Sermon 12302011 Funeral Irene Peters Daise

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our redeemer!!  AMEN!!

Let us pray!  Heavenly Father as we gather here to celebrate the life of our sister in Christ Irene.  May our hearts be enabled to hear clearly Your Word spoken to our hearts and comfort us as we mourn.  Though the veil of death separates us today from Irene, we are sure of the certain promise You made to us in our baptism that in being baptized into Your death we are certainly raised with You in Your resurrection.  Comfort us with this thought and let the salve of Your Gospel message surround us so we may hear clearly the Gospel message You proclaimed to Irene on the day of her baptism and which You proclaim here today in truth, purity and peace to Your saints, especially the saints of her family all of us gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

Growing up in rural Southside Virginia we had one claim to fame for our small town.  It was a festival known as Dixie Days.  This was an annual festival where crafts, food and fellowship were enjoyed.  One of the highlights of Dixie Days was an afternoon exhibition of Square Dancing put on right in front of the motel where the Dixieland Band played.  As you well know Irene and Maurice were constant partners in square dancing and though I may not have seen them personally dance, I know when they heard “Face your neighbor, balance and swing” they were off to the races and would leave me in the dust with my two left feet.

This morning we come to bid the long-time dance partner of Maurice good bye.  As constant companion on this earthly pilgrimage during all the dances, Irene embodied what partnership truly meant.  Constantly by her husband’s side, whether as dance partner, cheerleader for the baseball teams of both husband and sons or card partner playing the Pecks on Friday night, Irene’s dedication to family and church was clear to everyone.  One of my first experiences with Maurice and Irene was a trip to McDonalds and encountering them as was ritual for coffee or a hamburger and being greeted by their friendly faces.

King Solomon, wise ruler and author of Ecclesiastes said it well, “¹To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”.  Just as in square dancing the caller tells what movements are coming, we have a great promise and purpose from our Lord Jesus Christ of the path we are to take in our lives.  The path that God called Irene to not only included daily partner to Maurice, and never ending supporter of Jerry and Ron and their children, but was especially for Irene as a child of God embraced and redeemed by the blood of the lamb in her baptism into Jesus Christ, life, death and resurrection which forgave her sin and imparted eternal life.

Just as the Psalmist David wrote in the 23^rd Psalm, Irene never was in want, because God provided, husband, sons and family that danced with her on her journey of life as accountant at the Co-Op or for Hastings or as clerk at JCPenny.  As Irene journeyed through life, sometimes tinkling the ivories of piano or organ, God “lead her in the paths of righteousness” and “beside the still waters”.  God brought her husband home safe from Europe and from his daily work at the post office.  Yet, for Irene because of God’s continued presence and promise of husband and family she “feared no evil” because of God’s promise made to her in her baptism with Water and Word that “Thou O Lord art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comforted” Irene and us today.

Thus with Paul the prolific writer, Irene has “fought the good fight…finished the course…and kept the faith”.  And now as she rests in her loving Savior’s arms, Irene wears the “crown of righteousness, which the Lord…has given to her”.  For this crown was given to Irene through the promise offered to her and to us by our Lord Jesus Christ in our baptism into His life, death and resurrection.  For Jesus as quoted by John said to Irene and to us today, “ye believe in God, believe also in me”.  “Jesus saith unto us, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

This morning we can be assured that God has fulfilled His promise for Irene.  As we celebrate the life of Irene God fulfills the final promise we find in David’s Psalm which says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  In God’s house we will find Irene because of what Jesus Christ has done for her and us in and through our baptism into His life, death and resurrection for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning to say goodbye.  AMEN.

Now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding guard our hearts and minds and comfort us today, because of what Jesus Christ did in Irene’s life and ours!  AMEN!

Sermon 12252011 Christmas Day

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our redeemer!!  AMEN!!

Let us pray!  Lord Jesus Christ, we have celebrated Your Holy birth.  For St. John was inspired to proclaim, “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”.  In Your birth, the plan of salvation was put into action and we now receive this morning, not only Your precious Body and Blood but now share in eternal life brought to us in a lowly manger for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Christmas morning.  AMEN.

Can you name the song where the following lyrics come from?

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Ascribed as the most popular Christmas hymn due to it being translated into over 125 languages, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” still to this day inspires us.

On Christmas Day 1914, a peace settled over most of the fronts of Europe as men, who not days before were sworn enemies joined together to share the Christmas message.  The following is a fictional story based upon eyewitness accounts, by Aaron Shepard entitled, “A Christmas Truce” of a letter written from a soldier on the Eastern Front to his sister, but gives new meaning to the hymns we sing and take for granted.

