One of my favorite videos revisited, a wonderful message.

Photo by Christian Begeman

This video from China isn't new, and I've linked to it before, but it is one of my favorite videos out there online.  I only wish that more couples would follow the wisdom of the young woman portrayed in the story. 

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His glory,
Roy

Photo by WmRoy Karlen

The Sin of Sin, Matthew 5:21-37 - February 12th, 2017

Below you'll find the video to this last Sunday's sermon along with the scripture verses that the sermon covered.  Matthew 5:21-37 includes some difficult verses and is certainly difficult enough to convict each and every one of us for some sin or another.  None of us escapes conviction by scripture, if you think you do... well think again.

Matthew 5:21-37
Concerning Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult[f] a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Concerning Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.[l] 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

Concerning Divorce
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Concerning Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

The common thread that runs through all sin is the "broken" relationships of us to God, and/or us to one another.  In the sermon I focus on this underlying nature of sin especially the brokenness of divorce, which I do believe is a sin, as it of course is the poster child of "brokenness".  In divorce you see both aspects of sin, that of a severed relationship(s) and the betrayal of an oath (covenant with God and each other).  I've discussed the sin of divorce in another post here and I won't belabor it again in this blog post, but will provide the link to that blog post at the end of this writing.

There is in my opinion no hierarchy of sin, all sin is sin.  We can infer this from the verses above in Matthew and we can see it explicitly in the scripture found in the letter from James.

James 2:10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

Though there is no hierarchy of sin, divorce certainly isn't to be taken lightly, as I have mentioned it is really a two fold (or more) sin or violation.  Divorce without a doubt separates us from God and each other and it is only through faith and prayer that our relationship(s) can be repaired.  Of course most divorces are never reconciled here in this world, I have to believe (due to my faith) that somehow this brokenness is rectified beyond this world and into the next.  Through Christ all that is broken, no matter what sin it is, will be repaired and forgotten.

Please take a listen to the sermon, I hope you'll find it worthwhile.  Have a wonderful and blessed day, and as always...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His love,
Roy

Link to past blog post concerning divorce/sin

http://thepathtothepulpit.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-wedding-and-roys-ramblings.html

A Wedding at Woodlawn Christian Church

,

This past Saturday I was able to perform my first wedding here at Woodlawn Christian Church.  The young couple Matt Weiss and Alicia Stonehocker, are a wonderful couple and I enjoyed going through the premarital counseling with them and the wedding went off without a hitch.  I am very confident that Matt and Alicia will enjoy a lifetime together as one, and I am extremely happy for them and proud of them.

I've attached below the script of the service.  Our wedding coordinator for the Church, Roxy Crandall told her husband that it was the best wedding service she'd seen.  I think that's likely an extreme stretch, but I'm thankful that it went over so well.

Thank you, Matt and Alicia and God's blessings on you both!

In His Grace,
Roy

Stonehocker / Weiss Wedding
Prelude

Processional

Bridal Processional

Introduction
When two hearts are bound together in the bonds of Christian matrimony, it is a blessed and sacred moment. We recognize that marriage is an important part of God’s plan for mankind. God Himself long ago ordained and instituted marriage, and it was He who performed the first wedding ceremony in the Garden of Eden.

When our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world He chose a wedding at Cana in Galilee to perform His mighty miracle. In order to achieve success in this, the highest of all human commitments, we must look to Gods’ Word for direction. The Bible says that you are to submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, you are to submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and He is the Savior of the body.

Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. A man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

The beautiful love you share with each other is described in 1st Corinthians 13. There the Bible says, “Love is ever patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost. You will always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your ground in defending them. All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy, and speaking in unknown languages, and special knowledge— these gifts will disappear. There are three things that remain – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:4-9, 13, TLB).

Giving Away of the Bride
May the Lord bless you both as from this day forward you seek to carry out these scriptural ideals in your marriage.
In light of the serious approach the Scriptures take toward marriage, it should be entered into with sobriety and great reverence.  If any man can show just cause why this couple should not be joined together, let him speak now or else, hereafter and forevermore, hold his peace.
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Response: Her mother and I.

