this, your servant, to a life fulfilled beyond our imagining.  We give you but your own.  Accept him as he is with all his frailties as well as his strengths.  Enfold him in your everlasting arms.  Embrace 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.

Closing and Benediction:
“May the Lord Bless you and keep you, and may His face shine down upon you and grant you all His Peace”  Amen.

Sending Song: Luke Combs- Even Though I’m Leaving


Committal Service:
This afternoon we are gathered here to lay to rest and inter the ashes of not only Gene Wirt, but also his father Curt.  It brings us great comfort to know that Gene and Curt will spend eternity right here beside each other.  We have selfishly wanted to hold on to our loved ones... it brings us great pain to let them go. Living in the resurrection hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the trust of a loving God and in the promise of eternal life, we now commit their mortal remains to their eternal place of rest. We will continue to mourn our loss but through our faith in a loving and grace-filled God.  We will always love both Gene and Curt, but God now takes care of them.  We will continue to carry Gene and Curt in our thoughts, but they will be kept safe in God's hands. 

Hear now - Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
    and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
    and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
    they shall walk and not faint. 

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 brothers Gene and Curt to the earth from which they were made, and lay to rest their mortal bodies that they might put on immortality. The Lord bless them and keep them; the Lord make his face shine upon them and be gracious unto them; the Lord look upon them with favor and give them eternal peace.  Amen

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)

Believing in the Resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we now entrust Gene and Curt to the care of Almighty God and we ask Our Father to lead them to the rooms made ready just for him. As we now commit their ashes to their final resting place; we commend their spirits to their new home. Rest eternal grant them, and let God's light perpetual shine upon them. Almighty God, as you once called our brothers Gene and Curt into this life, so now you have called them 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.