Just yesterday morning—Christmas Eve Day—we had our first good freeze. Cold as we were, we welcomed it, because at least the mud froze solid. Everything was tinged white with frost, while a bright sun shone over all. Perfect Christmas weather.

During the day, there was little shelling or rifle fire from either side. And as darkness fell on our Christmas Eve, the shooting stopped entirely. Our first complete silence in months! We hoped it might promise a peaceful holiday, but we didn’t count on it. We’d been told the Germans might attack and try to catch us off guard.

I went to the dugout to rest, and lying on my cot, I must have drifted asleep. All at once my friend John was shaking me awake, saying, “Come and see! See what the Germans are doing!” I grabbed my rifle, stumbled out into the trench, and stuck my head cautiously above the sandbags.

I never hope to see a stranger and more lovely sight. Clusters of tiny lights were shining all along the German line, left and right as far as the eye could see.

“What is it?” I asked in bewilderment, and John answered, “Christmas trees!”

And so it was. The Germans had placed Christmas trees in front of their trenches, lit by candle or lantern like beacons of good will.

And then we heard their voices raised in song.

Stille nacht, heilige nacht . . . .

This carol may not yet be familiar to us in Britain, but John knew it and translated: “Silent night, holy night.” I’ve never heard one lovelier—or more meaningful, in that quiet, clear night, its dark softened by a first-quarter moon.

When the song finished, the men in our trenches applauded. Yes, British soldiers applauding Germans! Then one of our own men started singing, and we all joined in.

The first Noel, the angel did say . . . .

In truth, we sounded not nearly as good as the Germans, with their fine harmonies. But they responded with enthusiastic applause of their own and then began another.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum . . . .

Then we replied.

O come all ye faithful . . . .

But this time they joined in, singing the same words in Latin.

Adeste fideles . . . .

British and German harmonizing across No Man’s Land!

Our reality we live with and celebrate today like the troops did on the Cold Eastern Front in 1914 is that the Word has become Flesh and dwelt among us!  We have beheld His Glory and this morning as we celebrate in song we also partake of His precious Body and Blood broken and shed for us and for all of mankind.  May we be fed, enriched and energized by God’s gift in the manger and from the altar where we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel on this Christmas morning.  AMEN!

Sermon 12242011 Late Service

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our redeemer!!  AMEN!!

Let us pray!  Lord Jesus Christ, this night we celebrate Your birth.  May our celebration of Your entrance into the World make us glad to be in Your presence and know You as our Lord and Savior.  For You are not only known as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace, but also as our Savior for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

What is the power of Christ on Christmas?  In 1914, if this question would have been asked, it would have been certain to return a doubtful reply of Christ having power.  For not four months earlier the “War to End All Wars” had begun and the savageness of humanity had been seen and experienced by both sides of the conflict.  Countless men had died on the field of battle and the snow now flying was not manna from heaven, but a bitter reminder of the sting of death that came so close to so many families upon the notification of their loss and the coldness of the season. 

Tonight, Christmas Eve 2011 we are not much different, we have experienced loss in a war on terror that has claimed over 4500 innocent American lives on a field of battle with sand half a world away.  The same question may have a similar reply, Christ having power?

Yet, in 1914, a strange thing happened.  For the commanders who were waging this war, Jesus Christ, born in a lowly manger in Bethlehem reached down from heaven and grasped the lives of the common soldier and entered into their collective hearts.  Though the chaos of war had previously surrounded them and each side hurled insults at each other, Jesus Christ birth united these ‘enemies’ and the soldiers broke from their collective ranks across the theater of command and battle lines and wished each other a “Merry Christmas”.  Soldiers who not hours before were fierce enemies, now shared impromptu Christmas gifts of whisky, wine, cigars, song, merriment and fellowship united not under the same country flag, but under the banner of Jesus Christ.

What is the power of Jesus Christ on Christmas?  I ask this question, not as one who doubts, but as one who believes in the power of Jesus Christ and what He can do.  The power is found in how Jesus Christ came down from heaven and entered in our hearts.  That is the power of Jesus Christ.  May each of you here tonight find, feel and finish your worship tonight with the peace that God gives us through what His Son Jesus Christ has done on the Cross of Calvary.  For the gift Jesus comes and offers to us tonight was not without cost, but was freely offered to us because of His great love for all of mankind and all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Christmas Eve.  AMEN.