Prayer
LET US PRAY
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of a man and a woman in his Holy Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man - Matthew, and this woman - Alicia.  Defend them from every enemy.  Lead them into all peace.  Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.  

Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Message

Vows
So, Matt and Alicia, you have come today signifying your desire to be formally united in the bonds of Christian matrimony.  Will you now please join both hands, remember always that the closer you keep Christ in the center of your life, the greater your love will be for the other.

Matt in taking Alicia to be your lawful and wedded wife, before God and these witnesses present, you must promise to love her, to honor and cherish her, and leaving all others, to cleave only to her and be to her in all things the true and faithful husband so long as you both shall live. Do you so promise?

Response: I do.

Alicia in taking Matt to be your lawful and wedded husband, before God and these witnesses present, you must promise to love him, to honor and cherish him and leaving all others, to cleave only to him and be to him in all things the true and faithful wife so long as you both shall live. Do you so promise?

Response: I do.

Then, you are each given one to the other. In times of happiness and in times of sorrow; in times of plenty and in times of poverty; in times of sickness and in times of well-being; to love and enjoy till death shall separate you.

Exchange of Rings
May I have the rings?

Throughout all time the ring has been used to seal this most important of all human commitments. The ring is a beautiful symbol of your love, in that it is an unending circle symbolizing the eternity of your love, and the purity of gold in the ring symbolizes the purity of your love and marriage in God’s eyes.

Matt, will you take this ring which is a beautiful symbol and meaningful token of your love for Alicia and place it on the ring finger of her left hand while holding it in place repeat these words to her? “With this ring I thee wed, with loyal love thee endow, and all my worldly goods with thee I share, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen”

Alicia, this ring is a beautiful symbol and meaningful token of your love for Matt. Will you now place it on the ring finger of his left hand while holding it in place repeat these words to him? “With this ring I thee wed, with loyal love thee endow, and all my worldly goods with thee I share, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen”

The pouring of the Unity Sand
“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). God created you as an individual, perfect by His glory and love. But God also said that it was not good for man to be alone, and so he created woman to be his partner and helper. Today as you have made a sacred covenant before God joining in marriage, you now become one flesh. You have chosen to symbolize that union with a sand ceremony.

First, I will pour in the TAN sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of who you are as individuals. 

Now ALICIA, pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. 

Now MATT, also pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. 

I will next pour some more TAN sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of your marriage.

Now, MATT and ALICIA pour your remaining sand together to represent your joining as one in marriage completely and eternally.

Lastly, I pour a final layer of TAN sand to represent God watching over you and protecting you with his everlasting love.

May God bless this marriage so that you are as inseparable as these grains of sand. Amen.

Signing of the Marriage Certificate

Pronouncement
Now, having pledged your eternal faith in each other, and your undying love for each other, having entered into a convent agreement with God, and having sealed that pledge and covenant through the symbolic union of your lives through the enactment of the unity sand, by the exchange of these holy and blessed rings, and by your solemn vows to each other before and with God, I, acting in the authority vested in me as a minister of the Gospel, and looking to God for his divine approval upon your lives, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9).

Introduction of Couple
I present to you all Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Weiss.
Matt, you may now kiss your bride...

Benediction
May the God of peace who raised Christ from the dead strengthen your inner being for every good work, and may the blessing of God Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit Rest upon you both and dwell within you this day and forevermore. 
Amen. 

Recessional

If when reading Scripture.......

This past Sunday's Sermon was based on one of my own personal sayings... "If when reading scripture you never feel convicted, if you never see the hairy hand of God pointing a fat finger right back at you... well then you're not paying close enough attention."

Though scripture may 'convict' us, and God may 'judge' us, it is we alone who 'condemn' us.  God does not wish to be separated from even one of His little ones.  If we find ourselves in isolation from God, it is we who have condemned ourselves. This quote from C.S. Lewis pretty well sums it all up...

I've attached the video of the Sermon, it's in two parts once again and I apologize for that.  I thought it was a pretty fair sermon and I hope if you take the time to listen that you'll perhaps gain something from it.

With that, I will let you all go, and retire for the evening.

Be a blessing to someone today!!

In Christ,

Roy

Video of Sermon from August 2nd and 9th

I apologize for not getting the sermon up last week, it's been busy and I just didn't get around to it like I had hoped to do.  I've gone ahead and included two weeks worth of sermons for you this week so if you're so inclined there's plenty to watch and/or listen to.

Below you will first find two videos of the August 2nd Sermon.  Unfortunately, there was a bit of a camera issue and just a tiny bit of the sermon was cut out in between the two videos.  Part of the time was utilized as commentary about several issues in the news cycle right now.  The most important of which is the issue of the videos and Planned Parenthood.  I am a staunch opponent of abortion and am appalled at the manner and the tone which the managers of these 'clinics' exhibit in these videos.

I have ordered a book written by Abby Johnson who was a director of a Planned Parenthood clinic down in Texas.  She has stated that over 90% of the women that came to them with pregnancies ended up undergoing an abortion.  This is an abomination, abortion should always be the last alternative and the goal should always be to render them to being exceedingly rare in occurrence.

For those who have suffered through the regret and anguish of an abortion, this link provides a source for counseling and healing.

Counseling and Support Network for Women concerning Abortion

Next up is a video of the sermon given here on August 9th.  At the end of the sermon, I read the letter that I've prepared for the 'Time Capsule' that we will be burying as part of the Sesquicentennial celebration in September.  The very end of the reading was missed as Ryan thought I was done before I got to the end of the reading.  As a result, I've attached a copy of the letter to the end of this blog post.

 In the morning today Evelyn Johnson and I went out to Shady Oaks to conduct a worship service for the residents.  It's always a joy to go out and worship with all of them as they're all so happy and glad to see us there.  

This afternoon I had a meeting with a young couple about possibly performing a wedding for them here in November.  I will be putting together a series of counseling sessions for them to finish prior to the wedding.  They are only 23, but I'm pretty comfortable with them as they've known each other since 5th grade and have remained friends all this time.  I'm very much looking forward to getting to know them and to helping them understand fully the commitment that they are about to undertake.  Praise God for His work in their lives.

I pray that this blog post finds everyone who wanders through very well and richly blessed.

In His Constant Love & Grace
Roy

Letter to Woodlawn Christian Church in 2040:

To the Pastor and the Congregation of Woodlawn Christian Church in the fall of 2040.

Hello and greetings from Woodlawn Christian Church in the fall of 2015. The occasion we are celebrating today is the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Woodlawn Christian Church here in Lake City, Iowa. The Church has had a long and wonderful history here in this place and as a part of our celebration we have decided to reach across time to you at the Church's 175th Anniversary Celebration. Congratulations, and well wishes to you all for your long and tireless service.

My name is Roy Karlen, but I prefer to just be called either Pastor Roy or just plain Roy. I've only just recently come here to Woodlawn Christian Church as your Pastor after a lengthy search process for both the church and myself. Ultimately, God has led us together and we all pray that it's for the best for all concerned.

No doubt among you there today are a number who are here with us now as we bury this time capsule in September of 2015. Perhaps I'm even there with you all, but if I am, I'm now even older than Jim Bruce is today, so please.... keep an eye on me.

Possibly among you are Ryan or Kimberly Daisy, Emily Winker, Spencer Moon or Kolten, Noah, Holden or Hayden Hildreth, if they're not I'm positive each has gone on in the meanwhile to have good productive and Christ led lives, spreading the love of Christ and the lessons they've learned here in Lake City far and wide. As to who else might still be here, well the rest of us I'm afraid to say are a bit more of a long shot, but certainly many of us are still here working to continue the legacy of Woodlawn Christian Church in the Lake City Community. For all those that are gathered who remember me, hello to you once again my old friends and fellow Disciples. To all of you there whether you remember me or not, I give to you all God's Love, Blessing, Grace, and Peace. Thank you all for continuing to do God's work in this wonderful community. May God lead you along the path of service and devotion to His creation.

My time here at Woodlawn is just now beginning. Together with all the wonderful souls here we are working as one to try and determine how best to serve this community as times continue to change for small towns in the Midwest. By the time you're reading this, you'll know how successful we all were in discerning God's directions and guidance. Whatever it is that we have done, I pray earnestly that it has been through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the Father's blessing. Our goal is to honor the past by working to serve the present and to prepare the Church and it's people for the future. Hopefully, as you look back upon our efforts they have been successful. No matter or not, our commission to you is the same as our fore-bearers here at Woodlawn Christian have left to us; to honor that great history of this Church organization (for you now 175 years), and to continue to serve, build and prepare.

To the people of the congregation at Woodlawn in 2040, I want to thank you for the time that I had here as your Pastor. This place, Lake City, Iowa is a wonderful town filled with wonderful souls. Both Gail and I are so very grateful for the time we will have had to spend here worshiping and serving with you all. God's very best to you all.

To the current Pastor at Woodlawn Christian, I have no idea how many years God granted me to be here in Lake City. I have no way of knowing if it was a very long or a very short ministry. The only thing that I can pray is that no matter the length, that it was a meaningful time for both myself and the good people at Woodlawn Christian. At times like these one wants to state words that sound profound and grandiose, to impart some past and long forgotten wisdom onto those that are to come after us... I have no such words.

I have no idea if you are new here in ministry or if you've already been here for years, perhaps more years than I was here. Only our Father knows what lies ahead for each and any of us, we just live our lives as He guides us and as long as we remain faithful to His leadings all will work out well in the end. No... I have no profound words to leave you with, for ultimately I'm a simple person living a simple life, simply trying to do what I'm directed to do. But God's people don't really need nor do they especially want words that bewilder or perplex, what God's people need is for you to love them. God's love extended through you will have a far, far greater impact on the lives of the people that He has sent you to serve than any words you or I could ever muster.

Again to the people here at Woodlawn Christian, it has been my great pleasure to speak to you all once again in the form of this letter. May this short note find you all well and blessed, and if you remember nothing else from my time with you, remember this:

Be A Blessing To Someone Today,
Pastor Roy

Love One Another; In the storms let us remember that we are Christ's followers

Well, it has been an interesting few days since the Supreme Court handed down their ruling on same-sex marriage.  Sad to say it has brought out some of the worst in both sides and there has been no end of ungracious losers, and maybe even more ungracious winners.  But perhaps that is a large part of the problem, we classify each other as winners and losers rather than actually trying to understand and communicate with each other.

Honestly, I've been hesitant to add anything to the dialogue since it seems that so much good and bad is already being written.  But, I sincerely don't think our reactions need to be so complicated and certainly not so vitriol from either and each side.

This is a link to a blog which has a pretty good handle on the issue.  He is however coming from one particular side and seems to imply that the majority of the insults are coming from the opposing side alone, I don't think that's the case.  I think there are offenders equally on both sides.  Both sides need to extend olive branches to the other in my opinion.

Somewhere After The Rainbow

Personally, I was not in favor of the ruling by the Supreme Court.  My position had nothing to do with same-sex marriage however, I see this ruling as a continued erosion of States Rights and I am afraid that the precedent that it sets will come back to haunt us in years to come.  I also fear that without language in place to assure the proper balancing of conflicting 'rights' that the conservative churches will be singled out for abuse by activists and penalized by activist courts.  For this reason, I applaud what they have done down in Texas with passing legislation adding additional protection to those who do not wish to perform same-sex unions.

As to same-sex marriage and the sin of homosexuality, rather than try and repeat what is said so much better than I could anyway... I will again post a link to this video of a sermon given by Danny Cortez.  No matter which side of the same-sex marriage issue you are on pro or con, please, please set aside an hour and listen to this Pastor's sermon.  It's a great sermon and one that all Christians need to hear in this time of renewed controversy and contention.  It is a sermon given with a heart filled with love, grace and a desire for reconciliation... in short a sermon which is extremely Christ-like in nature.

Romans 2 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Righteous Judgment of God
2 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.

Pay close attention to the historical context that he brings into his sermon.  This is a very, very important point and is in my opinion what most Christians are missing in their understanding of this highly contentious issue.

In the end though, no matter which side of this issue you are on, let's behave as Christians to one another and communicate in a sense of love and grace.  Let us try to understand and find common ground in our shared love for our Lord.  This division in our hearts certainly grieves our God.  Even if you ascribe to the belief that homosexuality is a sin, go back and read the verse I quoted above from Romans.  We are all sinners, there is not a one who does not fall short of the glory of God.  Do not hate someone just because they sin differently than you do.

The photo above was taken this past weekend during our Community Worship Service during 'Western Days' here in Lake City.  This annual service is held in the Town Square and is open to all the congregations in town.  It's one of two annual worship services held by the Lake City Ministerial Association.  I think it's wonderful to be in a community where the churches are not at odds with one another and actually work together to serve the local community.  Praise God, for such a wonderful and loving community.

Here are a couple more photos from the event.

I need to get back to working on my sermon for this weekend so I'm going to let you all go for now.  May this blog post find you all well and blessed and remember to please "be a blessing to someone today".

In His Grace,
Roy

Sermon 5/31/15 and a Fire in Sioux Falls, SD

Chapel Door, Woodlawn Christian Church
Lake City, Iowa
Wm Roy Karlen photo

This past Sunday afternoon, the apartment building that my son Creath lives in caught fire and was severely damaged.  The damage was significant enough that the entire building was condemned by the City and all of the residents had to be relocated.  So, yesterday afternoon I drove to Sioux Falls, SD in order to help my son Creath and his roommate Jeff move their belongings from their apartment to a different apartment across the way in the same apartment complex.  

Creath and Jeff were very lucky as the fire reached the apartment next to theirs but was stopped there.  They also didn't have too much water in their apartment which was amazing to me.  This had been my biggest fear with all of the musical instruments Creath owns I was scared to death they would be ruined.  Though his violin could be replaced it is one he's had since High School and is a symphony quality instrument.  It was very expensive and we purchased it because we hoped he'd have and play it for the rest of his life.  It's loss would have been horribly sad, fortunately it is fine and was in the case out of harms way.

Photo taken from in front of Creath's apartment doorway.  That door is the fire door.
It performed its function pretty well, though the fire did penetrate into the apartment directly next to it.

Creath's apartment building.

I got into Sioux Falls about 3:30 pm, leaving Lake City shortly after noon.  We worked like crazy and then went and had a burger at "Tap41" a gourmet hamburger place not far from where they live.  Their burgers were good, but they don't have the endless options like "JL Beers" has to offer.  I left after eating and it was close to 1:30 am before I got back to the Parsonage.  It made for a pretty short night, but Creath and Jeff appreciated the help and you've got to do what you've got to do to help your young'ins.

The sermon this last Sunday was dedicated to my late friend Mark Winquist who passed away four years ago.  Sunday was the fourth anniversary of my reading the email that told me he had passed and that his funeral was the next morning.

Time seems to fly and it's hard to believe that four years have ticked away from me.  The older we get, the faster time does seem to transpire, it's something we've all heard all of our lives and sadly, it's true.

I need to get back to work on the service for this coming Sunday so I'll just leave you all with my favorite refrain.  "Be a Blessing to Someone Today!"

In God's abundant and endless grace,
Roy

Sermon given by Pastor Roy Karlen, on May 31, 2015 at Woodlawn Christian Church, Lake City, Iowa.

Good morning once again, I'd like today to do something that I have been known to do every once in a great while, and that's to dedicate a sermon to an individual from my past.  Today, I'd like to dedicate this sermon to my late friend, roommate, training partner, powerlifting coach and a good Christian man, Mark Winquist.

But before I get into all of that, let's go before God in Prayer and reflection.

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, Abba, we ask for you to be with us here today, to once more let us be in your Holy presence.  Father, please work within our hearts and our minds to let us draw closer to you. Creator God, open our ears and soften our souls that we might hear your word and come to know you more fully.  Ancient Lord, lead us on the path towards a deeper and fuller relationship with You.  For these blessings, we pray in your Holy and Grace filled name.  
AMEN

It seems so often in life that it's not the usual folks that you'd think of that God decides to use for His purposes here in this world.  Do you remember the story of when King David was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel.

1 Samuel 16:1-13 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me him whom I name to you.”4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eli′ab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abin′adab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “TheLord has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Now, David shouldn't have been the son chosen from among Jesse's children.  In the Hebrew culture it was always the oldest son who was to be the most favored.  David is the youngest, the least of the lot, the last one that God should have turned to among Jesse's offspring.

If you look through your own live, I'm sure you've witness this phenomenon as well.  God has this wonderful and puzzling ability to call upon the least likely, the one we've all dismissed as a lost cause.  There is a saying that I dearly love that states “God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called”.  We shouldn't be concerned about if we are  worthy, are we too old or too young, I don't have the education or the training, I'm too bashful or too this, or too that.  If we feel in our hearts that God has a purpose, a place, a mission for us, we need to act on that calling and step forth in faith.

The sermon today is as I said dedicated to my late friend Mark Winquist.

Mark was a year behind me in college, he was an electrical engineering major who carried a very good grade point average and yet dropped out of school one semester before his graduation.  Mark went to work for the railroad driving stakes in railroad ties.  He later worked for many, many years at a bicycle shop assembling and selling bicycles.  To be completely honest, he was a very difficult man to understand in many ways.

I met Mark at the beginning of my sophomore year, he was from Milbank, SD the same town as another friend, training partner, and roommate of mine, John Forman.  John and I had started training together during our Freshman year at South Dakota State University, 'GO Jacks', and when Mark showed up for school he immediately started training with us.  John and Mark had grown up together back in Milbank and it was only natural that Mark would fall in with John and I.  All three of us were members of the Powerlifting Team at SDSU.

Mark was a trumpet player and performed with the Marching Band at State.  He continued to play his trumpet for the rest of his life, in fact he prerecorded several songs specifically to be played at his own funeral.

Mark was without a doubt pound for pound the strongest man I've ever known personally.  Back in college he was ranked as one of the strongest powerlifters in the world in his weight class.  At one time, he was number one in the back squat for the entire world in the 132 lb weight class.  Mark competed and won National titles as well as competing and placing 2nd Internationally.  He was an incredibly strong man.

I liked Mark a great deal, but as I said already he was a difficult soul to understand and eccentric to a fault.  Knowing him like I did, he was almost the last soul I'd have ever thought would have ever dedicated so much of his life to others and to God.  Mark in those days was thoroughly self-absorbed and focused solely on Mark.

Mark and I had fallen out of communication for approximately 20 years. He had been very fond of and a friend of my first wife, and when our relationship ended so many years ago, my friendship with Mark was also strained it seemed.  I don't believe he ever forgave me for my failures at that point of my life.

I did reach out to Mark a couple of times through the years, and I left a few messages on his answering machine.  But, either because of an inability to forgive, or just his normal odd ball fashion, he never got around to calling me back.  I did manage to catch him on the phone about a year and half before his death, which was also about a month before he discovered he had cancer. Another one of our old weighlifting friends was being installed into the South Dakota Powerlifting Hall of Fame and I was trying to work out to meet with Mark and some other lifting friends at the powerlifting meet in Sioux Falls where this was to occur.  Mark though was just too busy to attend.  As it turned out there was a blizzard that day and I didn't make it to the meet either.

On May 31st of 2011 I walked into work on a Tuesday after the Memorial Day weekend.  As I generally do in the morning I went to the computer to check my e-mail.  There I saw an e-mail from my friend John Forman.  It simply said 'Mark' in the title of the e-mail.  For some reason I knew immediately in my soul that Mark had died.  There is no reason that I should have thought this, as the last time I had talked to Mark he was healthy and doing fine, nor had I heard anything at all about him being diagnosed with cancer.  For some strange reason I just knew in my heart that he was gone.

I opened the e-mail and discovered that my fears were very real.  John simply said in his e-mail that Mark had died on Saturday May 28th and that his funeral was the next morning at 10 am in Brookings, SD.  I fired back an e-mail to John that simply said “I'll see you in the morning”.

I spent the rest of that day rushing around to make arrangements so I could be out of the Gallery the next day.  So that Wednesday morning, I woke up early and hit the road for Brookings.  I pulled up to the United Methodist Church in Brookings, SD about 15 minutes before the service was to start.

Now my expectations when I walked into that church, was to see a few folks, mostly from Mark's hometown of Milbank, SD, and a fair number of big burly and muscular men and likely a few muscular women as well.  I expected that this would be like a homecoming for old weightlifters, who were in my experience the main people Mark had time for.

What I found when I walked inside was my friend John and another friend of ours Lane, who had also gone to High School with Mark.  Both of them were pall-bearers and I spoke briefly to them and went inside to find a seat.  There wasn't a single weightlifter to be found inside that sanctuary.  What there was though was a church packed to the rafters.  So much so that they seated me in the back pew of the pews reserved for the family.

I looked around that church in amazement, the Mark I knew wasn't a friendly and outgoing soul.  In fact you had to work pretty dang hard to be his friend.  The pews in this church formed a slight 'U' shape around the altar and pulpit, and there was a balcony that wrapped all the way around in a big 'U' shape as well.  When I looked up into the balcony I could see that it was almost entirely teenagers and young people.  And there was a ton of them up there!  The pews were entirely filled.

It was a great memorial service to a man that I had thought I knew pretty well, or at least I knew him well at one time.  As the various individuals came up to talk about Mark's life and as the Minister gave her message.  I was moved to the point of tears, honestly I can tell you I cried more at Mark's funeral than I have ever cried at a funeral.  There was so much genuine expression of love and admiration that flowed in that sanctuary that day that I was simply overwhelmed.

I learned that my old friend who had been in my experience been so very self-absorbed, was for this congregation invaluable.  He was by all appearances, almost an indispensable part of his church.  He was their youth leader, he ran the sound system, he was their music director, he was the Property Chair for their Church Council, and he went by the building every evening to make sure all was well.  Mark also filled the role as the Associate Minister for his church and  stepped into the pulpit if the Minister had to be gone. Beyond the local congregation he was the leader for the youth camps for the United Methodist in South Dakota.

That sanctuary was filled with young people.  Well over a hundred of them, young people whose lives had been impacted for the better by a man I never really knew it would seem.  That day I not only grieved the loss of an old friend but I grieved the loss of a friend I never got to know.

Mark and I had never talked about God or religion in any fashion.  As far as I knew in our days of running together, he wasn't religious at all.  I certainly wasn't and it wasn't a topic I'd have wanted to discuss anyways.  But ultimately, Mark's death had a very big impact on me for a number of reasons, and ultimately on my own personal vision of God.  The area that we're concerned with today, is that I came to see that God could and would use the least likely to further His Kingdom.  

Window in the Chapel of Woodlawn Christian Church
Lake City, Iowa
Wm Roy Karlen photo

God was able to use David the youngest of all his brothers, God used Moses a murderer and a man who was slow of speech, God used Peter and the rest of the Apostles who were all common men and not educated or sophisticated.  God was able to use Paul, a man who was dead set against the Jesus movement to become most likely the most successful of all the Apostles.  And God used the son of a carpenter from a back water place called Galilee to reveal his Love and Grace to this world.

Never, ever feel that you have nothing to offer to God.  He can and he does use whom ever he pleases to accomplish His ways in this world.  Even though I was already in the process of becoming a Lay Minister when Mark passed away, it reaffirmed to me that God can do wonderful things with the least and the least likely.

It helped convince me that God could use this old cowboy, and sinner to help His children and His creation.  Mark's impact in this world is far from over, for not only are there dozens of youth up in South Dakota who he impacted and God only knows how and where they'll end up serving... but Mark continues to have an impact on me and indirectly he's having an impact on all of you as a result.

We will never know how far our actions, our beliefs, our service, our lives will reach out to others.  Your life could be the inspiration for someone you've never even met.  Let's make sure we're all living lives that are worthy of that influence.  It's what we're called to be and to do.

God Bless you all, let us pray:

Dear God, take our hands, and work through them, take our lips, and speak through them, take our minds, and think through them, take our hearts, and set them on fire with Your love;

by the power of Christ who is always with us.  AMEN